Man That You Fear

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“Man That You Fear” was released as the final single from Antichrist Superstar. The album’s concept follows the journey of its protagonist, “The Worm,” as he metaphorically… Read More

Oct. 8, 19961 viewer50.4K views

Man That You Fear Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Ants are in the sugar, muscles atrophied
We're on the other side, the screen is us, and we're TV
Spread me open, sticking to my pointy ribs
Are all your infants in abortion cribs
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear

[Chorus]
Pray until your number
Asleep from all your pain
Your apple has been rotting
Tomorrow's turned up dead

[Verse 2]
I have it all and I have no choice but to
I'll make everyone pay and you will see
You can kill yourself now, because you're dead in my mind
The boy that you loved is the monster you fear

[Chorus]
Peel off all those eyes
And crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all of your children
To camouflage your scars

Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals

[Post-Chorus]
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream

[Bridge]
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape
I am so tangled in my sins that I cannot escape

[Verse 3]
Pinch the head off, collapse me like a weed
Someone had to go this far
I was born into this, everything turns to shit
The boy that you loved is the man that you fear

[Chorus]
Peel off all those eyes
And crawl into the dark
You've poisoned all of your children
To camouflage your scars

Pray unto the splinters
Pray unto your fear
Pray your life was just a dream
The cut that never heals

[Post-Chorus]
Pray now, baby
Pray your life was just a dream
The world in my hands
There's no one left to hear you scream
No one left for you

[Outro]
When all your wishes are granted
Many of your dreams will be destroyed

About

“Man That You Fear” was released as the final single from Antichrist Superstar. The album’s concept follows the journey of its protagonist, “The Worm,” as he metaphorically evolves from a worm to angel. Having shed his ability to feel empathy, he repurposes himself as someone feared by society, the eponymous Antichrist Superstar.

As outlined in his autobiography, Marilyn Manson initially wrote “Man That You Fear” during his cousin’s wedding ceremony. The song appears to detail how Manson’s past experiences and upbringing have informed who he has evolved to become—a man or monster that people have grown to fear.

The music video depicts a man who is condemned to die, and chronicles his last day on earth before he is stoned to death in the desert. According to Manson in a 1999 MTV interview, the video was inspired by Shirley Jackson’s 1948 short story, The Lottery.