Murderers and Boondock Saints

[Sans Agendum]

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS; if you haven't seen the movie you may not want to read on.

We all know Manson loves movies. I can't help thinking that this song has a lot in common with the premise of Boondock Saints. A movie about a couple of handsome Irish boys who, feeling that they cannot function any longer in their rotting crime ridden city, decide to kill people they feel are deserving of being cleansed from the earth. Culminating in a scene where a gang boss is assassinated in a courtroom by being driven to his knees and prayed over before being executed.

Fall on your knees. Horrid Voices of someone else's Angels



In the movie the two vigilantes kill a few people by shooting them cross ways through the backs of their heads in a way so that the eyes are missing. "Bullet holes for eyes". Other victims have coins placed over their eyes, but certain victims have their eyes blown out so that they cannot cross the River Styx.



At the end of the movie, during the credits, there are mock news interviews with pedestrians, many of whom seem to feel that they are vindicated in their actions. People think they are admirable. Murderers are Getting Prettier Every Day.

[ImNotJesus]

Wow, great thoughts! That makes a lot of sense, good find!

[brian219]

Haven't seen it but it looks spot on from what you've described. Especially liked the part about not being able to cross the Styx, since that matches quite a few Manson lyrics like "heaven wasn't made for me" and "forbidden in heaven."

Terrific find.

[A Better Messiah]

This also aligns with the vigilante persona that Manson has taken along with his band, this degenerate group of post-apocalyptic rebels who take fate into their own hands. He has mentioned revenge quite a few times in interviews lately, compared the band tattoos with those of "bikers," alluded to both zombie films and the Mad Max pictures. (The original Dawn of the Dead, a pioneer of the genre, featured a gang of bikers led by Tom Savini who raid the mall at its climax.)

[Manson15Marilyn]

He hasn't said anything regarding Boondock Saints. When its a major inspiration or influence he mentions it. Otherwise its not worth him mentioning. Though, maybe he was influenced by something related to some aspects of the movie? It'd be a far reach, though...

[brian219]

If it were just one little thing it'd be a reach. But with as many synchronicities as sans has pointed out it's reaching to try and dismiss it.

[kleiner352]

This is really an amazing connection, and kind of makes me wonder how much really was influenced. I definitely see the "fall on your knees" connections, for certain! I could see this being a film Manson would really enjoy, too. Considering the amount that he's borrowed and been influenced by other work before (just check out the Bowie thread on here to see what I mean), it's not a far fetch at all.

[Manson15Marilyn]

Let's assume the 3 lines in the song that you've connected to the movie is, in fact, where it came from; even if Manson hasn't found it worth mentioning. No one has offered any insight as to what it may represent either to Manson or to yourselves. Its all just "oh wow its similar to a movie I like, how great!" This is Marilyn Manson, man! There's far more to

You’re just a ring tone, that happens when you get sick enough to call the one with bullet holes for eyes.

than you're putting out there. Could you at least shed some light as to what the parts of the song you've outlined, and connected to the movie, may represent?
_________

Though, I just don't think Manson had this movie in mind. And here's why:

#1 - As I've said, he pretty much hasn't found the movie worth mentioning. And until he does mention it, I doubt it was ever in his mind. After all, Manson is a person who likes to speak his mind; and if it was on his mind during the make of the album he says something about it. He is a very brutally honest person.

And, that one part of the movie can only be vaguely be connected to the chorus. As the chorus does not talk about praying to any gods. So they put the man on his knees... I could find for you many movie scenes in which people are brought to their knees. Marilyn Manson is not a christian, even though he was raised in a family that was. He only references chrisitanity now and then to be ironic, not out of guilt like so many kids do nowadays. Not everything in his lyrics has to do with chrisitanity. In fact, a lot of it is based on old literature that was inspired while being persecuted by chrisitans and the like.

The same for the other parts of the movie. Especially the last one, a news crew talking to people about how great the main characters were has next to nothing to do with that part of the song. Pretty / Beautiful / glittering is about the elite, the ruling class, the ones on the hill, hollywood. I highly doubt the role of those characters was ever anything like that. And I think, given his reference to flowers and guns in the album (Manson describes the pistil as the "female part of the flower." ), prettier means something different... something female if you will.

And what I've found is that the song is connected more to other songs on the album, rather than outside resources. For instance, your mentioning of the 'bullet holes for eyes' line which is connected to a line in Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms about shooting bullet holes into the lock to his box in order find what he hides, as a metaphor. And both of those lines are connected to another line in Murderers are getting Prettier Everyday about him opening his own box before and being "paid with the shadow of consensual rape" for doing so, becoming an entrance wound (bullet hole) to someone's bedroom grave. And that line is connected to a line in Born Villain about him giving a person a choice between either burning the bridge between them (representing himself in some way) or he'll do it himself. After all, the album has an overarching theme. Why wouldn't be base his songs off his other songs? Otherwise, it'd be inconsistent... And we all know there's nothing inconsistent about Marilyn Manson's music.

Its easy to buy into any theory that connects one of your favourite things to other things the media tells you, as long as at least some kind of connection can be made--however vague--but it takes a lot of imagination and thought to wrap your mind around what's in Manson's mind. Think for yourselves, don't let the media do it all for you.

[brian219]

You’re just a ring tone, that happens when you get sick enough to call the one with bullet holes for eyes.

As I mentioned earlier, the being unable to cross the River Styx parallels previous lyrics concerning Manson being not allowed in Heaven, making him the likely candidate for the one with bullet holes for eyes.

You're just a ring tone = You place telephones calls.
that happens when you get sick enough to call = you only call when you're sick enough
the one with bullet holes for eyes. = me (Manson).

Put it all together = "You only call me when you're sick enough."

The following seem like they could be relevant to the topic in question.

Before the bullets, before the flies, before authorities take out my eyes.

Sometimes I dream I'm an exterminating angel, a traveling executioner from Heaven.

[Manson15Marilyn]

As I mentioned earlier, the being unable to cross the River Styx parallels previous lyrics concerning Manson being not allowed in Heaven, making him the likely candidate for the one with bullet holes for eyes.

But why Manson would be concerned at all whether or not he'd enter heaven? He doesn't believe in it. In the past, he mentions christian stuff to be ironic. Either that, or he would mention it through a book by an author whom was inspired by being persecuted by christians to be symbolic. But Marilyn Manson is not a chrisitan band, nor are they a satanic band; so he has no reason to take heaven seriously the way you do.

The bullet holes for eyes may very well be a reference to himself, though. At least I agree with you in some degree...

And that line from Unkillable Monster was a more romantic angle than any other reference. Everything on The High End of Low is like that, except its more about self-preservation than EAT ME, DRINK ME.