Boom! by System of a Down Lyrics Meaning – Decoding the Explosive Critique of Modern Warfare and Consumerism

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for System of a Down's Boom! at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

I’ve been walking through your streets
Where all your money’s earning
Where all your buildings crying and clueless neckties working
Revolving fake lawn houses, housing all your fears
Desensitized by TV
Overbearing advertising, god of consumerism
And all your crooked pictures looking good
Mirrorism, filtering information for the public eye
Designed for profiteering, your neighbor, what a guy

Boom, boom, boom, boom
Every time you drop the bomb
You kill the God your child has born
Boom, boom, boom, boom

Modern globalization, coupled with condemnations
Unnecessary death
Matador corporations
Puppeting your frustrations with the blinded flag
Manufacturing consent is the name of the game
The bottom line is money, nobody gives a fuck
4000 hungry children leave us per hour from starvation
While billions are spent on bombs, creating death showers

Boom, boom, boom, boom,
Every time you drop the bomb
You kill the God your child has born
Boom, boom, boom, boom,
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom

Why must we
Kill our own kind?

Boom, boom, boom, boom
Every time you drop the bomb
You kill the God your child has born
Boom, boom, boom, boom
Boom, boom, boom, boom
Boom, boom, boom, boom
Every time you drop the bomb (boom)

Boom!’ by System of a Down (SOAD) doesn’t just deliver an auditory explosion but also detonates a lyrical onslaught against the structural pillars of modern society—warfare, capitalism, and consumer culture. As the aggressive and haunting refrain reverberates, the band compels listeners to question the very fabric of our existence, laying bare the uncomfortable truths of the world we have built.

This song, which thrives on the band’s unique delivery of pointed political statement through heart-pounding metal, shakes the listener into awareness. The raw power of ‘Boom!’ is not only found in its sonic intensity but also in the deep pondering it calls for. For those prepared to dive in, ‘Boom!’ is an examination of the intersecting horrors of social injustice, government exploitation, and the silent complicity of a consumer-driven populace.

Unmasking the Facade of Suburbia: A Take on SOAD’s Satire

The opening verses of ‘Boom!’ are a poignant criticism of the suburban lifestyle that many consider the American Dream. SOAD underscores the vapidity of this existence with imagery of ‘revolving fake lawn houses’—a metaphor for the endless cycle of consumption and the illusion of contentment. The ‘clueless neckties’ allude to office workers ensnared in their mundane corporate roles, directly opposed to any form of meaningful existence.

Desensitization, brought upon by relentless TV bombardment and manipulative advertising strategies (notably ‘god of consumerism’), contributes to the society’s indifference. This complacency is further weaponized by those in power (‘crooked pictures’). System of a Down exposes the farce of the information filtered to the public, channeling a simmering discontent with the system designed to keep the population inert while the reality, often grim, continues unabated.

The Catchphrase That’s More Than a Hook: Dissecting ‘Boom’s’ Chorus

SOAD’s chorus pairs a simple, echoing ‘Boom’ with a profound consequence, marking every bomb with the death of innocence. The repetition underscores the incessant nature of modern conflicts and the cyclical violence propagated by our societies. With every ‘boom,’ the song suggests that a piece of humanity—symbolized by the God a child has born—is obliterated.

This chorus reflects the human cost of war, not just in the lives lost but also in how it shapes living souls. Children are born into a world where the reality of bombs dropping is as common as the falling rain, thus altering their perception of both divinity and humanity. This disparity, painted in lethally stark terms, becomes a grim anthem for the lost potential and shattered sanctity of life.

A Piercing Analysis of ‘Matador Corporations’ and Manufactured Consent

In a striking stance against the military-industrial complex, SOAD introduces the concept of ‘Matador corporations’—entities that direct public frustration towards contrived enemies, much like a matador directs a bull. These corporations, complicit in death and destruction, veil their motives with nationalistic symbols (‘the blinded flag’), manipulating patriotic sentiment to justify their profits.

The term ‘manufacturing consent’ echoes the work of intellectual Noam Chomsky, illustrating how the media and corporate entities shape public opinion to serve their agendas. The ‘name of the game’ is profit, as the band states bluntly, and in this game, lives are expendable. System of a Down doesn’t just point fingers but calls out the complicit silence that allows this ruthless game to continue.

The Juxtaposition That Packs a Punch: Starvation vs. Death Showers

Perhaps the most striking juxtaposition in ‘Boom!’ is that between the horrendous number of children perishing from starvation and the unfathomable funding funneled into weapons of mass destruction. This stark comparison lays bare the twisted priorities of global powers, which choose to invest in ‘creating death showers’ rather than in alleviating clear and present human suffering.

SOAD’s message is unequivocal: the priorities of a society can be gleaned from where it spends its money, and the horrific ‘bottom line’ is that while bellies go empty, bombs fall full. Modern globalization has not only failed to address these basic inequities but has in fact exacerbated them, as the powerful become increasingly skilled at diverting resources away from humanity’s most desperate.

Beyond the Boom: The Subtext of Human Self-Destruction

Amid the bellowing rhythm and the searing guitar riffs lies a profound query: ‘Why must we kill our own kind?’ This rhetorical question resonates as the song’s heart, representing the perplexity and heartbreak at the core of human violence. System of a Down challenges listeners to reflect on the absurdity of intra-species conflict, an evolutionary self-sabotage that seems to run counter to survival itself.

This self-destruction is amplified by a shared heritage encompassing all of humanity, a collective ‘child’ to which we all have a bond. Each ‘boom’ not only represents physical annihilation but also signifies a destruction of what unites us—compassion, the potential for peace and progress. In this contemplative space, ‘Boom!’ morphs into a humanist plea for self-realization and collective change.