MUSIC VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iywaBOMvYLI
Lyrics from Genius: https://genius.com/System-of-a-down-toxicity-lyrics
[Verse 1]
Conversion, software version 7.0
Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub
Eating seeds as a pastime activity
The toxicity of our city, of our city
[Chorus]
You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder
[Verse 2]
More wood for their fires, loud neighbors
Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck
Eating seeds as a pastime activity
The toxicity of our city, of our city
[Chorus]
You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder
[Instrumental Bridge]
[Chorus]
You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder?
Now, somewhere between the sacred silence, sacred silence and sleep
Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep
Disorder, disorder, disorder
[Outro]
When I became the sun, I shone life into the man’s hearts
When I became the sun, I shone life into the man’s hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXD0OPFVO_k&feature=youtu.be&t=1h10m40s
In the above video of a concert in 2005, System of a Down introduces the song “Toxicity” as being about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Upon first glance, the lyrics make references to medication and the daily struggle that people with the disorder face. However, I believe that there is a deeper meaning to the title and lyrics. Essentially, they illustrate how mental disorders and external societal disorders can’t be separated.
“Toxicity” has its multiple topics playing with each other to illustrate dual internal and external torment which weighs on the writer. The first and most apparent, is related to drug dependency, which is caused by the ADHD diagnosis. It is a tangible toxicity, because of the introduction of a foreign substance to the body.
https://www.additudemag.com/truth-nobody-can-handle-the-adhd-hurricanes-in-your-head-alone/
To get an idea of what living with ADHD is like, we can look at this blog post by Frank South, which likens the disorder to having a hurricane in his head. He uses the imagery to explain how disorganized his thoughts can be and how difficult it is to focus on solitary ideas. “When someone asks you something, and you realize that even if you stay stone still, dead center, you can’t trust your answer, because you’ve been so focused on not getting sucked in, you haven’t heard much besides the roar in your head. You get better with the balance as time goes on, and you get by, even do well. But the hurricane never goes away. ” Later, he interestingly brings up his motive to write the post. A tornado that missed their house reminded Frank of how it felt inside his head.
The subject of the song may be experiencing a similar instability. We can see this from the chorus – “Somewhere between the sacred silence and sleep, disorder, disorder, disorder”. The subject is clearly not at peace here, but there is one word that sticks out to me – “between”. Why are “silence” and “sleep” apart from each other and why is disorder in between them? From the CDC website, one of the common side effects of ADHD medication is trouble sleeping. In this short and brilliant lyric, we can now see the amazing paradox that is eating away at the subject. He feels that he must choose between taking the medicine (as a reprieve from the “noise” of the ADHD storm) and having restful sleep (which brings on its own issues).
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/treatment.html
How does one cope with ADHD? The second line in the first verse sets the scene – “Looking at life through the eyes of a tire hub”. And how would one see the world as a tire? You would be spinning in circles until an external controller stops you. This plainly shows the sentiment that the writer wanted to express, the subject of the song does not feel in control of their monotonous life. One must then wonder, who is the controller?
To connect with Frank South’s blog post, he often does not feel in control of his mind. The answer to this issue is the most common treatment for ADHD: pills. They are the driver of the metaphorical vehicle that is the subject’s life. The third line in both verses, “eating seeds as a pastime activity” is a metaphor comparing eating seeds to taking medication. People diagnosed with ADHD feel that they need to take medication to function in the way that society will accept them as “normal”.
This presents an interesting philosophical issue: to attempt to control their lives, they first must let a pill take control of their minds. By drawing an equivalence between eating seeds (food) and taking pills (medicine), the normalization of drugs is framed in a very negative way by the writer. After understanding this, the strange first line now makes more sense – “Conversion, software version 7.0”. Besides the historical context of AOL 7.0 being released in 2001, the writer is likening the effects of the drug to a reprogramming of his mind. Though, the reprogramming seems to be voluntary.
However, the song doesn’t end here. We haven’t looked at the fourth line yet! The fourth line in both verses, is “The toxicity of our city, of our city”. Then the chorus, (“You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?) keeps escalating the scope of perspective from the individual, to a city, and then a worldview. While the pronunciation of “city” is contained in “toxicity” and it works well musically, these lines convinced me that we have now transitioned to a different topic and a new definition of toxicity.
To fully understand the lyrics, we first need to know the band’s history and specifically, the writer’s personal background. System of a Down is very consistent in their lyrical messaging. The band covers a variety of political and non-political themes such as mass incarceration, war, drug addiction, and the environment. Though they cover these and many other unpleasant topics, they combined them with other typically unrelated topics in an ingeniously artistic way.
The namesake album was released on September 4, 2001, and eventually sold enough to become RIAA-certified 3x Platinum. Probably the most famous track, “Chop Suey!”- has a chorus with religious (specifically, Christian) undertones. It serves as a vehicle for the main theme: drug addiction and suicide. Essentially, the subject develops a god complex and equates themselves to Jesus Christ. The lyrics cleverly use Jesus’s plea for death (“Father into your hands; I commend my spirit”), to convey the emotions of an addict in a desperate moment.
In a later album (“Mezmerize”), the song “B.Y.O.B.” has lyrics related to frenzied partying – “Everybody’s going to the party, have a real good time; Dancing in the desert, blowing up the sunshine”. This is supported by the title – “BYOB” typically means “bring your own beer” – but it is done in a sarcastic and mocking fashion. The main subject of the song is The War on Terror and the writer’s disapproval towards the upbeat enthusiasm of the American government and the young male recruits. The song’s attitude is clear: war is not and should not be a “good time”.
I believe that “Toxicity” similarly uses the ADHD medication theme to bring attention to another issue. While ADHD affects millions of people, I don’t believe that this is solely about the widespread prescriptions. In my opinion, the second theme is a visceral, societal toxicity that exists. While there are no specific places mentioned, the key to understanding the sentiment behind these lyrics, is knowing the one that penned them: lead vocalist Serj Tankian, who is of Armenian descent. In his time at California State University – Northridge, he was president of the Armenian Student’s Association and attempted to spread awareness of the Armenian Genocide. The below link has some information about him.
https://www.csun.edu/magazine/homepage/power-serj
Armenia is a country that has gone through several periods of occupation and unrest, including: Roman occupation, Soviet invasion, and a revolution in 2018. Though most painful, was when the region was under control of the Ottoman Empire from the 1500s to World War I. Most Armenians were Christian, and faced heavy abuse and discrimination from their Turkish and Kurdish neighbors. This continued for centuries, and any resistance was quelled.
Over time, Armenians appealed to anyone they could – including political or religious powers – for help to pressure the Ottoman government. However, opponents led an ethnic propaganda movement to stir up anti-Armenian sentiment. The coup of 1908 was only temporarily successful, and the tension eventually reached a breaking point with the countercoup of 1909. The new extremist religious government sought to restore Islamic authoritarian rule and exterminate all political opponents and ethic outsiders. Unfortunately, they were very successful, and it resulted in one of the worst genocides in human history.
Though the Ottoman Empire fell shortly thereafter, the current Turkish government still does not admit any wrongdoing. By attempting to justify the genocide, Turkey has essentially “owned disorder”, which is the ringing refrain of the chorus. “Disorder” is repeated 14 times in the song, as opposed to “toxicity” only being said twice. It’s not hard to see why Tankian dwelled on that word, and his grief is conveyed in his singing.
The full line is “You, what do you own the world? How do you own disorder, disorder?” From hearing the vocal inflection, these questions are extremely defiant and interrogative in nature. Who is he speaking to? I believe that this line might be speaking to oppressive governments (such as Turkey) who own land, but it might reveal a dual meaning related to the ADHD and addiction theme.
Who might “own” ADHD and the medication? Certainly not the ones suffering from it. These questions might be directed at psychiatrists who diagnose and write the prescriptions. They are the final authority in treating this disorder, and the writer may believe that this is like “owning” it. Thus, this contributes to the societal toxicity of the “civilized” world. In asking these questions, Tankian has exhibited issues in developed and undeveloped countries.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277258/
The above medical article examines studies on causes of ADHD. In addition to exposure to substances in pregnancy, exposure to heavy metals and chemicals, and nutritional deficiencies, there are other environmental factors contributing to development of ADHD. Such factors include maternal stress and childhood trauma. The sad history of Tankian’s ancestors is part of his own identity, and perhaps like other System of a Down song lyrics, he was again trying to channel his related emotions into this song.
Such traumatic experiences can be perpetuated and exacerbated by society. Other clues from the rest of the lyrics such as “More wood for their fires, loud neighbors; Flashlight reveries caught in the headlights of a truck” can be interpreted in two ways. The first is a comparison to mental burnout and external disturbances. However, the music video shows people huddled around a trash can on fire. If we recall the “seeds” line, people eating literal seeds because they have nothing better to do is quite a dismal scene.
By intertwining these multiple issues in the lyrics, I believe that Tankian attempted to show the inseparability of mental disorder and societal disorder. System of a Down has been consistently outspoken against societal destabilization and advocating for human rights. Even if the lyrics were not to be taken literally, it still fits the expectations of their audience. This seems to have been an intentional decision by Serj Tankian and helps solidify the band’s identity while “becoming the sun”, illuminating a taboo and uncomfortable topic and bringing it into public discourse.
https://adhdawarenessmonth.org/coalition/
October is ADHD Awareness Month, agreed upon by a coalition of nonprofit organizations and medical associations.