What does Chop Suey mean?

System of a Down: Chop Suey Meaning

Album cover for Chop Suey album cover

Song Released: 2001


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Chop Suey Lyrics

(Mumbles)
We're Rolling Suicide

Wake up(wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little makeup
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable
You wanted to
Grab a brush...

  1. Awesomedude
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    Aug 1st 2010 !⃝

    It's about how people view other peoples' deaths.

  2. anonymous
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    Jul 27th 2010 !⃝

    I agree at a 50% with the first Anonymous comment, still let us not forget the vers "why'd you leave the keys upon the table"
    SOAD are of armenian religion(not Orthodox nor catholic), the biblic story probably being to em just a fable.
    What I think about the song , is that God tells someone (Not Jesus Christ) to write the Bible, but not introduce some parts of Christ's life.The verse why'd you leave the keys upon the table in my opinion means:Why would you let them read the truth,therefore by writing and not writing some things the writer of the Bible creats a Holy Fable.
    The come the verses: I don't think you trust in my self righteous suicide,which I am more than sure that it is said by Jesus tellng the nonbelivers that they do not belive in his sacrifice for humanity.
    Now the verse that is a problem is : I cry when angels deserve to die, as this is surely not said by Jesus, Jesus not being an Angel but a part of God. This verse does not reffer to GOD nor to Jesus, unless Angel is used here to show the Beautifullness of Jesus.
    Then the verses that beggin with Father are Jesus's last words while being crucified.

    So there are a total of 3-4 characters:
    1 God-who tells the Bible writer to write and not write some things
    2-The Bible writer who does what God says
    3 Jesus Christ
    4(May not exist) The person that says "I cry when angels deserve to die)-It might represent the people being sorry for the death of Jesus Christ.

    So on a short version, in SOAD's vision the Bible is just a "Holy Fable" written just to make others belive, in what might be just a story of a noarmal man who proclaimed himself the son of God.

  3. X_rose_X
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    Jul 25th 2010 !⃝

    I believe this song boils down to this.... He was on a major acid trip when he wrote this.

  4. anonymous
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    Jul 25th 2010 !⃝

    System did kinda well afterward... How many of you are stuck at looking for a meaning of this song? Stop looking for a meaning or an interpretation and let the song impregnates you. Leave up your mind, think about nothing but what you hear and appreciate once for all! You'll understand how strong their lyrics are. It's what I've done, do, probably be doing at the moment you'll read that and will do FOREVER. It's anonymous I have to agree, but if it represents how you think System should be listened put some stars so others could read that too.

    Belette Intrépide

  5. anonymous
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    Jul 18th 2010 !⃝

    Ok I think I know what this song is about. People kill themselves because because they feel as if everything doesn't go right for them. For example everyone lowering their self esteem, problems, feeling everyone thinks he/shes a failure, etc. And people in the moment making fun of he she and make them feel low. Grab a brush and put a little makeup(they hide there problems) Whyd you leave the keys upon the table?(whyd you let everyone know my weakness i.e. A secret or something that humiliates that person) here you go create another fable(After a person dies everyone treats them differently, so everyone who was always seein them as a point of joking, lowering the self esteem, will be like oh my God I'm sorry he didn't deserve to die when in reality that same person caused that.

    About the You wanted to line it's about saying that the person who is acting innocent for lowering there self esteem are really the cause of this

    self righteous suicide: the person feels its better to end it all since nobody thinks better of him
    I cry when angels deserve to die: notice that he says 'deserve' meaning he was asking for it. This is why this part confuses me. It would've make a difference if he had said "when angels die" or maybe serj was just filling in. I dunno but it means that serj(or the speaker in this song) feels that it isn't fair for someone good in heart to die this way because of other people)

    About the father why have you forsaken me, is about when he she kill themselves God forsakes them because God doesn't accept people who suicide. At the end, he's just asking Him to trust in his self righteous suicide and just let him end it all. The speaker feels its just unfair for a person whos good die this way.

    So all in all, he's just saying that people hide what they feel and never ask for help. And the people who were causing his her problems just act another way when they die this way.

  6. khentem
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    May 26th 2010 !⃝

    This song is about one of the bands crew members/roadies who became distraught to the point of suicide after both of his parents were killed in a car accident.
    I was told this by System's manager when I met him through a mutual friend at a show a few yrs ago. (No I've never met the band. And I'm not going all Hollywood and claiming I did. I have seen some great shows for free though! lol)
    He also told me that the band and crew made seeing him through this their personal responsibility. Stuck with him, Made sure he was never alone, Got him the help he needed.
    I thought that was a really cool back story. I'd always respected them as artists. But this made me respect them as humans as well.

  7. Kenzie
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    May 7th 2010 !⃝

    I think the song's about a person who's been falsely convicted. The part: 'Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?' might represent evidence although they're innocent.
    The person who's in prison now is contemplating suicide because their god has apparently 'forsaken' them.
    'I, cry, when angels deserve to die' is talking about 'angels', as in the innocent, are receiving the death penalty hence 'deserve to die'.

  8. Meek7
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    Apr 24th 2010 !⃝

    Its in the lyrics idiots, 1st of all they sound angry, the makeup and fable is there argument with GOD. If u watched the vid u shud hav noticed that dey look up wen they speak. basicalliy theyr saying GOD put the issue there knowing that we'd take it(u wanted 2) now to skip sum, ull notice they scream Father!. who is our father? GOD ofcourse(remembr theyr looking up. Father into ur hands i commend my spirit. commend=to give in charge;entrust. Basically i entrust u with my spirit. GOD said HE'd nevr forsake us.(y hav u forsaken me, in ur eyez thoughts heart.) now if u watch 2+2+5 by radiohead he says, its the devils way now theres now way out u can scream it u can shout its to late now....becuz, ur not payn attebtion payn attention, etc.likin park, inthe end, he says i put my trust in u, blah blah blah, i nthee end it doesnt even matr(i dont feel like fully explaining.lol) bak 2 soad, trust in my self righteous(righteous=morally justifiable) suicide. basicallyhe he s sayn it was morally rite 2 him 2 kill himself spiritually (thats a whole nothr story.lol)all togethr, he s sayn that he feels that if GOD is all knowing(which he is) that he cud hav stop the whole situation which HE didnt bcuz of free will, but they feel that they were innocent and that GOD put the problem theyr to throw them off track and go the wrong route.. remebr go and do ur own research, the truth is evrywhere, muzic clothes shows, movies,etc. jus open ur eyes and c. btw byob, was a political song.lol rt

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 22nd 2010 !⃝

    Just throwing this out there...System of a Down is a political band. They could be relating all of this to politics in some way...

  10. anonymous
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    Apr 12th 2010 !⃝

    I think the song is about a someone who (thinks) he was forsaken by god, because of his cruel life.
    He covers his "scars" of his true self so that noone notice, but deep inside he is injured.
    So he commit sucide, to commit his life to god ("Father","I commit my spirit into yout hands")

  11. anonymous
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    Mar 25th 2010 !⃝

    Hey people. Nice work but tell u one thing. theres something known as modern art,which is and has been attractin peoples attention since long. u too can become a painter.paint anything and just explain it.join anything to anywhere.no matter it makes sense to u or not.but once completed u can urself explain(create) the meanings. people like marilyn manson or SOD or osborne or kornmake videos keeping some intention in their mind, which may or may not have do do anything with the reality. these people are dopers,smokers. they arent even conscious wen making songs. they dont realize what they are doing. people say he is right he is wrong he is creative he is emotional or something wrong happened in their life and so they turned this way. Tell u what all these people are losers. do u all think that u dont have any problems in ur own life? or other people have got less problems than these antichrist people? it doesnt make any sense to become antichrist just because u have some probs in ur life rather fighting ...most of these videos have a little to do with the lyrics.i know this is a blog for lyrics interpretation and so i interpreted thw whole thing including lyrics.
    thanks a lot

  12. anonymous
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    Mar 15th 2010 !⃝

    I think it's about the devil dying. Personally I am satanic, but whatever

  13. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2010 !⃝

    Religous dont think it was meant that way but its up to interpretation. I watched a past interview of the band and serj and daron do a lot of reasearch on the topics of interest. I think it is political and here are my reasons: the wake up makeup verse obvious cover ups for what lets go on to cover up shakeup according to the dictionary shakeup has a definition of the effects of reorganization. The keys on the table keys defined as explanations. And this is all done because the person wanted to! Self rightous defines as narrow mindness, against the grain for own reasons. And suicide has a definition in a political aspect to against ones views. And the angel has a definition of one who aids or supports with money or influence. All of these definitions are secondary or third definitions but SOAD were poets but it all fits! Now liaten to the song and plug these in and wala political views.

  14. anonymous
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    Feb 11th 2010 !⃝

    Part of the song is a quote from the bible. With that information it's pretty obvious that the song is sung from the viewpoint of Jesus around the time of his death. I get the feeling serj has a bone to pick with god. That's just me

  15. crade619
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    Feb 4th 2010 !⃝

    I just want to clear up some things that might be a little strange. Basically the first stanza talks about how people try (on there own) to hide there sins. In the part were he says "Why'd you leave the keys up on the table" he is only taking a simple form of a mistake and talking about how we make up fables or lies to get out of things that can be fixes very easily.

    The next few parts of the song talks about us (sinners) not believing in Jesus self righteous suicide (dying for us). The part were he says "I cry when angels deserve to die" he is implying that the angels are us, most of the time when we call someone angel we hold them in high value, or love them, as dose Jesus love us(the reason he died for our sins). This being said, he can't stand to see our souls die because we deserve it, so he saved us.

    The last part I want to explain is when he says "Father... I commend my spirit... why have you forsaken me?" this is almost the exact thing Jesus says to the LORD before he dies.(remember that when Jesus took human form he also has the same feelings and emotions we do)




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