Minute Of Decay

Marilyn Manson's 'Minute Of Decay' is a haunting exploration of existential despair and the inevitability of decay. The song opens with a stark admission of emotional exhaustion: 'There's no much left to love / Too tired today to hate.' This sets the tone for a journey through a landscape of emptiness and disillusionment. Manson's lyrics convey a sense of being worn down by life, feeling the 'minute of decay' as a constant, inescapable presence. The repetition of 'I'm on my way down now, I'd like to take you with me out' suggests a desire for shared experience in this descent, perhaps as a means of finding some form of connection or understanding in the midst of despair.

The chorus, 'The minute that it's born / It begins to die,' encapsulates the song's central theme: the inevitability of decay and death from the moment of birth. This nihilistic perspective is further emphasized by lines like 'I'd love to just give in / I'd love to live this lie,' indicating a longing to escape the harsh realities of existence by embracing comforting falsehoods. Manson's use of stark, contrasting imagery—'I've been to black and back / I've whited out my name'—highlights the extremes of his emotional and psychological journey, from deep despair to a numbing void.

The song's bridge, 'I've looked ahead and everything is dead / I guess that I am too,' reinforces the pervasive sense of hopelessness. Manson's declaration that 'everything is dead' suggests a complete loss of meaning and purpose, a view that extends to his own existence. The repetition of 'I'm on my way down' throughout the song serves as a grim reminder of the inescapable downward spiral he feels trapped in. 'Minute Of Decay' is a powerful reflection on the darker aspects of the human experience, capturing the essence of existential dread and the struggle to find meaning in a world that seems inherently decaying.