Revision as of 00:19, 14 July 2012

This article is about the song. For the demo album, see Lunchbox (demo). For the single, see Lunchbox (single).

"Lunchbox"
Song by Marilyn Manson
Album	Portrait of an American Family
Released	July 19, 1994
Recorded	August–December 1993 at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California, The Village Recorder and Pig
Genre	Hard rock
Length	4:32
Label	Nothing, Interscope
Writer	Marilyn Manson
Composer	Daisy Berkowitz, Gidget Gein
Producer	Marilyn Manson, Trent Reznor

"Lunchbox" is the second single and the third track of the first album Portrait of an American Family. It was inspired by a piece of legislation dating back to 1972, which makes it illegal to have metal lunchboxes in schools. The song tells the story of a school age child who is bullied and uses his own lunchbox as a weapon in retaliation, waiting for the day he can "grow up to be a big rock & roll star" who is never intimidated by others. The earliest recording of this song dates back to the band's After School Special cassette tape, released in January 1991.

The album version of "Lunchbox" samples the Crazy World of Arthur Brown song "Fire".

Appearances

Cassettes

• After School Special
• Live as Hell
• Refrigerator
• The Manson Family Album

Albums

• Portrait of an American Family
• Lest We Forget (The Best of)
• Lost & Found

Singles

• Lunchbox
• Tourniquet

Spooky Kids Version

After School Special

Live as Hell - Refrigerator Version

The Manson Family Album Version

Versions

• "Lunchbox" — Appears on Portrait of an American Family, Lest We Forget (The Best of), Lost & Found and the "Lunchbox" single.
• "Next Motherfucker" (Remix) — Appears on the "Lunchbox", "Sweet Dreams" and the "Tourniquet" singles.
• "Brown Bag" (Remix) — Appears on the "Lunchbox" single.
• "Metal" (Remix) — Appears on the "Lunchbox" single.
• "Lunchbox (Highschool Drop-outs)" — Appears on the "Lunchbox" single.
• "Lunchbox" — Appears on After School Special.
• "Lunchbox" — Live as Hell and Refrigerator versions are identical.
• "Lunchbox" — Appears on The Manson Family Album.
• "Lunchbox" (Live) — Appears on Dead to the World.
• "Lunchbox" (Live) — Appears on The Last Tour on Earth.
• "Lunchbox" (Live) — Appears on the Guns, God and Government World Tour DVD.

Music video

Manson face to face with the boy

The music video directed by Richard Kern on September 19, 1994,^[1] features a boy being bullied by two older students. The boy goes home, fed up with the way he is treated, and shaves his head and prepares for any future retaliation against the bullies with his metal lunchbox. The boy later goes to the rollerskating rink where Marilyn Manson is performing. The boy gives Manson his lunchbox, which Manson lights on fire and parades around. The video ends with the boy staring into the burning lunchbox. It is one of the few music videos with Manson performing without wearing makeup.

Lyrics

    "Next motherfuckers gonna get my metal" 

    "I break you"

    Breakdown

    On we plow

    The big bully try to stick his finger in my chest
    Try to tell me, tell me he's the best
    But I don't really give a good goddamn cause

    I got my lunchbox and I'm armed real well
    I got my lunchbox and I'm armed real well
    I got my lunchbox and I'm armed real well

    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be a big rock and roll star
    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be
    So no one fucks with me

    "Fire, I break you"
    "Fire, I break you"

    I got the pencils in my pocket, try to put me down
    Wanna go out, gotta get out
    To the playground, gonna throw down at the playground
    I wanna go out

    Next motherfucker gonna get my metal
    Next motherfucker gonna get my metal
    Next motherfucker gonna get my metal
    Next motherfucker gonna get my metal

    Pow pow pow, pow pow pow, pow pow pow, pow pow pow

    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be a big rock and roll star
    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be
    So no one fucks with me

    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be a big rock and roll star
    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be
    So no one fucks with me

    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be a big rock and roll star
    I wanna grow up
    I wanna be
    So no one fucks with me

Trivia

• During the Dead to the World (tour) the line "I wanna be a big rock and roll star" was often sang with updated lyrics "I wanna be Antichrist Superstar"
• During the Rape of The World tour sections of the song were used as an outro to Sweet Dreams (are made of this). Once Tim Skold left the band however, it was replaced with Rock & Roll Nigger.

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found