I promise you he is indeed the lead singer of SOAD. This song shows us the cost of war. It's supposed to show children "playing" war while layering very real horrors on top of their play that the government gets into. Serj and his music are often very political and he's Armenian-American like most of the band.
@@wolfgangengel4835 plus the twin towers getting hit at the beginning and the bear getting pulled down i think is spouse to resemble the statue of Saddam Hussein getting pulled down
@@59suicide82 See the towers and the torture scandal i get are atrocities, but why is tearing down Saddam Hussein’s statue a bad thing? The US’s reasons for getting involved were probably bunk, but he ended up being every bit the monster we described him to be; he just wasn’t a real nuclear threat. I’d say that statue did represent oppression by a monster. The only regret I have about US involvement in Iraq is that our motivation wasn’t pure.
I can't understand how someone can fail in something as simple as google search. If I type Serj Tankian the FIRST thing that pops up is "Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American singer, musician and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band System of a Down"
So I'm not sure if this has been pointed out in the comments but not only is it Serj Takian from system but John Dolmaine the drummer from system split duty with Brain the drummer from primus on the album. Although John is the drummer on this track
Heh two gusses what the song is about. (The Two Towers being knocked down by a plane at the start should be a clue....) They pull down that teddy bear just like we pulled down the statues of Saddam.... Serj is a treasure! He's the singer of System of a Down, and yeah it's pronounced Sir-Jay as far ad i recall. Your friend gives you a lot of reacts that I jump to. XD
my dude... the entire song was about the war on terror. if you pay attation to what the kids are doing you would realize their not just playing.. the little girl building 2 towers out of blocks and another kid throws a plane into it, she gets pissed and she starts a war, when their pullin the teddy bear down that them pullin down the statue of sadam in bagdad , when the look trough their binoculars and it green, like night vision.. and then the funeral with the marine corp, like you litterly said somethin must have happened... my guy where tf u been for the last 20 years?
It's actually about the Bush administration and how they didn't show marine caskets on television. The empty wall refining to the white house so he's speaking to bush directly in the song.
Me: mixing the different layers and getting great harmony and counter point from those like a classic fugue technically is mind-blowing. This guy: it's unfinished!!! I like hear well finished songs recommend me! ( But not songs with drama machine and 3 notes bass line)
This is serj tankian lead singer to system of a down. The video represents so many thing that happened from the twin towers to Saddam Hussein statue being torn down, suicide car bombers, genocide. I think you missed the message, rewatch the video you'll catch it.
This is basically him making political commentary about how both nations were being childish, engaging in a senseless war that caused more damage and devastation than was ever necessary. It's actually really brilliant. The lyrics are basically stating that he wants America to look back on the damage and destruction they have caused and see what happens when we allow children to make decisions that impact the entire globe (by seeing everything else from behind our empty walls), while overlaying the song with a video of children recreating very realistic (for kids) brutality of war. At the end of the video, they show the funeral escort of a Fallen Marine as a way to translate the real world cost of the war the kids are portraying.
Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news, my head's been wet with the midnight dew, I've been down on bended knee talking to The Man from Galilee. My God spoke to me in a voice so sweet, I thought I heard the shuffle of angel's feet. He Called my name and my heart stood still when he said "John go and do my will!"
We have to change our ways our children are learning from us and their future will be war ,death,and destruction that’s the legacy we’ll be leaving our children.We need to change and we need to change now..
I agree that this version of the song sounds feels a little "unfinished" but if you listen to the Symphony version, you definitely won't feel like the song is unfinished. The symphony version is a god damn master piece!!!!!
9/11 followed by the Iraq, Afganistan wars. I don't know his stance on any of it, and, as a veteran of both, I don't care what they may be. All I care about as far as anyone's opinion is that they are free to voice it. In both Iraq, Afghanistan, the citizens were beheaded, burned, tortured, stoned to death, raped for speaking out. Imagine living under those conditions. Never stop someone from speaking even if what they're saying inrages you. Remember, they have the same rights as you. Take that away and we stop being Americans. If we become this cancel culture we're done as a people. For there will come a day when opinions change and you will find yourself on the same chopping block like those you once put there. The pendulum swings very slowly but it does swing, in time what is right and proper per the p/c police will receive a lethal blowback and the pendulum will swing back. The history of the world shows us this is true.
Serj is a Survivor of the Arminian Genocide, and his entire song carrier is "Fuck the government, Fuck the Wars, and Stop killing good people for bad ideals" so... I would "assume" Not a fan of the wars, or "pick a government" but Supports the poor bastards in the Trenches, the people who don't want any of this, and is often exposing the horrors wars hidden by the media.
this song represent all the things americans do when they have let fear in so they put up these walls, and how he is trying to make you look beyond them and see that most of the fears are nothing. (empty walls) and yes it also represents the cost of war but also as i said fear, politicans acting out, people and police reaching for that gun to quick, sending young people out to war and giving up on many of your freedoms just beacuse of fear of something happening. there are many things like that, that you can associate this song with.
oh man, did you understand that the plane crash in 2 towers was 09.11 and the bear that has been down is that was a statue of Saddam. This song make YOUR democracy is a funny, funny shit that newer implement in real world...
Lyrics: Your empty walls Your empty walls Pretentious attention Dismissive apprehension Don't waste your time On coffins today When we decline From the confines of our mind Don't waste your time On coffins today Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication I want you to be left behind those empty walls Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls Those empty walls When we decline From the confines of our mind Don't waste your time On coffins today Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication I want you to be left behind those empty walls Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls Want you to be left behind those empty walls I taunt you to see from behind those empty walls From behind those empty walls From behind those empty walls, the walls From behind those empty walls I loved you yesterday (from behind those empty walls) Before you killed my family (from behind those empty walls, the walls) Don't you see their bodies burning? Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication Don't you see their bodies burning Desolate and full of yearning Dying of anticipation Choking from intoxication I want you to be left behind those empty walls Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls I want you to be left behind those empty walls I taunt you to see from behind those empty walls From behind those empty walls From behind those fucking walls From behind those goddamn walls Those walls, those walls
Personaly I liké everything in this song.. the singing the lyrics and of courses the images ... Then the childs play a War like there fathers (they see it at TV)... Serj tankian was américain but have Armenian orign too and know who is the War and support with his band (system of a down) Armenian soldiers in War with Azerbaïdjan...
For Roamni and Armenian our genocides are 99% lost to history. Wbwrytime I see this bideo or hear this sonf I cry like a baby. So many atrocities have been forgetten deliberately by history. My husband's family lost multiple family members beheaded in broad daylight in Eastern Europe simple because they were Romani, they had done nothing illegal. Sadly in some Eastwrn European countries , incuding the onw the US is funding in Ukraine, Romani are worth less then a pig. I choose to marry into a Romani family and the fear that the single country they sacrificed everything to come to is now in the middle stages of the hell scape the has them terrified. Globally there are between 13-18 million Romani, we have no homeland, we were only acknowledged as a "race/cultural/human with UN with all human rights in 1971. The Nazi's experimented on us and Armenian's because the rest of the world couldn't care less if we all died. Our languge was forbidden because the Nazi's were afraid we would try to escape. Let me repeate that Romani ppl had NO UN RIGHTS UNTIL 1971. IT WAS LEGAL TO USE ROMANI AS CHATTLE SLAVES. The pain and fear has been etched in our souls. People look at us scammers,baby eaters, baby kidnappers, thevies, shiftless, lazy, alqays lookings dor a hand out, whixj dor 80% (at least in the US isn't true). Our Armermen cousin's share our pain. We have a saying " Bury me standing because I have lived my life on my knees." History of ALL TYPES MUST BE TAUGHT, the good, the bad, and the most vile so qe can never allow itto happen again. No
he is a part of system of a down and the song is about war look at what the kids are doing, sides, revolutions genocide and so on and so, heavy artillery, heavy armor vehicles in the form of box tank and you just need to look at the video as a story
Hello my weird friend! Long time no see. Did you check out Faouzia? Most interesting voice and songwriting I've heard in a while. Tears of Gold and her new single with John Legend, Minefields, is awesome!
I get all the references and all but when he says “I loved you yes I loved you, you killed my family” if he is singing to the American people or Middle East people can someone help me out please
There aren't many reactions to this on TH-cam, but like how is everybody missing the elephant in the room? It's not subtle at all, lmao. I mean I get you might be zoned in on the music in general and singing in particular, but dude.
I agree there is a lack of production sound to it. I know he has built his own studio and maybe he was just getting used to the setup. Maybe intentional due to his ideological stance on capitalism although i cant say its apparent in his later work. Possibly time constraints?
I'm sorry its so late, but kids playing at war over 9-11 leading to a soldiers death procession... A lot of his music videos showed anti war themes. I may be wrong in the country but his other band system of a down, were all serbians, that fled war as kids.
What happened 9/11. This was Serge's warning of what the Iraqi wat and picking who is "the good guy and who is rhe the bad guy" and what that leads to whixh is death, war hawks,the military xomplex making billions with no end to the war in sight. Thwy want the aberage man to be cannon fodder. I know my Morher, wven though ahe was NOT boots on the grounda was paralyzed 100% service connected disabled and it took 27years fighting the Marine Corps and VA to get what she was owed. The video is children playing war. The ending is the children watching a Marine being walked to to theie hearse....they are seeing first hand the price of war.
You don't need research for understanding this song and don't need to know him. English is not my native language, but it's clear that he wants us to break the old mental molds ( those empty walls that only cause separation and conflict). Maybe He wants to show that war is a childish act but also a dangerous game for adults.
I promise you he is indeed the lead singer of SOAD.
This song shows us the cost of war.
It's supposed to show children "playing" war while layering very real horrors on top of their play that the government gets into. Serj and his music are often very political and he's Armenian-American like most of the band.
5:35 shows the Abu-Ghuraib torture scandal with electro shocks.
@@wolfgangengel4835 plus the twin towers getting hit at the beginning and the bear getting pulled down i think is spouse to resemble the statue of Saddam Hussein getting pulled down
@@59suicide82 See the towers and the torture scandal i get are atrocities, but why is tearing down Saddam Hussein’s statue a bad thing? The US’s reasons for getting involved were probably bunk, but he ended up being every bit the monster we described him to be; he just wasn’t a real nuclear threat. I’d say that statue did represent oppression by a monster. The only regret I have about US involvement in Iraq is that our motivation wasn’t pure.
The innocence of childhood playing 9/11 - war in Iraq. Artistic
The fact that he missed the entire point of the song is hilarious to me
Exactly what I thought
Well that happens if you dont put the lyrics up if u listen to it the first time :D
Yep, as soon as the initial scene passed without reaction, I paused and will now skip
I can't understand how someone can fail in something as simple as google search. If I type Serj Tankian the FIRST thing that pops up is
"Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American singer, musician and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band System of a Down"
So I'm not sure if this has been pointed out in the comments but not only is it Serj Takian from system but John Dolmaine the drummer from system split duty with Brain the drummer from primus on the album. Although John is the drummer on this track
Serj is awesome
Armenian rock !!!!!
Heh two gusses what the song is about. (The Two Towers being knocked down by a plane at the start should be a clue....)
They pull down that teddy bear just like we pulled down the statues of Saddam....
Serj is a treasure! He's the singer of System of a Down, and yeah it's pronounced Sir-Jay as far ad i recall. Your friend gives you a lot of reacts that I jump to. XD
Not sir-jay, but simply Serj
two guesses?
Another crazy thing about this video, is those kids are old enough to join the military today
my dude... the entire song was about the war on terror. if you pay attation to what the kids are doing you would realize their not just playing.. the little girl building 2 towers out of blocks and another kid throws a plane into it, she gets pissed and she starts a war, when their pullin the teddy bear down that them pullin down the statue of sadam in bagdad , when the look trough their binoculars and it green, like night vision.. and then the funeral with the marine corp, like you litterly said somethin must have happened... my guy where tf u been for the last 20 years?
It's actually about the Bush administration and how they didn't show marine caskets on television. The empty wall refining to the white house so he's speaking to bush directly in the song.
Me: mixing the different layers and getting great harmony and counter point from those like a classic fugue technically is mind-blowing.
This guy: it's unfinished!!!
I like hear well finished songs recommend me! ( But not songs with drama machine and 3 notes bass line)
Children are our future troops...
Sometimes people just don't understand art that is not literal.
Though you really have to have blinders on to not get what this song is about.
Ikr, small-minds think in small ways
Serj Is the lead singer of SOAD. Also if you are a SOAD fan check out Scars on Broadway, it is Daron of SOADs project and it is also very good.
This is serj tankian lead singer to system of a down. The video represents so many thing that happened from the twin towers to Saddam Hussein statue being torn down, suicide car bombers, genocide. I think you missed the message, rewatch the video you'll catch it.
This is basically him making political commentary about how both nations were being childish, engaging in a senseless war that caused more damage and devastation than was ever necessary.
It's actually really brilliant. The lyrics are basically stating that he wants America to look back on the damage and destruction they have caused and see what happens when we allow children to make decisions that impact the entire globe (by seeing everything else from behind our empty walls), while overlaying the song with a video of children recreating very realistic (for kids) brutality of war. At the end of the video, they show the funeral escort of a Fallen Marine as a way to translate the real world cost of the war the kids are portraying.
Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news, my head's been wet with the midnight dew, I've been down on bended knee talking to The Man from Galilee. My God spoke to me in a voice so sweet, I thought I heard the shuffle of angel's feet. He Called my name and my heart stood still when he said "John go and do my will!"
lol...he missed the entire point of this song
That's super common in reaction videos. Some people are just too dense and hear the music instead of listen to it.
We have to change our ways our children are learning from us and their future will be war ,death,and destruction that’s the legacy we’ll be leaving our children.We need to change and we need to change now..
I agree that this version of the song sounds feels a little "unfinished" but if you listen to the Symphony version, you definitely won't feel like the song is unfinished. The symphony version is a god damn master piece!!!!!
Too stupid to understand the references...
Tell me about it. Pretty obvious message in the lyrics and especially the visuals.
also the layered vocals are meant for syncopation. it plays perfectly with the drum pattern. many rhythms at once sticking into one measure.
9/11 followed by the Iraq, Afganistan wars. I don't know his stance on any of it, and, as a veteran of both, I don't care what they may be. All I care about as far as anyone's opinion is that they are free to voice it. In both Iraq, Afghanistan, the citizens were beheaded, burned, tortured, stoned to death, raped for speaking out. Imagine living under those conditions.
Never stop someone from speaking even if what they're saying inrages you. Remember, they have the same rights as you. Take that away and we stop being Americans. If we become this cancel culture we're done as a people. For there will come a day when opinions change and you will find yourself on the same chopping block like those you once put there. The pendulum swings very slowly but it does swing, in time what is right and proper per the p/c police will receive a lethal blowback and the pendulum will swing back. The history of the world shows us this is true.
Serj is a Survivor of the Arminian Genocide, and his entire song carrier is "Fuck the government, Fuck the Wars, and Stop killing good people for bad ideals" so... I would "assume" Not a fan of the wars, or "pick a government" but Supports the poor bastards in the Trenches, the people who don't want any of this, and is often exposing the horrors wars hidden by the media.
you have a beautiful voice brother. i mean you almost seem to have perfect pitch. amazing
Yea its sooo catchy
this song represent all the things americans do when they have let fear in so they put up these walls, and how he is trying to make you look beyond them and see that most of the fears are nothing. (empty walls)
and yes it also represents the cost of war but also as i said fear, politicans acting out, people and police reaching for that gun to quick, sending young people out to war and giving up on many of your freedoms just beacuse of fear of something happening. there are many things like that, that you can associate this song with.
oh man, did you understand that the plane crash in 2 towers was 09.11 and the bear that has been down is that was a statue of Saddam. This song make YOUR democracy is a funny, funny shit that newer implement in real world...
"what happend?" - the body comes from Iraq... this movie clip is much more then you react at first time...
Great pick , going deep !!!!
Straght out the gate, its Tech 9 and Serj!!!!!!💥💥💥
Good reaction bro!!!! Nice song!!
You should also check out Harakiri from Serj, powerful song and video.
Lyrics:
Your empty walls
Your empty walls
Pretentious attention
Dismissive apprehension
Don't waste your time
On coffins today
When we decline
From the confines of our mind
Don't waste your time
On coffins today
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
Those empty walls
When we decline
From the confines of our mind
Don't waste your time
On coffins today
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
Want you to be left behind those empty walls
I taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls, the walls
From behind those empty walls
I loved you yesterday (from behind those empty walls)
Before you killed my family (from behind those empty walls, the walls)
Don't you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don't you see their bodies burning
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
Taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
I want you to be left behind those empty walls
I taunt you to see from behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
From behind those fucking walls
From behind those goddamn walls
Those walls, those walls
Currently living in New Zealand and teaching at a university here.
Personaly I liké everything in this song.. the singing the lyrics and of courses the images ... Then the childs play a War like there fathers (they see it at TV)... Serj tankian was américain but have Armenian orign too and know who is the War and support with his band (system of a down) Armenian soldiers in War with Azerbaïdjan...
Show the arcustic "Empty Walls" version please... version is amazing 👌
Yes!!
did he really just miss the entire meaning of what this song is about..
The reason why it is filmed at a playground is because the song is all about how America treated the war on Al Qaeda very childishly
The kid throwing the plane into those two block towers.... Did you catch that an the meaning
The song is not unfinished, you just didn't get it
This was right after SOAD broke up. Serj Tankian made several solo albums
For Roamni and Armenian our genocides are 99% lost to history. Wbwrytime I see this bideo or hear this sonf I cry like a baby. So many atrocities have been forgetten deliberately by history.
My husband's family lost multiple family members beheaded in broad daylight in Eastern Europe simple because they were Romani, they had done nothing illegal.
Sadly in some Eastwrn European countries , incuding the onw the US is funding in Ukraine, Romani are worth less then a pig.
I choose to marry into a Romani family and the fear that the single country they sacrificed everything to come to is now in the middle stages of the hell scape the has them terrified.
Globally there are between 13-18 million Romani, we have no homeland, we were only acknowledged as a "race/cultural/human with UN with all human rights in 1971. The Nazi's experimented on us and Armenian's because the rest of the world couldn't care less if we all died. Our languge was forbidden because the Nazi's were afraid we would try to escape.
Let me repeate that Romani ppl had NO UN RIGHTS UNTIL 1971. IT WAS LEGAL TO USE ROMANI AS CHATTLE SLAVES.
The pain and fear has been etched in our souls. People look at us scammers,baby eaters, baby kidnappers, thevies, shiftless, lazy, alqays lookings dor a hand out, whixj dor 80% (at least in the US isn't true).
Our Armermen cousin's share our pain.
We have a saying " Bury me standing because I have lived my life on my knees."
History of ALL TYPES MUST BE TAUGHT, the good, the bad, and the most vile so qe can never allow itto happen again. No
Did you ever read The Lord of the Flies?
We're a bunch of kids playing at war.
"Everything has a hidden message in this"
1:42 I don't think that's true...
he is a part of system of a down and the song is about war look at what the kids are doing, sides, revolutions genocide and so on and so, heavy artillery, heavy armor vehicles in the form of box tank and you just need to look at the video as a story
Hello my weird friend! Long time no see. Did you check out Faouzia? Most interesting voice and songwriting I've heard in a while. Tears of Gold and her new single with John Legend, Minefields, is awesome!
I get all the references and all but when he says “I loved you yes I loved you, you killed my family” if he is singing to the American people or Middle East people can someone help me out please
The video couldn't be more obvious about its subject matter. It's not even partially being subtle. 😂
It's pretty much about 9/11
There aren't many reactions to this on TH-cam, but like how is everybody missing the elephant in the room? It's not subtle at all, lmao.
I mean I get you might be zoned in on the music in general and singing in particular, but dude.
Serj Tankian.
Serj like sarge s-air-j and Tankian like Ton-ki-on. I don't know if this will be any help lol
He IS System of A Down
I agree there is a lack of production sound to it. I know he has built his own studio and maybe he was just getting used to the setup. Maybe intentional due to his ideological stance on capitalism although i cant say its apparent in his later work. Possibly time constraints?
I'm sorry its so late, but kids playing at war over 9-11 leading to a soldiers death procession... A lot of his music videos showed anti war themes. I may be wrong in the country but his other band system of a down, were all serbians, that fled war as kids.
You should react to The Weeknd earned it live at the pre Grammys it’s pretty raw and intimate i guess
What happened 9/11.
This was Serge's warning of what the Iraqi wat and picking who is "the good guy and who is rhe the bad guy" and what that leads to whixh is death, war hawks,the military xomplex making billions with no end to the war in sight.
Thwy want the aberage man to be cannon fodder.
I know my Morher, wven though ahe was NOT boots on the grounda was paralyzed 100% service connected disabled and it took 27years fighting the Marine Corps and VA to get what she was owed.
The video is children playing war. The ending is the children watching a Marine being walked to to theie hearse....they are seeing first hand the price of war.
SOAD.....sympton of a down!!
It's about the iraq war.
What about 911 in the war on terrorism
am sorry you don't seem to understand music or you don't do your research.. this song has a very song message.
" strong message" and I do understand music I don't even know who this artist is so font get married at me I didn't choose this song.
You don't need research for understanding this song and don't need to know him. English is not my native language, but it's clear that he wants us to break the old mental molds ( those empty walls that only cause separation and conflict). Maybe He wants to show that war is a childish act but also a dangerous game for adults.
System of a Down
Um, what?
Worst part about reactions is when the reactor is too dense to understand the clear meaning in songs. Don't quit your day job my dude.
Ez Mil on Power 106 Los Angeles