An Analysis of Marilyn Manson's New Single and Music Video for "Raise the Red Flag"

Two weeks after releasing the song and music video for "As Sick As The Secrets Within" from his forthcoming album, on August 16th 2024 Marilyn Manson released his second single and music video titled "Raise the Red Flag", both music videos directed by Bill Yukich. The first music video got to one million views on YouTube in one week and three million in two weeks, while the second video got to one million views in three days.

Whereas the first track was more self-reflective and retrospective, the second track is more aggressive, polemical and an outright declaration of war. The first is about past and present internal battles, while the second proclaims a future battle by raising up a battle standard or war flag.

"Raise the Red Flag" in my opinion is a much more difficult track to interpret than the previous one, because the first one was a little more straightforward while this one I believe requires more context within the album to know exactly what is happening. I found this to be true because every time I listen to it I hear it in different ways. I will give examples of this below, but first let us take a brief look at what the lyrics are talking about as a general theme. Here are the lyrics:

Raise The Red Flag

Released: August 16, 2024
Composer: Marilyn Manson
Lyricist: Marilyn Manson

 
[Verse 1]
Your autopsy table is ready
Pay off the drug deals you made with God
A last meal, then your crucifixion
If you're not paranoid, it's probably too late

[Pre-Chorus]
I don't give a fuck if you say you're sorry
I won't accept your surrender
I don't give a fuck if you say you're sorry
I won't accept your surrender

[Chorus]
It's time to beat up the bullies
And wash the bullseye off my back
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood

[Verse 2]
Cadaver dogs already know your face
Why pretend in a room full of fakes
Something made up for idiots to praise
Losers love liars 'til their dying day
Losеrs love liars 'til their dying day

[Pre-Chorus]
I don't give a fuck if you say you'rе sorry
I won't accept your surrender
I don't give a fuck if you say you're sorry
I won't accept your surrender

[Chorus]
It's time to beat up the bullies
And wash the bullseye off my back
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood

[Bridge]
Your loyalty lies
On the wrong side of the future
Your loyalty lies
On the wrong side of the future

Hey, hey, hey-hey-hey
Hey, hey, hey-hey-hey
Hey, hey, hey-hey-hey
Hey, hey, hey-hey-hey

[Chorus]
It's time to beat up the bullies
And wash the bullseye off my back
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood

[Outro]
It's time to beat up the bullies
And wash the bullseye off my back
My red flag is your white one soaked in blood

A Brief General Interpretation

[Verse 1]

The protagonist seems to be telling an antagonist that their death is imminent, and this death will be the result of their vengeance upon them.

[Pre-Chorus]

The protagonist tells the antagonist that they will not accept any apology or surrender from them. In other words, what they have done is unforgivable and worthy of death.

[Chorus]

The protagonist explains why such measures must be taken. It is because they (plural) were bullies and tried to kill him by putting a bullseye on his back. Having made the protagonist a target, the protagonist has now decided to fight back and proclaimed war against the antagonists. The protagonist has a red flag as his war flag, the red being the blood of his enemies (or his own blood?) who sought to surrender out of fear.

[Verse 2]

We are further informed that the antagonists have spread lies about the protagonist and were praised for these lies by a crowd of idiots that sucked up to these liars, which makes them nothing but losers, so the protagonist informs the antagonists that despite their well-received fakeness and falsehoods, cadaver dogs will still be able to identify their corpses and they won't be able to cover up their evil deeds.

[Bridge]

The protagonist finally informs the antagonists that they gave their loyalty to the wrong side, and because of this they have no future or relevance. The multiple "Hey's" are reminiscent of "The Fight Song" and "Deplorable Teens", which are revolutionary in tone.

First Possible Interpretation: 

It's Metaphorical

In this song the protagonist is clearly using aggressive war imagery and language to declare his revenge upon enemies. The identity of these enemies are not clear, but we know what they did to deserve death. By death, it is not meant to be a literal physical death, but a metaphor for fighting back against their lies and falsehoods which made him a target, since a false accusation is worse than death (c.f. Ecclesiasticus 26:5).

Second Possible Interpretation: 

It's About Marilyn Manson's Accusers

The antagonists are not identified or named. However, a tree is known by its fruits (c.f. Luke 6:43–45), and the lyrics of the song identify the antagonists by their fruits. It is those who have spread lies and falsehoods about the protagonist and tried to kill him (literally or metaphorically). Since Manson's accusers slandered him and spread false accusations about him publicly and have sought to legally have him imprisoned in order for him to be without the freedom to live his life and continue in his career, then it is possible that this declaration of war is a metaphor for him fighting back against his slanderers and false accusers.

Third Possible Interpretation: 

It's About the Media

Again, the antagonists are not identified or named in this song, but it does identify them by their fruits, which means that they spread lies and falsehoods about the protagonist and tried to kill him (literally or metaphorically). When Manson's accusers came forward against him and put a target on his back, the media almost unanimously took their side and spread their lies and falsehoods without question or proper investigation. In fact, they not only assumed Manson to automatically be guilty of the crimes he was accused of, but they often praised the accusers and encouraged for him to be canceled and destroyed ("something made up for idiots to praise"), allowing him no justice. And this is not only the media, but people in general who helped spread the false accusations. With this being the case, then it is possible Manson's declaration of war metaphor could be a reference to the media that sided with his slanderers.

Fourth Possible Interpretation: 

It's About the Battle With Addiction

The song may have nothing to do with Manson's accusers or even the media. Just like the first song "As Sick As The Secrets Within" was largely about Manson's internal battles which include addiction and the recovery that followed, this second song "Raise the Red Flag" may continue with that theme. I'll break it down how it can fit in at least one way:

[Verse 1]

These lyrics can be interpreted as having a last fix before embarking on the difficult path towards recovery.

[Pre-Chorus]

When you are on the path towards recovery from addiction, you go through a series of steps, including apologizing to people you’ve harmed.

Drug addicts and alcoholics in recovery also need to surrender to a program or directions of a therapist. They need to understand and admit that they are in a battle where they are losing.

These lyrics could be from the "monster" mentioned in the first song, an internal dialogue from a tempter that is leading the addict away from apologizing to others and surrendering to the program of recovery.

[Chorus]

These words could also be part of an internal dialogue to lead the addict away from recovery by focusing on revenge against his enemies. They are words of temptation to go to war.

[Verse 2]

The internal monster is hunting the addict, who know him. It is taunting the addict, as pretending to be in recovery with others who are also pretending to be in recovery, like a recovery meeting. Idiots are those who praise sober people. The monster is calling the addict a loser among people in recovery.

[Bridge]

The monster is telling the addict that his loyalty to recovery is the wrong choice for him. Death is always looming on the horizon for a drug addict that relapses.

Depictions of the Resurrection of Christ, where he wears red and holds a red flag, symbolizing the blood of his sacrifice.

Fifth Possible Interpretation: 

It is Part of a Yet-To-Be-Revealed Story Line

The two songs we have heard so far make it pretty clear this is a concept album, and as a concept album there is a story that will run throughout the album. To interpret the story from two songs without any hints from Manson in an interview, like he has always done in the past, is like interpreting a multi-chapter book based on two chapters alone. What Manson may be doing with his first two songs, especially his second song, is making a general declaration of war that can be applied to various situations, including his own. After all, it follows the basic redemption plot of the Passion, Death, Crucifixion and victorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which has become the inspiration behind the basic redemption plots of many modern stories, primarily because it is the best redemption plot that has ever existed. Jesus voluntarily offered Himself as a sacrifice after having a Last Supper with His Disciples. Even Jesus raises a red flag in medieval depictions of the Resurrection, with the red symbolizing His own blood which gained Him the victory over death by His sacrifice on the Cross. Manson uses all this imagery for a reason. Could it be about his character in this story voluntarily sacrificing himself as well? Basically, the antagonist may have a different name in this story, and the entire story may be fictional. We won't know the answers until the album is released, so maybe we should look at this song as a battle anthem in general, a declaration of a war, and here we have a glimpse of what to expect.

The Cover Image

The cover image accompanying this single, like the last single, was done by photographer and Manson's long time collaborator Joseph Cultice. Manson is depicted wearing a white shirt standing in front of a dark blue cross that covers half of his face, exposing his altered eye, and draping over his shoulder. 

 

The cross being draped over his shoulder could mean that he is bearing his cross (c.f. Mark 8:34), which is a cross of suffering and sacrifice.

 

The exposed altered eye is the eye of rage and vengeance.

That the cross is dark blue could be a reference to Mercury, since blue is often a symbol of Mercury due to its liquid state at room temperature. Mercury is a symbol often utilized by Manson, especially in the Holy Wood era, because it is a symbol of dichotomy, where light and dark, masculine and feminine, positive and negative, blend in perfect balance, which is basically what Marilyn Manson is all about, most obviously through his first and last name. To be in perfect balance is the aim of intellectual and creative pursuits having the divine element.

 

The Music Video

Analysis of the Music Video

Like I did with the first video, here I will give some brief observations to help guide the viewer to a possible explanation of what we are seeing. It is not meant to be exhaustive or very detailed, since I will explore more deeply all the music videos for this album when the album itself is released and Manson offers us more guidance into what we are hearing and seeing.

If we are to follow the timeline, this second song and video are a continuation of the first song and video, or at least it comes some time after, and we know that in the first song Manson used alchemical philosophy and imagery to show that he (or his character, which I will just refer to as "Manson") went through a purification process that leads to divine illumination, which in alchemy is the connection to one's divine nature and is the source of advanced creativity. In the first video we last see Manson emerge from the purification process dressed in the same outfit we now see him wearing in this second video, with a red jacket and black pants. Throughout the first video we saw Manson engaging with his creativity wearing white, as if he was just baptized (perhaps the reason he is shown in a tub) and illuminated. In the Christian tradition, after baptism the newly-illuminated wears white to show the cleansing from sin after a process of purification. Christ also sometimes wears white after His resurrection, but sometimes He wears some red to show that the victory was with His sacrificial blood. Manson also talks in both songs of his character going through what is described as a crucifixion and sacrifice and even evokes the Sacrifice of the Mass and the communion cup of the Blood of Christ.

By Manson appearing with a blue face in a red background, we can assume that he is showing himself as a divine being, full of creativity and ready to fight with his art and music. Of course, we have seen this look before in The High End of Low, where there is a juxtaposition between Heaven and Hell. His head is also slightly tilted downwards, but his eyes (one eye being altered) are looking forward and upward. As the camera shows his face up close, he gives us a glimpse of his metal teeth, which have been around since the "Tainted Love" video in 2001, and are most likely inspired from the movie Phantom of the Paradise (1974), where they become a symbol of the character's suffering and vengeance. 

 

Then the entire screen flashes red, which is reminiscent of something we would see in a Gaspar Noe film, who is a noted friend and inspiration for Manson. In fact, similar flashing can be seen in the trailer for Noe's film LUX ÆTERNA, starring another Manson favorite and inspiration Beatrice Dalle. Red signifies rage.

 

We then again see Manson in a pose reminiscent of the 1847 painting The Fallen Angel by French artist Alexandre Cabanel, which depicts Lucifer after his fall from Heaven. Manson has been displaying this image since his birthday party on January 5th 2024, when he proclaimed that 2024 was going to be "our year". All the imagery so far shows that vengeance is in Manson's eyes, but it is not a physical vengeance, rather a creative one, since the act of creativity is itself a payback for trying to destroy his career.

More flashing white lights can then be seen throughout the video, which psychologically induces rage and a faster heartbeat, reflective perhaps of how Manson is feeling. With the flashing lights we see a war-torn white flag that has been partially soaked in blood. A white flag is usually a symbol of surrender, and in the lyrics we are told that his red flag is their white one soaked in blood. But is the blood his or theirs? It is not clear, though we can make assumptions. Of course the term "red flag" also has the meaning of a warning sign, and both the accusers of Manson and the media have talked about the so-called red flags Manson showed as an alleged groomer and abuser. However, even if we were to set aside this interpretation related to the accusers and the media, it can still be seen as a warning sign, sort of like how a pirate ship would fly the Jolly Roger to warn other ships before battle, giving a warning to their targets either to prepare for battle or surrender.

As for the band being illuminated in white lights and the white surrounding, it shows that they are focused on moving forward toward the singular goal of exacting their revenge through music. No weapons are shown, just the band with their instruments and Manson with his microphone. The white light and surrounding could also be a depiction of what we saw in the first video, where Manson has a reference to The Secret of Light, based on Walter Russell's philosophy. As I previously summarized what Russell believed: "Creation evolves according to the natural rhythms that exist in the universe. All matter is composed of light waves, which are rhythmic and consist of both positive and negative charges. These charges are responsible for all the elements of the periodic table through a process of dividing and multiplying. Russell believed that this was the basis of alchemy. All creation emerges from and returns to what is called a zero point, which is a place of balance and equilibrium, which is the ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment. The ultimate goal of a human being is to attain a complete knowledge and unity with the Universal One, also referred to by Russel as the Light. If one follows this path, it can help them advance in creativity, science, technology and understanding in general." If there is any meaning to the setting of the video, the whiteness and simplicity and flashing lights, then this is probably it.

Painting of "Lucifer" by Manson in 1999.

When we arrive at the end of the video Manson again strikes a pose inspired by Cabanel's The Fallen Angel, showing that the entire video is supposed to be about rage and vengeance. Lucifer is the Fallen Angel, whose name is associated with Light and is often translated as "Morning Star" from the Greek or "Shining One" from the Hebrew. The Greek word for the Latin word lucifer is ἑωσφόρος (aiosphoros), and it appears in 2 Peter 1:19, which Manson has referred to in The High End of Low: "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." Manson said in an interview from 2009: "I identify with the villain, Lucifer, which is the fallen angel. He's represented by light" (Spin - June 23, 2009). An alchemical interpretation of this would conform to what I wrote above about the light. Manson would also explain in another interview from 2009 "of feeling like Lucifer being banished from heaven, of falling from grace" (Kerrang - May 20, 2009). He felt like this because he was at a point in life where he felt like he lost everything. But in Cabanel's The Fallen Angel, Lucifer is depicted with vengeance in his eyes, determined to regain what he had lost, and perhaps even more. 

 

And as Manson is depicted in this final pose of rage and vengeance which he has expressed through his music with his band, we can hear bees buzzing in the background. For Manson, bees are often a symbol of inspiration and creativity, since they are in tune with the Fibonacci sequence, which is related to the golden ratio.