WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT
System of a down is a heavy metal band that was founded by two schoolmates who collided in a recording studio and ever since their band has been no stranger to expressing their opinion on political or ethical matters. B.Y.O.B. is just one of their songs about political issues and this one goes into depth about the war in Iraq and just war in general. The combination of heavy metal and a way to speak up about ethical issues with a sprinkle of killer vocals I was immediately hooked.
B.Y.O.B released march 25 2005 and recorded at "the mansion" by Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Studios
In the intro the uncle sam poster "we want you!" is referenced and then the blunt question "why do you always send the poor?" is asked. The reason the poor are often on the battlefield is that the military offers benefits and a paying job and medical care, something that poor people can't afford sometimes, and something the rich do not have to worry about and in my own interpretation could be a reference to the conspiracy that we send the poor to die in order to strengthen our economy.[
Verse one:
Verse one is trying to convey that often the reason we go to war is for financial gain because the military can start contracts with private businesses for technology in exchange for money, and the verse "Victorious victories kneel for brand new spanking deals" is in reference to someone performing a sexual task in exchange for something that will help that person (or a company in this case) rise on the food chain of society. The third line is referencing the way soldiers are desensitized to an enemy and to combat in order to perform more efficiently just like how computers are tweaked in order to perform a certain task more efficiently. the fourth line is expressing discontent with the way the government relies on civilians becoming soldiers to protect America yet they feed us misinformation.
Chorus:
The chorus is trying to convey the messages such as war being a thing of little sadness and more of a business opportunity and the line "blowing up the sunshine" could be in reference to what bombs look like on impact or an oil well catching on fire and blotting out the sun and effectively turning day into night and dancing either being celebratory or "trying to dodge bullets"( Genius lyrics). (side note: oil is also called "stolen sunshine")
Verse two:
Verse two is showing that the war in Iraq is about oil, not justice. The kneeling roses are meant to represent soldiers dying in the deserts of Iraq, and "Moses' dry mouth is the desert of the middle east. The second line's meaning is disputed as it is hard to pinpoint what SOAD is trying to convey but some of the theories are America tapping into the gold in Fort Knox or that Fort Knox is empty and "so stealing our intentions could be interpreted that they stole our riches (Lifes) to keep a pretense of a ‘great’ nation which is just empty of all freedom that it preaches." (genius lyrics). The third line is in reference to airplane hangers in the middle east with airplanes fueled by the oil fields we took over and the freedom we tout is a justification for violence. The last line is similar to the final line in verse one but instead, it comments about machines being used in the place of humans.
Bridge:
The message in the bridge being conveyed is meant to be sarcastic as SOAD belives since our government's actions are that of a fascist one and that everyone should be in favor of the war as shown by "blast off, its party time" (the "party" meaning war) "And where the fuck are you?"
Refrain:
The refrain is similar to the intro as the question is still "why do they always send the poor" but mixed in with "why don't the presidents fight the war?" protesting the fact that presidents are able to put us at war and also that they need little provoking to do so.
“B.Y.O.B.” Translated by Mike M, Genius, 29 Mar. 2005, genius.com/1481568.
DonkeyHotey. “‘I Want Your Data.’” Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia, 10 July 2015, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uncle_Sam_%22I_Want_Your_Data%22_(18958406254).jpg.
EdJF. Kuwait Oil Fire, Wikipedia, 8 Mar. 1991, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kuwaiti_Oil_Well_Fire.jpg.
Garcia, Mike. “B.Y.O.B. (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2020, 18:40, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.Y.O.B._(song).
“System of a Down.” Edited by Vicki Rosenzweig, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_of_a_Down.
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