Into the Fire

"Into the Fire"
Song by Marilyn Manson
Album	The High End of Low
Released	May 20, 2009
Recorded	March 2008–January 2009 in Los Angeles and Hollywood, California
Genre	Piano rock, power ballad, alternative rock
Length	5:14
Label	Interscope
Writer	Marilyn Manson
Composer	Twiggy, Chris Vrenna
Producer	Marilyn Manson, Chris Vrenna, Twiggy, Sean Beavan
External links	Search ISRC Search at Musicstax

"Into the Fire" is the fourteenth track from Marilyn Manson's 2009 release The High End of Low. Its title was revealed on April 16, 2009, in an update on the band's official website. Initially thought to be an optimistic track, it is actually one of Manson's most desperate, consisting of lyrics he wrote on the night of December 25, 2008 having cut himself 158 times with a razor blade for every unanswered call he placed to estranged girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood. After listening to the track throughout January 4, 2009, Manson decided it could not finish the album as originally intended and, according to his own account, left to record 15.

Music details

“	"The record is really about the metaphor that exists in all great and historic literature: Lucifer falling from heaven, losing his wings, and wanting to fall in love with someone who is mortal. [It's about] the inability to find love, so you want to destroy everyone else's love. that's the story of my life. By the time I got to Into the Fire, I thought that was the last song on the record. It has a very epic musical ending with one of the greatest guitar solos in music. Twiggy blew me away; it made me cry. I thought this was the way the record has to end, this is the way my life is, at the edge of no real hope. I've become a total cold-hearted monster..."	”
—Marilyn Manson Interview with Revolver Magazine

Into The Fire's tone with heavy use of piano and strings finds many to believe this to have more than a slight resemblance to brit band Oasis. Reviewing for The Quietus, John Robb described the song as "Another dramatic neo-ballad" which "rolls in with piano and, gasp! an orchestra." He also cited it as "like Manson's 'Imagine' but it doesn't lull you into a false sense of security- there are still billowing clouds of gloom, and it all sounds as if it should be shoehorned into the next Tim Burton gothic horror masterpiece. There is something quite 70s about the song - possibly a hint of the great Mott the Hoople when Ian Hunter sung his ace weary ballads." The song features a lengthy guitar solo at the end, quite unusual for a Marilyn Manson track. Manson noted that on track 14, this track, "Twiggy really shines as a guitarist."

Appearances

Albums

• The High End of Low

Versions

• "Into the Fire" — Appears on The High End of Low
• "Into the Fire (Alternate Version)" — Appears on the Japanese deluxe edition of The High End of Low and as a bonus track received with pre-orders of both the standard and deluxe digital albums

Lyrics

    This is the film
    close to the third act and the misery
    this isn't rain
    you rapist werewolves
    this is god pissing down on you
    Don't worry,
    you won't die alone
    I'll break off my own arms and
    sharpen my bones and
    stab you once for each time
    I thought of you,
    trying to take something
    you'll never be good enough
    to even look upon
    
    it's better to push something when it's slipping
    than to risk being dragged down
    
    If you want to hit bottom
    don't bother taking me with you
    and I won't answer if you call
    I'm two heartbeats ahead in hell
    trying to break your fall
    
    this isn't a mob,
    i won't need to change
    to change the names
    everyone around you has murdered
    someone's something sacred
    there isn't one nail without dirt under it
    there isn't any "white cotton panties"
    that aren't soaked and stained red
    
    it's better to push something when it's slipping
    than to risk being dragged down
    
    If you want to hit bottom
    don't bother taking me with you
    and I won't answer if you call
    I'm two heartbeats ahead in hell
    trying to break your fall
    
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire
    into the fire

Trivia

• An excerpt from the lyrics of "Into the Fire" appears on the current homepage of MarilynManson.com ("that aren't soaked and stained red").
• This is the second song Manson wrote on Christmas day, the other being "If I Was Your Vampire" two years prior.
• Consistent with a biblically apocalyptic theme, similarly demonstrated in "Four Rusted Horses" and "Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon", the phrase "into the fire" is likely an allusion to the Great White Throne Judgment, found in Revelation 20:11-15 (particularly the last two verses).