What Keeps Mankind Alive
Tom Waits
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You gentlemen who think you have a mission To purge us of the seven deadly sins Should first sort out the basic food position Then start your preaching, that's where it begins You lot who preach restraint and watch your waist as well Should learn, for once, the way the world is run However much you twist or whatever lies that you tell Food is the first thing, morals follow on So first make sure that those who are now starving Get proper helpings when we all start carving What keeps mankind alive? What keeps mankind alive? The fact that millions are daily tortured Stifled, punished, silenced and oppressed Mankind can keep alive thanks to its brilliance In keeping its humanity repressed And for once you must try not to shriek the facts Mankind is kept alive by bestial acts
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Written by: BERTOLT BRECHT, EUGEN BERTHOLD BRECHT, KURT WEILL
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
12 facts about this song
Authorship"What Keeps Mankind Alive" is a song by Tom Waits, but it wasn't written by him. It was originally composed by Kurt Weill, a German Jewish composer, with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, a Marxist playwright and poet.
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Publication YearThe song was initially written for a German play called "Die Dreigroschenoper" or "The Threepenny Opera," which premiered in Berlin in 1928.
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Tom Waits CoverTom Waits covered "What Keeps Mankind Alive" for his 1985 album "Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill."
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Musical StylesTom Waits' version of the song combines elements from both rock and operatic music, demonstrating his versatility as an artist.
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Lyrics InterpretationThe lyrics of the song tackle socio-political themes — talking about the dark side of human nature, where greed, deceit, and immorality keep mankind alive.
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Song InterpretationTom Waits' gravelly and raw voice gives a poignant interpretation to the cynical and bitter message of the song.
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Song ImpactThe song was so powerful that its title line was framed into a question and put on the cover of New York Times magazine in 2006.
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Cultural ImpactThe song had wide cultural reach as it was translated and performed in several languages over the years.
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Album FeaturesThe "Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill" album features a collection of Weill's famous compositions covered by various artists, with Tom Waits covering "What Keeps Mankind Alive."
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Other CoversOther than Tom Waits, notable artists who have covered the song include The Pet Shop Boys and The Young Gods.
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Original IntentionBrecht and Weill originally wrote the song as a stark critique of capitalist society, a theme that carries into Tom Waits' cover version.
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AccoladesThe album "Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill" was critically acclaimed and contributed to a renewal of interest in Weill's work during the 1980s.
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