“Chop Suey” is not about the dish but rather about how society perceives people who die based on the way they died.
Chop suey is a dish adapted by Chinese railroad workers during the 1860s. Most of them came from the Guangdong Province in China, and the idea of tossing leftovers into a wok and frying them up was well-known there. While working the railroad, the workers probably couldn’t get the same ingredients as they had in China, so they used what was available. The dish doesn’t feature at all in the lyrics of the song, although there is a shot of lead singer Serj Tankian eating it in the song’s music video. The song was originally supposed to have the title ““Self-Righteous Suicide,” but Columbia Records refused to back the album if the title wasn’t changed. So, the band decided to call the song “Chop Suey” not only because “Suey” was a short form of suicide but also because of the haphazard nature of musical styles: head-banging metal, alternative-rock chorus, anthem-like closing.
Judgment
Both Tankian and guitarist Daron Malakian think that society unjustly judges people based on how they died. They give the example of someone dying of an overdose “deserving it” because the person abused dangerous drugs. Malakian goes on to explain that this condemnation of such judgment was the inspiration of the lyric, “I cry when angels deserve to die.” The bit about, “Grab a brush, and put a little makeup,” is ostensibly about possibly covering up why someone died so that the person isn’t unfairly judged after death. It references the practice of putting makeup on corpses for viewings so that they don’t look so bad in their caskets.
Writer’s Block
Tankian famously couldn’t come up with lyrics for the penultimate section of the song. So, he and Malakian told the band’s producer, Rick Rubin, to go pick out any book from the shelves of his extensive library, open to any page, and read the first thing that he saw. Although no one has ever mentioned which book it was that Rubin picked, it was likely the Bible because the lines are, “Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit,” and, “Father, why have you forsaken me?” from the Gospel according to Luke (chapter 23, verse 46).
Other Media
For a song that turns 22 years old this year, it’s unusual that it hasn’t shown up more in the soundtracks of television and film. The song’s weird structure and the grating quality of the sound of the verses could have something to do with that. It has, however, shown up more than once on “America’s Got Talent.”
Lyrics
Wake up (wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little make-up
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up (hide the scars to fade away the-)
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable, you wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little make-up, you wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up, you wanted to
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table? You wanted to
I don’t think you trust
In my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
Wake up (wake up)
Grab a brush and put a little make-up
Hide the scars to fade away the (hide the scars to fade away the shake-up)
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable, you wanted to
Grab a brush and put a little make-up, you wanted to
Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up, you wanted to
Why’d you leave the keys upon the table? You wanted to
I don’t think you trust
In my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
Father (father)
Father (father)
Father (father)
Father (father)
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit
Father, into your hands
Why have you forsaken me?
In your eyes forsaken me
In your thoughts forsaken me
In your heart forsaken me, oh
Trust in my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
In my self-righteous suicide
I cry when angels deserve to die
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Shavo Odadjian / Serj Tankian / John Dolmayan / Daron Malakian
Chop Suey! lyrics © Ilovecoffee
Listeners of Rock music, might also appreciate the song Vienna by Billy Joel.