As dissecting
Manics lyrics is one of my favourite pastimes, I often read interviews to see if they provide any clues about the songs.
Nicky used to be quite
mum on the topic of his
confessional lyrics, but lately he seems to not give much of a shit. The Love of
Richard Nixon sounds like another song about an
American president (which, for the Manics, isn't all that rare). But then Nicky spilled the beans. From an interview on XFM:
"The main
metaphor of the record is the idea of being
tarnished with something your entire life, the way Nixon will always be tarnished with
Watergate. For any good he ever did, no-one will remember it. And I think that goes for everyone in their personal life or their professional life, some people are just gonna remember Manic Street Preachers... well,
London cabbies are especially; 'How's that
nutter guitarist then? Has he turned up yet?'"
It's about
Richey and Nixon, then. Many of the songs on
Lifeblood are about two things, and one of those things is always Richey (see:
Empty Souls,
A Song for Departure, etc). Having read this interview, I went back to my liner notes, and I immediately saw parallels. The lyrics are far too personal to be about a politician.
The world on your shoulders
The love of your mother
The fear of the future
The best years behind you
The first line is Nixon's, the second Richey's. The world rests on a president's shoulders, but it's Richey's parents who still haven't given up on him. 'Fear of the future' could apply to both, though Richey often spoke of his
childhood as being the happiest time of his life, while adulthood
loomed
menacingly (
'There's nothing nice in my head / the adult world took it all away').
The world is getting older
The times they fall behind you
The need it still grows stronger
The best years never found you
Nixon has been left in the past. But what is this 'need'? Something is still affecting Nicky in the present, something that 'still grows stronger'. The only thing that comes to mind is the loss of Richey. The concept of the world aging is an interesting one, and brings to mind the image of someone remaining in
stasis, always the same, while
time passes by,
unheeded. Richey again.
Frozen in time.
The love of Richard Nixon
Surely it can't be a coincidence that these two people are both named
Richard.
Death without assassination
Also double-sided: Nixon resigned, thus dying in the public eye without actually being killed. Richey ran away, fading into the background with
uncertainty rather than definitive death.
The love of Richard Nixon
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too
Could be left open. Whose country, exactly, and whose 'they'? The parallels weave in and out.
Love built around the sandy beaches
Love rains down like Vietnam's leeches
It is widely theorized that Richey left because of
love, which is all but confirmed in
I Live to Fall Asleep ('How could you become another
boy struck dumb with love'). Love becomes the
antagonistic force just as mentioning Vietnam (
love =
war) brings the era back to Nixon.
Richard III in the white house
Cowering behind divided curtains
Richard III is a
Shakespeare character who commits multiple
murders and manipulates everyone in order to become
king, though many of his subjects join his enemy's army, which defeats Richard's army and then kills him. This pertains to the '
betrayal' referenced in the song. The 'division' is likely an expression of being
two-faced, just as Richard III had two different councils (one to bring him to power, the other as a
facade supporting Edward for king).
People forget China and your war on cancer
Yeah they all betrayed you
Yeah and your country too
The song's only plea for something better - people 'forget' the good things, the good times; they
judge without thinking; they attempt to
naysay without knowing
the whole story. This is a large part of the Manics' musical history.
Soundbyte: "In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the nation. I have never been a quitter."
Oh, the
bitter irony. Nixon resigned. Richey disappeared. So much for not being a
quitter.
Lyrics from
Lifeblood liner notes; interview transcription from nickywire.co.uk.