P.L.U.C.K.

"P.L.U.C.K."
Song by System of a Down from the album System of a Down
Released	June 30, 1998
Format	CD
Recorded	November 1997 - March 1998 Sound City Van Nuys, CA Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research Hollywood, CA
Genre	Alternative metal, heavy metal
Length	3:37
Label	American
Writer	Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian
Producer	Rick Rubin, System of a Down
System of a Down track listing
"Darts" (12) "P.L.U.C.K." (13) "Marmalade"* (14)

"P.L.U.C.K." (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers) is the 13th song in the 1998 eponymous first album by the heavy metal band System of a Down. The music was composed by guitarist Daron Malakian and the lyrics were written by singer Serj Tankian. It originally appeared on their first demo tape in 1995, with slightly different lyrics, and it was later recorded on a compilation of Armenian music called "Hye Enk" (We're Armenian). The song is among the heaviest on the album, beginning with Serj's deep death growls.

Song Meaning

All of the members of System of a Down are of Armenian descent. This song is dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Many System of a Down songs, e.g. "Holy Mountains", are, or are believed to be, about Armenian issues. The band itself has fought for the official U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide^[1].

Dedication

On the album booklet, before the track number and the title of the song, there is a dedication which reads:

"System of a Down would like to dedicate this song to the memory of the 1.5
million victims of the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Turkish
Government in 1915."

^[1]

References

1. ^ In 1919 - "American Committee for Armenian and Syrian Relief: The nationwide campaign for $30,000,000 to aid the Armenians and Syrians was begun in New York recently by the Armenian Committee for Relief in the Near East. In explanation of how the money is to be spent, the committee made the following statement: There are nearly 4,000,000 souls to be fed, clothed, and started on a new life. Of these 2,000,000 are destitute and must be fed as soon as the funds are provided. It will cost exactly $5 a month for six months to feed each of the destitute. This makes a total of $4,500,000 for six months for food supplies. Four dollars for each person will be needed for clothing and bedding, making another item of $8,000,000. One million seven hundred and seventy thousand persons [1,770,000] are at an average of 400 miles from home [non-Syrians in Syria] and must be taken back at a cost of $3 for each person, thus requiring $3,310,000 for this purpose. For these repatriated persons 50,000 temporary houses will be needed to replace the ones destroyed by the Turks. These will cost $50 each, making a total of $2,500,000. It will also cost 4,000,000 to provide orphanages for 400,000 orphans. Finally to make these people self-supporting as soon as possible, another $2,500,000 must be spent for seeds, farm implements, etc. This makes a total of $38,110,000 of which New York's quota is $6,000,000. —Near east report for Syria, The New York Times Current History Magazine Relief efforts were astonishing. Early in January 1919, ACRNE opened a unit in Istanbul (Constantinople). The ACRNE received red-carpet treatment in the Ottoman Empire. Collaborating with the Empire ACRNE managed to deliver cereal at the rate of 5,000 tons a month. By the end of 1919, about 30,000 metric tons of food and clothing had arrived. Using Constantinople as a distribution center beginning in 12 February over a $1,000,000,000 worth of goods, including 2,000 tons of flour, 2,500 cases of canned foods, 500 cases of condensed milk, 18 trucks, 20 ambulances, 500 sewing machines, 200 oil stoves, 1,750,000 yards of cloth, 50,000 blankets, 800 hospital cots, 26 tents, 78 X-ray machines and 200 tons of coal moved to the Caucasus. Between 1915 and 1930, the American relief organizations raised $116,000,000 of assistance, delivering food, clothing, and materials for shelter. ACRNE distributed goods worth nine million dollars in the first half of 1919 and dispensed much of ten million dollars in grain and other commodities. The Near East Relief placed thousands of orphans in mission facilities in the USA, with the expectation that these orphans would grow to manhood and womanhood

External links

(broken link) *"P.L.U.C.K." lyrics on Systemofadown.com