One of the two great influences on the thinking of Charles Manson, along with the Book of Revelation, was the musical group the Beatles. According to Family members, Manson would most often quote "the Beatles and the Bible." The two influences were linked, in that Manson saw the four Beatles members as being the "four angels" referred to in Revelation 9. Revelation 9 also tells of "locusts"--the Beatles, of course--coming out upon the earth. It describes prophets as having "faces as the faces of men" but with "the hair of women"--an assumed reference too the long hair of the all-male English group. In Revelation 9, the four angels with "breastplates of fire"--electric guitars--"issued fire and brimstone"--song lyrics.
Manson believed that the Beatles spoke to him through their lyrics, especially those included in the White Album, released in December 1968. Several songs from the White Album crystalized Manson's thinking about a coming revolt by blacks against the white Establishment. He interpreted many of the songs idiosyncratically, believing, for example, that "Rocky Raccoon" meant black people and "Happiness is a Warm Gun" was a song about getting firearms to carry on the revolution rather than--more obviously--a song about sex.
The White Album played a key role in forging Manson's warped ideology. According to Family member Paul Watkins, "Before Helter Skelter came along, all Charlie cared about was orgies."
| Beatles Song | Lyrics | Manson Interpretation** | Comment |
| Revolution 1 (White Album) |
You say you want a revolution/ Well you know/ We all want to change the world/ You tell me that it's evolution/ Well you know/ We all want to change the world/ But when you talk about destruction/ Don't you know that you can count me out (in).
|
Beatles favor a revolution. Manson should now reveal his plan to escape the coming chaos. |
Although the album jacket insert says "you know that you can count me out," on the record itself the word "in" can be heard immediately after the word "out." |
| Blackbird (White Album) |
Blackbird singing in the dead of night/ Take these broken wings and learn to fly/ All your life/ You were only waiting for this moment to arise. | Beatles were urging black people to arise and revolt against the white establishment. | Manson was fond of the word "rise"--often telling his followers that black people would "rise up." |
| Piggies (White Album) |
Have you seen the little piggies/ Crawling in the dirt/ And for all those little piggies/ Life is getting worse/ Always having dirt to play around in. Have you seen the bigger piggies/ In their starched white shirts/ You will find the bigger piggies/ Stirring up the dirt/ Always have clean shirts to play around in. In their styes with all their backing/ They don't care what goes on around/ In their eyes there's something lacking/ What they need's a damn good whacking. Everywhere there's lots of piggies/ Living piggy lives/ You can see them out for dinner/ With their piggy wives/ Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon. |
Manson interpreted "piggies" to mean members of the Establishment. He saw the song as telling him that the Establishment needed "a damn good whacking." Manson frequently quoted the line referring to the need for a "whacking." | The song refers to forks and knives. Rosemary LaBianca received 41 knive wounds, Leno LaBianca received 12 knive wounds and 7 fork wounds. On a wall in the LaBianca home, in Leno's blood, was written the phrase "Death to Pigs." |
| Helter Skelter (White Album) |
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide/ Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride/ Till I get to the bottom and I see you again.
Do you, don't you want me to love you/ I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you/ Tell me tell me tell me come on tell me the answer/ You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer./ Helter skelter helter skelter/ Helter skelter. Will you, won't you want me to make you/ I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you/ Tell me tell me tell me the answer/ You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer./ Look out helter skelter helter skelter/ Helter skelter. Look out, cause here she comes./ When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide/ And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride/ And I get to the bottom and I see you again./ Well do you, don't you want me to make you/ I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you/ Tell me tell me tell me the answer/ You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer./ Look out helter skelter helter skelter/ Helter skelter/ Look out helter skelter/ She's coming down fast/ Yes she is/ Yes she is. |
According to former Family member Brooks Poston, Manson told the group on New Year's Eve 1968: "Are you hep to what the Beatles are saying? Helter Skelter is coming down. The Beatles are telling it like it is." |
'Helter Skelter" was printed on the refrigerator at the LaBianca home. |
| Revolution 9 (White Album) |
[ Song consists of a collection of sound clips. The sounds include shouts, classical music, exploding mortars, soccer yells, crowd sounds, car horns, crying babies, hymns, oinking pigs, dialogue from the BBC, phrases such as "Block that Nixon," and the repeated words "Number 9, Number 9, Number 9." A man's voice appears to say "Rise." The song ends with the sounds of machine gun fire and screams, followed by the lullaby "Good Night."] | Manson saw the song as paralleling the message of the Bible's Revelation 9. He saw the song as a prophecy of the upcoming black verseus white revolution. | This song, as well as "Blackbird," were seen by Prosecutor Bugliosi as being the inspiration for the printing in blood of the word "rise" at the LaBianca home. |
| I Will (White Album) |
Who knows how long I've loved you/ You know I love you still/ Will I wait a lonely lifetime/ If you want me to--I will.... And when at last I find you/ Your song will fill the air/ Sing it loud so I can hear you/ Make it easy to be near you/ For the things you do endear you to me/ You know I will/ I will. |
Manson interpreted the line "Your song will fill the air/ Sing it loud so I can hear you" to mean that he should make an album so that the peoples could find him (Manson), the returned Jesus Christ. | After the White Album came out in Deember 1968, Manson began writing songs in earnest, hoping to answer the Beatle's imagined request that he produce an album--but he never did. Each song was to be directed at a specific target group. |
| Honey Pie (White Album) |
She was a working girl/ North of England way/ Now she's hit the big time/ In the USA/ And if she could only hear me/ This is what I'd say./ Honey pie you are making me crazy/ I'm in love but I'm lazy/ So won't you please come home. Oh honey pie my position is tragic/ Come and show me the magic/ of your Hollywood song/...Oh honey pie you are driving me frantic/ Sail across the Atlantic/ To be where you belong./ Will the wind that blew her boat/ Across the sea/ Kindly send her sailing back to me./ Honey pie you are making me crazy/ I'm in love but I'm lazy/ So won't you please come home. |
Manson interpreted the line "Sail across the Atlantic to where you belong" to mean that the Beatles should come to the USA to join his Family in Death Valley. Manson interpreted the line "I'm in love but I'm lazy" to mean that Beatles loved Jesus Christ and believed him to be in Southern California ("magic of your Hollywood song") but were too lazy to search for him (now in the form of Charles Manson). | Hoping to persuade the Beatles to join them, Manson and other Family members sent several telegrams, wrote numerous letters, and attempted at least three phone calls to the Beatles in England, all to no avail. **The interpretations on this page are generally those offered by Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, based on his interviews with several Manson Family members. The interpretations are discussed in Bugliosi's book Helter Skelter, pages 238-245. |