“Vanity Fair” is taken from Mr. Bungle’s 1999 album, California. The lyrics refer to the Skoptsi, among other human oddities and ascetic aberrations. The Skoptsy (Russian: скопцы, sg. скопец “eunuch”) were a radically ascetic sectarian movement within the broad Orthodox Christian tradition of the Russian Empire. They were known for practicing castration of men and the mastectomy of women in accordance with their teachings against sexual lust. Doing so, they expected to recover the original, androgynous purity prior to Sin and the Fall.
The movement emerged in the late 18th century. It reached the peak of its popularity in the early 20th century, with as many as 100,000 members, in spite of persecution by the imperial government. Despite severe repression under the Soviet Union, small groups persevered into the 21st century. (Wikipedia)
You’re not human
You’re a miracle
A preacher with an animal’s face
In your sexy
Neon smokescreen
Lie the supersalesmen of vanity
Even your shadow worships you
In your jungle solitude
With the orgies of the sacrament
And the seal of flagellants
You know God saves those who save their skin
From the bondage that we’re in
I’m elated
I could cut you
And remove the sheath of your ignorance
Bless the eunuch
And the Skoptsi
Will you hurt me now and make a million?
Say cheese, baby
We all love you
It’s a cheap world and you don’t exist
Slit the fabric of the right now
Spread your legs and wear the crown
Tell me how long, lord, how long?
‘Til I get my beauty sleep?
Now the hourglass is empty
The moment of my de-sexing
Cut it, cut, cut, cut
Cut this cancer from my soul
Now that I’ve made it
I’m finally naked
I’m finally naked
Yeah, I made it
I’m really naked
Delìrivm Còrdia 