Thread: Offspring - You're gonna go far kid (song translation)

I'm trying to translate the song, but it's hard for me to understand the exact meaning of certain phrases. I'll highlight the verses i can't understand with bold. Would appreciate any help with understanding.

Show me how to lie
You're getting better all the time
And turning all against the one
Is an art that's hard to teach
Another clever word
Sets off an unsuspecting herd
And as you step back into line
A mob jumps to their feet

Now dance, f***er, dance
Man, he never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

And now you steal away
Take him out today
Nice work you did
You're gonna go far, kid

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Slowly out of line
And drifting closer in your sights
So play it out I'm wide awake
It's a scene about me
There's something in your way
And now someone is gonna pay
And if you can't get what you want
Well it's all because of me

Now dance, f**er, dance
Man, I never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

And now you'll lead the way
Show the light of day
Nice work you did
You're gonna go far, kid
Trust, deceived!

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Now dance, f***er, dance
He never had a chance
And no one even knew
It was really only you

So dance, f***er, dance
I never had a chance
It was really only you

With a thousand lies
And a good disguise
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives

Clever alibis
Lord of the flies
Hit 'em right between the eyes
Hit 'em right between the eyes
When you walk away
Nothing more to say
See the lightning in your eyes
See 'em running for their lives"

"Step back into line" equals "step back into the ranks"?
"Take him out today" - does it mean "kill him"? Hasn't he already killed "him" in the previous quatrain?
"A mob jumps on their feet" - is it positive remark (i.e. mob is cheering him) or negative (like they are in anger?)?
"See the lightning in your eyes" means "Look what a lightning you have in your eyes!" or "If only you could see that lightning in your eyes!"?
"Slowly out of line" - i don't understand who is out of line - the one who's speaking, or the one he's speaking about? And what it means here - "get out of control", "go insane"? Or even "make a mistake"? Like "i've made a mistake, and now i'm in your sights"?

And as you step back into line
A mob jumps to their feet

И как только ты отступаешь обратно в строй (встаешь в строй),
Толпа вскакивает на ноги.

Is it about shadow manipulation?

"Немного красноречия
Заведут толпу,
И когда ты отступишь в тень -
Она вскочит на ноги?"

Like this?

I also don't know how to translate

"When you walk away
Nothing more to say"

Literal translation makes little sense

"A mob jumps on their feet" - is it positive remark (i.e. mob is cheering him) or negative (like they are in anger?)?

The word "mob" is usually negative -- it's often used in reference to the Mafia, or to lynchings, or to pogroms, etc. You could say, for example, "The mob of Germans cheered and yelled approval for Hitler." HOWEVER, in this case, the "mob" is not responding to a leader/dictator who's standing at the podium on stage:

And as you step back into line
A mob jumps on their feet

The image that comes to mind is that someone within the leaderless mob whispers "Hey, it was probably the JEWS who threw the bomb at Alexander II" or "I heard from Bill Smith who heard it from Harry Johnson that he saw a BLACK MAN near the place where the woman was raped..." The rumor spreads and the "mob jumps on their feet" to start a pogrom or lynching, and the person who started the rumor "steps back into line," disappearing into the crowd. So your interpretation of "shadow manipulation" is exactly right.

"See the lightning in your eyes"

I would understand this to mean "if they looked more closely into your eyes, they'd see your dangerous nature." Keep in mind that "lord of the flies" could suggest the Hitler-ish young boy Jack Merridew in the William Golding novel, or it can be a nickname for Satan himself.

"Take him out today" - does it mean "kill him"? Hasn't he already killed "him" in the previous quatrain?

Yes, it means "kill him," but here it doesn't necessarily have the force of a literal imperative referring to a near-future action. You could interpret it as "you have killed another today, as you habitually do every day."

"Slowly out of line"

I think this means that the potential victims are gradually beginning to panic, which will cause them to make a fatal mistake.

Thanks, Throbert! That helps alot. Can you also explain
"When you walk away
Nothing more to say"
I don't understand this

Originally Posted by Suobig

Thanks, Throbert! That helps alot. Can you also explain
"When you walk away
Nothing more to say"
I don't understand this

Most likely this is in the passive voice and would be easier understood as:
"When you walk away
[There is]Nothing more to say"