'everything must go' is the title of a poem written by patrick jones, welsh poet (and brother of nicky wire). this title was inspired by a picture of patrick jones' young son in front of a shop window on which the sales-slogan 'everything must go!' was written. it is also the name of a play by patrick jones about living in wales.

Some lines from this poem:

once upon a time when work work meant something once upon a time a dignity a meaning a beginning a
middle and an end and you cared about what the next
man did or thought not not now each to own and own [...]

the working title of the album 'everything must go' was 'sounds in the grass', after a series of paintings by jackson pollock (see painting is self discovery - every good artist pai... and the pictures i contemplate painting would constitu...).the content of everything must go is an explanation to the fans about the manics going further as a band after the disappearance of richey edwards. it also expresses the idea of getting rid of an ideal of what msp shoud be: the manics wanted to break free from their own rules and develop themselves as a band.