Content
The lyrics in "Hunting for Witches" are influenced by the terrorist attacks on London's transportation system in July 2005. It also contains references to the September 11 attacks and The Daily Mail. Band frontman Kele Okereke stated in an interview with Jolie Lash:
The 30 bus in Hackney, which is just around the corner from where I live, was blown up. [That song was] written when I was just observing the reactions of the mainstream press in [the UK] and I was just amazed at how easy it'd been to whip them up into a fury. ... I guess the point about the song for me is post-September 11th, the media has really traded on fear and the use of fear in controlling people.
The opening of the song features sound portions from news programs into a catchy feel.
Video
The music video for the song "Hunting for Witches" is the most simplistic off the album so far. It simply features the band performing the song in a dark room, using some unique overhead shots in some parts of the video.
Hunting For Witches
Bloc Party Lyrics
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On the roof of my house
With a shotgun
And a six pack of beers, six pack of beers, six pack of beers
The newscaster says the enemy's among us
As bombs explode on the thirty bus
Kill your middle class indecision
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
Nineties, optimistic as a teen
Now its terror
Airplanes crash into towers
The Daily Mail says the enemys among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
The reasonable fool is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood
Fame to go
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to
I go hunting for
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
In Hunting For Witches, Bloc Party addresses the paranoid and deeply divisive social atmosphere surrounding the early aughts, coined as the "War on Terror". The first verse is delivered by frontman Kele Okereke in a spoken-word style, ironically painting a picture of a quintessential American pastime, drinking beer and shooting guns, while the news reports the presence of an invisible enemy among us, and the bombing of a bus. Kele seems to depict this mania as an overreaction, stating that now is not the time for liberal thoughts, and instead, takes it upon himself to go "hunting for witches". The chorus follows and makes it clear that there are going to be consequences for those deemed witches.
The second verse attacks the scaremongering of the tabloid press, with references to "The Daily Mail" specifically, and the suggestion that immigrants are stealing jobs and women. Kele contrasts this with the "reasonable fool", who is being drowned out by the insatiability of those calling for blood. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus. Bloc Party presents fear as a dangerous tool in the hands of the right-wing propaganda machine, urging the listener to hold those who perpetuate these myths responsible.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sitting
On the roof of my house
With a shotgun
And a six pack of beers, six pack of beers, six pack of beers
I was on the roof of my house with a gun and some beers.
The newscaster says the enemy's among us
As bombs explode on the thirty bus
Kill your middle class indecision
Now is not the time for a liberal thought
The news says that the enemy is among us and bombs are exploding; you need to get rid of your indecision and stop having liberal thoughts.
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
So I'm going to hunt for witches because there will be consequences.
Nineties, optimistic as a teen
Now it's terror
Airplanes crash into towers
As a teenager in the nineties, life was optimistic, but now it's filled with terror due to airplanes crashing into towers.
The Daily Mail says the enemys among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
The reasonable fool is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood
Fame to go
According to the Daily Mail, the enemy is among us and they're stealing our jobs and women; the reasonable people are being ignored while the people who want blood are loud and influential.
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to roll
I go hunting for
So I'm going to hunt for witches because there will be consequences.
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
I was just an ordinary guy watching TV, but it shaped me into the person I am today; there must be accountability for what has happened.
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
We're all hopeless and misinformed, and fear will prevent us from taking action.
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Heads are going to
I go hunting for
So I'm going to hunt for witches because there will be consequences.
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
I watched TV and it formed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desires
There must be accountability
I was just an ordinary guy watching TV, but it shaped me into the person I am today; there must be accountability for what has happened.
Despaired and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
We're all hopeless and misinformed, and fear will prevent us from taking action.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RUSSELL LISSACK, GORDON MOAKES, KELE OKEREKE, MATT TONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind