Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk/rock band. The band was formed in 1977 by Joak… Read Full Bio ↴Ebba Grön was a Swedish punk/rock band. The band was formed in 1977 by Joakim Thåström (Pimme), Gunnar Ljungstedt (Gurra) and Lennart Eriksson (Fjodor), all from Rågsved, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. Their debut album, We're Only in it for the Drugs, was released in 1978. After their second album Kärlek & Uppror ("Love & Revolt") in 1981, Anders Sjöholm (Stry Terrarie - Kriminella Gitarrer, Garbochock, Besökarna, Stry & Stripparna) joined them. Their third album, released in 1982 and simply named Ebba Grön, also became their last; the band never recovered after Fjodor went to jail for four months for refusing to do military service, and the group disbanded in 1983. The three remaining members went on to form the group Rymdimperiet, which soon became the influential rock band Imperiet.

"Ebba Grön" was a code name the Swedish police used in an operation against a terrorist group (a part of the German Red Army Faction), planning to kidnap the Minister for Immigration, Anna-Greta Leijon, in 1976.

Their probably most famous and most played song is Staten och Kapitalet ("The State and the Capital", roughly translated) and is a song purely and very directly critical towards the Swedish politics and politicians of the time, or maybe unjust politicians in general. The song is actually a cover of Blå Tåget's Den ena handen vet vad den andra gör ("The one hand knows what the other hand is doing").

Many of their songs take up political issues or themes, but their main message doesn't seem to be overtly political. As they state in Tyna Bort ("Perish", or "Fade Away") they think music should be for your mental health and nothing else. They also seem to have been very much for living 'punk', as in caring about your freedom most, that money doesn't give happiness, young, careless and rebellious is right, and so on.

Häng Gud
Ebba Grön Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gud e fascist
Gud e rasist
För gud gillar inte fattiga
O gud gillar inte svartingar
O inte fan gillar han dej
Han har glömt dig för länge sen

Häng gud...

Gud e egoist
Gud javisst
Med präster o påvar har han lurat miljoner
Med bibeln har han skapat traditioner
Har han några känslor för nån?
O förresten är det en han eller hon?

Häng gud...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ebba Grön's song Häng Gud are a scathing critique of organized religion and the hypocrisy and intolerance it promotes. The song asserts that God is a fascist and a racist who does not care for the poor or people of color, and has long since forgotten about the individual listener. The very title of the song, "Häng Gud," or "Hang God," suggests a call to arms against the corrupted religious system and a desire to metaphorically hang this false deity and all that it represents.

The lyrics also emphasize the archaic and manipulative nature of organized religion, particularly its use of preachers and popes to manipulate and deceive its followers. The Bible is seen as a tool for creating oppressive traditions, rather than promoting love or compassion. The song asks whether God has any feelings or empathy for anyone, and even questions God's gender.

Line by Line Meaning

Gud e fascist
God is a fascist - he enforces strict rules and limitations on his followers' behavior.

Gud e rasist
God is a racist - he favors one race over others and discriminates against those who are not like him.

För gud gillar inte fattiga
Because God doesn't like poor people - he doesn't approve of those who don't have wealth or power.

O gud gillar inte svartingar
And God doesn't like black people - he has a prejudice against those with darker skin.

O inte fan gillar han dej
And he doesn't like you either - he has forgotten about you a long time ago and doesn't care about your struggles or successes.

Han har glömt dig för länge sen
He forgot about you a long time ago - God has neglected you and lost interest in you.

Gud e egoist
God is an egoist - he only cares about himself and his own agenda.

Gud javisst
It's definitely true that God is like this - there's no question about it.

Med präster o påvar har han lurat miljoner
With priests and popes, he has fooled millions - religious leaders have used God's name to control people and gain power.

Med bibeln har han skapat traditioner
With the Bible, he has created traditions - religious practices and beliefs have been formed based on God's teachings.

Har han några känslor för nån?
Does he have any feelings for anyone? - it is unclear if God has any emotions or attachments to his followers.

O förresten är det en han eller hon?
And by the way, is it a he or a she? - the gender of God is uncertain and disputed by different religions and interpretations.

Häng gud...
Hang God... - the repeated chorus is a call to reject and rebel against God's authority and power.

Contributed by Audrey I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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