Ian Gillan (born on 19 August 1945), is a rock music vocalist best known as… Read Full Bio ↴Ian Gillan (born on 19 August 1945), is a rock music vocalist best known as the lead singer for legendary rock band Deep Purple. He is considered to be one of the foremost rock vocalists, who introduced into the rock music the vocal belting technique. In his prime he possessed a very wide vocal range which was rumored to be 4 and a half to 5 octaves and with seemingly effortless and fluid movement throughout it and with remarkable force and precision in the upper register.

Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.

Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.

Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.

No Laughing In Heaven
Ian Gillan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I used to be a sinner, used to have my cake and eat it
They warned me of my fate, but I was quite prepared to meet it
You'll go to Hell they smiled at me
And told me of the roaring fires
But I was happy living wild
And fueling my own desires
I was a wild man
Drinking, smoking and messing around with women

Lots of women
No, not swimming, women

I wanna go to Heaven
The place to be is right up there
I wanna go to Heaven
It's gonna be good so I won't despair

I decided to reform and pray
Beg mercy for my soul
I prayed in church
Threw away my bad habits
Prayed out of church
Adopted an entirely different role
I gave my money to the poor until I was poor
But at least I ensured that I would go up there
Instead of down below to the Inferno
Where the evil flames of desire
Burned higher and higher and higher

I'm gonna go to Heaven
Paid my dues so I'm getting in
I'm gonna go to Heaven
It's looking good if I abstain from sin

I knocked on the pearly gates
Neatly side-stepping the long queue
Waved hi to St. Peter
Who checked my card and let me through
I smiled, threw my hands in the air
Laughed and got arrested
They said hey man, you're in the wrong place
Your behaviour is a disgrace
Here we pray every hour, on the hour
Read extracts from the Bible and look solemn'
What, says I, no party?
No party?
Let me out

Let me out of Heaven
I got it wrong, no I can't stay here
No laughing in Heaven
Let me out, I just can't stay here

Well I ran around in the state of shock and panic
This wan't what I expected
Here was what looked like a bunch of manic depressives
Can I get a transfer, I screamed
But no, once you're in Heaven, you're here for good
The good of your soul, but that's no good for me
If you want to go to Hell you've really got to be bad
Okay, okay, I'll be bad
Too late
What do you mean too late
Too late
No
In the meantime

Let me out of Heaven
I've got it wrong, no I can't stay here
No laughing in Heaven
Oh God, it's awful here
Going crazy in Heaven
Take me out and let me go to hell

No laughing in Heaven
Don't laugh, this place is Hell

Overall Meaning

The song "No Laughing in Heaven" by Ian Gillan is a satirical take on the idea of heaven and hell. The lyrics depict a man who led a wild life, indulging in vices such as drinking, smoking, and womanizing, but eventually decides to change his ways and seek salvation. He gives up his bad habits and dedicates himself to prayer and charity, hoping to be rewarded with a place in heaven. However, upon arriving at the pearly gates, he finds that heaven is not the party-filled paradise he imagined, but a solemn and humorless place, where everyone is constantly praying and reading scripture. The man becomes disillusioned and asks to be let out, but learns that there is no escaping once you're in heaven, and if you want to go to hell, you have to be really bad. The song ends with the man going crazy in heaven, desperate to escape to the more fun-filled hell.

Line by Line Meaning

I used to be a sinner, used to have my cake and eat it
I used to indulge in sinful activities and enjoy them

They warned me of my fate, but I was quite prepared to meet it
People warned me that my actions would lead to punishment, but I didn't care

You'll go to Hell they smiled at me
People warned me that my actions would lead to Hell, and they found it amusing

And told me of the roaring fires
They described the punishment of Hell as a place of intense fire

But I was happy living wild
Despite the warnings, I enjoyed my wild and sinful lifestyle

And fueling my own desires
I continued to do what I wanted, satisfying my personal desires

I was a wild man
I lived life recklessly and without inhibitions

Drinking, smoking and messing around with women
I partook in alcohol, tobacco and promiscuous behavior

Lots of women
I was involved with many women

No, not swimming, women
I used sarcasm to indicate that my focus was solely on women, not other activities like swimming

I wanna go to Heaven
After living wildly, I realized the error in my ways and wanted to go to Heaven instead of Hell

The place to be is right up there
Heaven is the ultimate desirable destination

It's gonna be good so I won't despair
Since Heaven is good, I won't give up hope

I decided to reform and pray
I made the decision to reform my ways and pray for salvation

Beg mercy for my soul
I asked for forgiveness for my past sinful ways

I prayed in church
I prayed for redemption in a religious institution

Threw away my bad habits
I made a conscious effort to quit my negative behaviors

Prayed out of church
I continued praying for forgiveness outside of church

Adopted an entirely different role
I changed my ways completely and became a different person

I gave my money to the poor until I was poor
I donated all my money to charity until I was destitute

But at least I ensured that I would go up there
Even though I became poor, I took solace in the fact that I would still go to Heaven

Instead of down below to the Inferno
I managed to avoid going to Hell

Where the evil flames of desire
Hell is a place where the flames of desire burn in an evil way

Burned higher and higher and higher
The intensity of the flames of desire continued to increase in Hell

I'm gonna go to Heaven
I am confident that my reformed ways will lead me to get into Heaven

Paid my dues so I'm getting in
I believe that I have done enough good deeds to be accepted into Heaven

It's looking good if I abstain from sin
If I continue to stay away from sin, I am likely to enter Heaven

I knocked on the pearly gates
I arrived at the entryway to Heaven

Neatly side-stepping the long queue
I avoided waiting in a long line to enter Heaven

Waved hi to St. Peter
I acknowledged the saint guarding the gates of Heaven

Who checked my card and let me through
After checking my credentials, St. Peter allowed me to enter Heaven

I smiled, threw my hands in the air
I was ecstatic and happy to finally be in Heaven

Laughed and got arrested
I was arrested for my celebratory behavior

They said hey man, you're in the wrong place
It was explained to me that my behavior did not suit Heaven

Your behaviour is a disgrace
I was reprimanded for my inappropriate behavior in Heaven

Here we pray every hour, on the hour
Constant prayer is expected in Heaven

Read extracts from the Bible and look solemn'
Serious Bible study and solemnity is the norm in Heaven

What, says I, no party?
I was surprised and disappointed to find out there is no party scene in Heaven

No party?
I was incredulous that there is no party scene in Heaven

Let me out
I wanted to leave Heaven after realizing there was no party scene

Let me out of Heaven
I wanted to leave Heaven for it not fulfilling my expectations

I got it wrong, no I can't stay here
I came to the conclusion that I was mistaken and could not stay in Heaven

No laughing in Heaven
In contrast to my previous life, there is no room for lightheartedness in Heaven

Oh God, it's awful here
I express my disappointment in how boring Heaven appears

Going crazy in Heaven
I feel like I am losing my mind in how monotonous and dull Heaven seems

Take me out and let me go to hell
I'd rather go to Hell as it seems more interesting than Heaven

Don't laugh, this place is Hell
I am disappointed in how uninspiring Heaven seems, and ironically compare it to Hell

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERNIE TORME, COLIN WILLIAM TOWNS, IAN GILLAN, JOHN MATTHEW MCCOY, MICHAEL JOHN UNDERWOOD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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