London Dungeon
Misfits Lyrics

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They called us walking corpses
Unholy living dead
They had to lock us up
Put us in their British hell

Make sure your face is clean now
Can't have no dirty dead
All the corpses here are clean, boy

All the Yanks in British hell

I don't want to be here in your London Dungeon
I don't want to be here in your British hell
Ain't no mystery why I'm in misery in Hell
Here's hoping you're swell

They called us walking corpses
Unholy living dead
They had to lock us up
Put us in their British hell

I don't want to be here in your London Dungeon
I don't want to be here in your British hell
Ain't no mystery why I'm in misery in Hell
Here's hoping you're swell

Make sure your face is clean now
Can't have no dirty dead
All the corpses here are clean, boy
All the Yanks in British hell

I don't want to be here in your London Dungeon
I don't want to be here in your British hell
Ain't no mystery why I'm in misery in Hell

Here's hoping you're swell
Here's hoping you're swell

Here's hoping you're swell
Here's hoping you're swell

Overall Meaning

The Misfits' song "London Dungeon" addresses the band's experience of being rejected by British audiences. The lyrics describe the band members as "walking corpses" and "unholy living dead" who were locked up in the "British hell" of London Dungeon. The band members are being criticized for their appearance and are told to make sure their faces are clean because "all the corpses here are clean."

The song speaks to the band's sense of alienation in a foreign country, where they were rejected and marginalized because of their spooky punk image and sound. The "London Dungeon" represents the oppressive environment the band experienced, with the lyrics speaking to a sense of hopelessness and misery. The song ends with the band expressing hope that their listeners are doing well, despite the feelings of isolation and despair in the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

They called us walking corpses
We were labeled as lifeless beings

Unholy living dead
The dead that are considered sacrilegious beings

They had to lock us up
They felt the need to detain us

Put us in their British hell
They held us captive in a place that felt like hell to us

Make sure your face is clean now
You must ensure that you are presentable

Can't have no dirty dead
It's unacceptable to be dead and unclean

All the corpses here are clean, boy
Everyone who's dead here is presentable, young one

All the Yanks in British hell
All the Americans stuck in this hellish place

I don't want to be here in your London Dungeon
I refuse to remain captive in this dreadful prison

I don't want to be here in your British hell
I refuse to remain trapped in this terrible British confinement

Ain't no mystery why I'm in misery in Hell
It's no secret that my misery in this Hell is caused by my detainment