Nationalteatern. Swedish rock group from the 1970s with leftist political t… Read Full Bio ↴Nationalteatern. Swedish rock group from the 1970s with leftist political texts. Originally a traveling theater ensemble with many members, most notable Ulf Dageby, Anders Melander, Totta Näslund, Nikke Ström, Hans Mosesson and Pale Olofsson.

On Barn av vår tid, (Children of our time), from 1978, the first album featuring Totta Näslund, and later Rövarkungens ö (The Island of the Bandit King), from 1980, the group moved away from the theatrical work and concentrated on the music, calling themselves a Rock Orchestra.

The group was dissolved soon after, but the new millennium has seen several reunions of Nationalteatern, touring all over Sweden. But no new songs or albums have been recorded.

Totta Näslund died in 2005, though the band still gives concerts from time to time.

Jack the Ripper
Nationalteatern Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

det är nån som våldtar din mamma
på storvaruhusetes golv
det är nån som kidnappar små små barn
och torterar dom med tuggummivåld

han slipar sin kniv
sen tar han ditt liv

jack ripper, jack the ripper
det går en mördare lös
jack ripper, jack the ripper
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös

han sliter ut hjärtat ur bröstet
på en ensam pensionär
han sätter en syl i en trasig själ
som förslavats av sitt eget begär
han smyger omkring på fabriken
och lemlästar din kropp
han hackar din hjärna i små små bitar
och krossar ditt sista hopp

han slipar sin kniv
sen tar han ditt liv

jack ripper, jack the ripper
det går en mördare lös
jack ripper, jack the ripper
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös

i besvikelsens iskalla tystnad
han håller oss i sin hand
förgiftar vårt blod med lystnad
att långsamt förgöra varann

i besvikelsens iskalla tystnad
han håller oss i sin hand
förgiftar vårt blod med lystnad
att långsamt förgöra varann

jack ripper, jack the ripper
det går en mördare lös
jack ripper, jack the ripper
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
ja sa jack ripper, jack the ripper
de går en mördare lös
jack ripper, jack the ripper

vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
vem vågar vittna när blodet frös

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nationalteatern's song "Jack The Ripper" depict a killer who is on the loose and committing violent crimes against innocent people. The lyrics mention the rape of a mother on the floor of a department store, the kidnapping and torture of children with bubble gum violence, the ripping out of a pensioner's heart, and the mutilation of bodies in factories. The chorus asks who will dare to testify when blood freezes, showing the fear and intimidation the killer has instilled in the community. The lyrics also suggest that the killer is not just an individual but a force that holds people in its grasp, poisoning their blood with the desire to destroy one another.

These lyrics explore themes of fear, powerlessness, and the destructive effects of violence on individuals and society as a whole. The song is a critique of the violent and oppressive systems that enable such atrocities to occur and the complicity of those who remain silent and do nothing to stop it. By portraying the killer as a figure that holds people in a grip of fear, the lyrics suggest that the only way to stop such violence is by confronting and challenging the systems that allow it to flourish.

Line by Line Meaning

det är nån som våldtar din mamma på storvaruhusetes golv
Someone is raping your mother on the floor of the department store

det är nån som kidnappar små små barn och torterar dom med tuggummivåld
Someone is kidnapping little children and torturing them with gum violence

han slipar sin kniv sen tar han ditt liv
He sharpen his knife, then takes your life

jack ripper, jack the ripper det går en mördare lös jack ripper, jack the ripper vem vågar vittna när blodet frös vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
Jack the Ripper is loose, who dares to witness when the blood froze?

han sliter ut hjärtat ur bröstet på en ensam pensionär
He tears out the heart from the chest of a lonely pensioner

han sätter en syl i en trasig själ som förslavats av sitt eget begär
He puts a pin in a broken soul that has been enslaved by its own desires

han smyger omkring på fabriken och lemlästar din kropp
He creeps around the factory and mutilates your body

han hackar din hjärna i små små bitar och krossar ditt sista hopp
He hacks your brain into tiny pieces and crushes your last hope

i besvikelsens iskalla tystnad han håller oss i sin hand förgiftar vårt blod med lystnad att långsamt förgöra varann
In the cold silence of disappointment, he holds us in his hand, poisoning our blood with the desire to slowly destroy each other

ja sa jack ripper, jack the ripper de går en mördare lös jack ripper, jack the ripper vem vågar vittna när blodet frös vem vågar vittna när blodet frös
Yes, Jack the Ripper is on the loose, who dares to witness when the blood froze?

Contributed by Blake J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS