They Hung Him on a Cross
Nirvana Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

They hung him of a cross
They hung him on a cross
They hung him on a cross for me

One day when I lost
They hung him on a cross
They hung him on a cross for me
They whooped him up the hill
They whooped him up the hill
They whooped him up the hill for me

One day when I lost
They hung him on a cross
They whooped him up the hill for me

He never said among them would
They never said among them would
They never said among them would for me

One day when I lost
They hung him on a cross
They hung him on a cross for me

They hurt him in the side
They bit him in the side
They bit him in the side for me

One day when I lost
They hung him on a cross
They hung him on a cross for me

They hung his head and died
They hung his head and died
He hung his head and died for me

One day when I lost
They hung him on a cross
They hung him on a cross for me





Originally by Leadbelly

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nirvana’s “They Hung Him on a Cross” seem to be a direct reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The lyrics are a retelling of the story of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, stating that he was hung on the cross, whooped up the hill, bitten in the side, and ultimately died for the singer’s sins. The repetition of “for me” throughout emphasizes the personal connection to the story of Jesus’ death and indicates a sense of gratitude and reverence for his sacrifice.


The lyrics are presented in a simple, almost sing-song style that stands in stark contrast to the weightiness of the subject matter. This juxtaposition may be intentional, as it portrays the tragedy of Jesus’ death as something that is both simple and universal. The repetition of certain phrases and the lack of specific details about the crucifixion also contribute to this sense of universality, as it suggests that the story of Jesus’ death is something that is known and understood by everyone.


Overall, the lyrics to “They Hung Him on a Cross” are a poignant and direct retelling of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. The simplicity of the language and repetition of certain phrases serve to emphasize the tragedy and universality of Jesus’ death.


Line by Line Meaning

They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


For me
His punishment was for my sake.


One day when I was lost
When I was going through a difficult time.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross for me
He was punished by being hung on a cross for my sake.


They whooped him up the hill
He was forced to go up the hill while being physically mistreated.


They whooped him up the hill
He was forced to go up the hill while being physically mistreated.


They whooped him up the hill
He was forced to go up the hill while being physically mistreated.


For me
His mistreatment was for my sake.


One day when I was lost
When I was going through a difficult time.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They whooped him up the hill for me
He was forced to go up the hill while being physically mistreated for my sake.


He never said among them word
He did not speak a word amongst his tormentors.


They never said among them word
His tormentors did not hear him speak.


They never said among them word
His tormentors did not hear him speak.


For me
His silence was for my sake.


One day when I was lost
When I was going through a difficult time.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


For me
His punishment was for my sake.


They bit him in the side
He was physically abused by being bitten in the side.


They bit him in the side
He was physically abused by being bitten in the side.


They bit him in the side
He was physically abused by being bitten in the side.


For me
His abuse was for my sake.


One day when I was lost
When I was going through a difficult time.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross for me
He was punished by being hung on a cross for my sake.


He hung his head and died
He died by hanging his head.


He hung his head and died
He died by hanging his head.


He hung his head and died
He died by hanging his head.


For me
His death was for my sake.


One day when I was lost
When I was going through a difficult time.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


They hung him on the cross
He was punished by being hung on a cross.


For me
His punishment was for my sake.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HUDDIE LEDBETTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

MrGames343

They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross for me
One day when I was lost
They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross for me
They whooped him up the hill
They whooped him up the hill
They whooped him up the hill for me
One day when I was lost
They hung him on the cross
They whooped him up the hill for me
He never said among them word
They never said among them word
They never said among them word for me
One day when I was lost
They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross for me
They bit him in the side
They bit him in the side
They bit him in the side for me
One day when I was lost
They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross for me
He hung his head and died
He hung his head and died
He hung his head and died for me
One day when I was lost
They hung him on the cross
They hung him on the cross for me



All comments from YouTube:

Phoenix

Literally made me cry. His voice still gets me to this day. Chills.

Snailsonrails

Lol

John

Lol cmon

cjd3187

I like this & Ain’t It a Shame because they feature such a different t side of his voice and their music. Possibilities of directions their music might have gone.

Alanna

Kurt's voice in this one is perfection.

Azinga

Proof that he did actually have good vocal talent aside from screaming, he had a nice singing voice too

Melboro

Is every other Nirvana song not proof enough?

Aj61406

@Melboro Honestly, no

CAVILA 33 _2

@Melboro yes

Melboro

@Aj61406 I disagree

More Comments

More Versions