2.Hardcore Punk band from Oakland,California.
Hangman
Streetwalkers Lyrics
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Pulled the switch, it cold, black as pitch
And shut the night off
Was it the hangman's jerk or just the trap-doors work
Oh, that choked him right off ?
He had no time to have any say on that cold dark day
Then the tensions noose, it hit his nervous juice
And set him dancin', dancin' lightly on the winds smile
The hangman's knot, hit him cold then hot
And then it choked him, checked him, cut him up and broke away his lifestyle, yeah.
He had no time to have any say on that cold dark day
He just willing that trap, snap, shut again, oh yeah.
He had billowed eyes of sore surrounds
Blackened cheeks and stubbled jowls, they're still bleeding
He had his feet got torn from treading stone and nail
Angles ripped and bruised still flail but he ain't breathing, no, he ain't breathing.
He had no time to have any say on that cold, cold dark day
He just willing that trap, snap, shut again, ohhhh.
The song "Hangman" by Streetwalkers is a haunting and dark meditation on death by hanging. The lyrics describe the moment when the condemned man is hanged, with the switch being pulled and the trapdoor shutting the night off. The singer wonders whether it was the hangman's jerk or just the trap-door's work that choked the man right off, but ultimately it doesn't matter. The tension's noose hit his nervous juice and set him dancin' lightly on the wind's smile, before the hangman's knot choked him, checked him, cut him up, and broke away his lifestyle.
The language used in the song is poetic and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the victim's final moments. We learn that he had billowed eyes of sore surrounds, blackened cheeks and stubbled jowls, and his feet got torn from treading stone and nail. His angles are ripped and bruised still flail but he ain't breathing. The song ends on a melancholy note, with the repeated refrain that he had no time to have any say on that cold, cold dark day; he just willing that trap, snap, shut again.
Line by Line Meaning
Pulled the switch, it cold, black as pitch
They flipped the switch in the dark, eerie room
And shut the night off
And they turned off the lights
Was it the hangman's jerk or just the trap-doors work
Did the hangman pull the lever or did the trap door activate on its own?
Oh, that choked him right off ?
Did it immediately kill him?
He had no time to have any say on that cold dark day
He didn't have any control over what was happening to him
He just willing that trap, snap, shut again.
He was helpless and could only accept what was happening to him
Then the tensions noose, it hit his nervous juice
Then the noose tightened and caused him physical pain
And set him dancin', dancin' lightly on the winds smile
And this caused him to flail and jerk around uncontrollably
The hangman's knot, hit him cold then hot
The hangman's knot caused him to feel cold, then hot and sweaty
And then it choked him, checked him, cut him up and broke away his lifestyle, yeah.
And then it suffocated him, strangled him, cut off his life and took away everything he knew
He had billowed eyes of sore surrounds
His eyes were swollen from the pressure
Blackened cheeks and stubbled jowls, they're still bleeding
His face was black from the lack of oxygen and his jaw was bleeding
He had his feet got torn from treading stone and nail
He had torn feet from walking on stones and nails
Angles ripped and bruised still flail but he ain't breathing, no, he ain't breathing.
His body was battered, but he was no longer alive
He had no time to have any say on that cold, cold dark day
He was given no chance to speak or defend himself
He just willing that trap, snap, shut again, ohhhh.
He died at the hands of the hangman without any control over the situation
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.