What the Hell
The Angels Lyrics


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I was watching TV, looking at the news
It's 4am, a change is due
The Master teacher, the devotee
I see a lot of faces but they never see me
I read the papers, so doctrinaire
I look in the mirror but I'm not there
Then along came a man who said it's all true
Now I'm left alone with you

What the hell is going on
What the hell is going on

The princess dreams of wedding bells
And then she awakes to a life in Hell
Grown up wrong, a cloak of shame
And now she's looking for somebody to blame
In the secret world of the bureaucrat
The Judas priest feeds the dirty rat
Then along came a man who said it's all right
Just keep it out of sight

What the hell is going on
What the hell is going on

The Mystery Men, making wars
Talk like saints but act like whores
Hail the New World Order
The brotherhood of man
In God we trust the blind faith plan
They've let out all the inmates
And thrown away the key
It must be time to leave

What the hell is going on
(The Mystery Men, making wars
Talk like saints but act like whores)
What the hell is going on
(The New World Order
The brotherhood of man
In God we trust the blind faith plan)
What the hell is going on
(They've let out all the inmates
And thrown away the key




It must be time to leave)
What the hell is going on

Overall Meaning

In "What the Hell," The Angels comment on the state of the world and how it is filled with corruption, lies, and deceit. Lead singer Doc Neeson reflects on the emptiness he feels from living under the influence of the media, and the government's deafening silence on important issues. Through the song, Neeson exposes the hypocrisy and greed that he sees in society, and how it is tearing it apart.


Neeson references different characters and situations throughout the song. From a person who believes in a higher power, the Judas priest who betrays individuals, the princess who wakes up to a world of chaos, to Mystery Men who are making wars while promoting peace rhetorics, the song highlights the unrest and inequality inherent in the world. The lyrics suggest that people must take an active role in finding the truth and combatting the lies that exist in society.


Line by Line Meaning

I was watching TV, looking at the news
I was consuming media and trying to stay informed


It's 4am, a change is due
It's early in the morning and something needs to be different


The Master teacher, the devotee
The wise leader and loyal follower


I see a lot of faces but they never see me
I notice many people but don't feel seen


I read the papers, so doctrinaire
I consume traditional, rigid news sources


I look in the mirror but I'm not there
I feel disconnected from myself


Then along came a man who said it's all true
Someone claimed to have all the answers


Now I'm left alone with you
Now I'm left to confront reality with uncertainty


The princess dreams of wedding bells
A woman has romantic aspirations


And then she awakes to a life in Hell
But the reality of her life is miserable


Grown up wrong, a cloak of shame
Being raised improperly has caused feelings of guilt and disgrace


And now she's looking for somebody to blame
She is searching for a scapegoat for her unhappiness


In the secret world of the bureaucrat
Within the hidden government system


The Judas priest feeds the dirty rat
The corrupt clergyman enables immoral behavior


Then along came a man who said it's all right
Someone else offers reassurance despite questionable actions


Just keep it out of sight
But don't let anyone else know


The Mystery Men, making wars
Unknown figures who initiate conflicts


Talk like saints but act like whores
Claiming virtue but engaging in immoral acts


Hail the New World Order
Embracing a new global structure


The brotherhood of man
Promoting solidarity among humans


In God we trust the blind faith plan
Blindly believing in a divine plan


They've let out all the inmates
Releasing prisoners


And thrown away the key
Abandoning consequences for actions


It must be time to leave
It's time to move on and leave this corrupted world




Contributed by Camilla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

rayjinglory productions

The scope of "ACTING" in this movie is top notch SPIELBERG material.
The fight scenes are SECOND TO NONE.
I remember these years like they were yesterday.
Of course, I was only 9 years old when this gem came out.
It just makes me wanna exceed in becoming one of them.
I even have my own Bike.
I call it "The Beast".
I built it myself.
It cost me so far about four hundred bucks as it was an EBAY item - Project.
It is a MASSIVE 7 HORSEPOWER MOTORIZED MOUNTAIN BICYCLE.
It will do 47 MPH as is STOCK.
After I add on a couple of high performance parts I expect it will hit the 60-65 (POSSIBLY) MPH mark.
Right on Brother man.
Keep an eye out fer the FUZZ.



94th Aero squadron

I was 7 in 68, first bike 1979. You do the math. Librarian ask me “ Are you a biker?
Multiple choice;A. No I just flew n ,man my arms are tired!
B, I’m drunk and hardly walk? At 9 am! ( fart)
C who’s asking?
D, it’s raining out side!
E! Only professors now offer more answers! All the above?= wrong! Lol on this 1
F, Librarians are having a meeting on the 2nd biker run ! Wearing Colors as a founding
Member on a CCC . They invited me to join.
The correct answer is D E F



Dan Koning

I watched a Hogan's Heros recently and wondered about the cast and regulars [Arlene Martel]; it's how I found this movie. After reading some of the comments I watched a few minutes of the movie, and it didn't take long to grasp that what you see playing out in America today are the results of "America's 60's" as they reflect the consequences and clear warnings given in Romans 1 v18-32. It's exactly why America has been slowly imploding for 60+ yrs meaning it's what happens to a society that willfully ignores/rejects Biblical truth and Jesus Christ in favor of its sin: lgbt, abortion, gay marriage, legal drug use, evolution, on/on.

God said that if a society purposefully suppresses His word/Biblical truth [like America has and is], then they will have a sexual revolution [we did in the 60s], followed by a homosexual revolution [we did in the 80s], followed by people with irrational minds and w/o reason [just like we see today] e.g. people literally believe that there are multiple genders, that men can become pregnant, that a man is and can become a biological woman, and the same holds true for women, and more.

Romans 1 v18-32 states "...so God gave them over to..." v24: sexual impurity v26: homosexual passion v28: a depraved mind [confused/irrational reason]; like we see today; v32: people give hearty approval to those who practice such things [our society/nations leaders openly approve of this via passing new bills into law which embraces/promotes peoples confused/irrational reasoning.

New laws to punish people for doing what societies have always understood to be right.
[while at the same time]:
New laws to protect people for doing what societies have always understood to be wrong: sin.

If you're not afraid to listen simply ask, and you'll hear exactly how/why God has allowed this to start happening in the 60's. Truth is a stubborn thing.



Angloaust

Apparently the hells Angel's volunteered for service in vietnam
They wrote LBJ but never received
A reply
War is criminal business according
To a quip from movie play dirty
And the officer said I use criminals
To fight it
As events turned out the hells Angel's
Wouldnt have been any worse than
Participants at my lai!



All comments from YouTube:

Keith Gordon

A surprisingly good film, really enjoyed it. As basic as it comes, but jam packed with 60's imagery and nostalgia.

superman superman

This movie was originaly called "Hondas From Hell " .

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Dave

The film was shot in Bakersfield, California. The screenplay was written by Jerome Wish, and the film used music by The Peanut Butter Conspiracy and The Lollipop Shoppe. Sonny Barger, president of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels, is credited as story consultant.

David Muir

The camera rolling down the highway and threading through the guys on their first road run is pretty darn good. And getting Vince Lombardi to be in the flick at around 25:00 was a major coup for the director.

tpe54

yes!, impressive camera work

710 Cap

Where? I don't see him

Chris Collins

On the Triumph Metisse?

Anthony Crumb

Brilliant film would make a great double bill with the "Born Losers " or the " Black Six" another stone cold classic.
These old biker flicks, Gothic horror like Hammer & Ammicus + some of the 50's Scfi like "Earth vs the Flying Saucers" just can't be beat. I just love this stuff and I am of an age when I caught some of these first time around - happy days.

puja pete

a film of its time...60 years on and what have we created ?

Max Mulsanne

Fun fact: Officer 'Bingham' (Jack Starrett) was also in 'First Blood' (1982) as Deputy Sergeant Art Galt

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