The Dead Milkmen's songs found moderate success on alternative and college radio stations. Videos, notably Punk Rock Girl, even found their way onto MTV in the late 1980s. Topics for their music include satire on the 1980s music scene, toxic waste, jellyfish afterlifes, UFOs, conspiracy theories, and cover bands.
Irreverent absurdity fueled their initial popularity, particularly among college DJs. However, this genre was somewhat abandoned with the 1992 release of Soul Rotation, a much more subtle album.
After the Dead Milkmen went on indefinite hiatus in 1994, Genaro and Sabatino formed a new band, Butterfly Joe. Sabatino was also in the punk rock bands Narthex, Big Mess Orchestra, and Hunger Artists. Genaro was in a band called Touch Me Zoo. Linderman was in a band called Burn Witch Burn. Schulthise left music in the early 1990s after developing tendonitis, preventing him from playing bass, and committed suicide in 2004.
The Dead Milkmen took the stage again for two consecutive nights in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia to play a show in memory of Dave Schulthise. Proceeds were donated to a variety of mental health organizations and to a Serbian monastery that Schulthise supported.
The band reunited in 2008 and released a new album (The King in Yellow) in 2011.
Hangman
The Dead Milkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is now lynch mob TV fun
The game you played as a kid
If you're a killer you'd better run
'cause the letters they're all hid
Guess the death sentence phrase
Before the last letter's drawn
And see the next day's dawn
Contestant number one
Killed his daughter and his wife
Could not guess "Waste not, want not"
So he lost his life
Hangman!
There's a sentence on the wall
Gotta figure it out
I wish I'd studied English
'cause my time is running out
I wish I'd studied English
'cause soon they're gonna shout
Hangman!
The Dead Milkmen's song "Hangman" is a satirical take on the traditional children's game with the same name. The song's opening lines reveal that the game has taken a darker turn and has become entertainment for the masses. Instead of simply guessing letters, players now have to guess a "death sentence phrase." The competitive nature of the game is heightened since players who fail to guess the phrase are executed. The lyrics describe a scene where a contestant plays the game but fails to guess the phrase "Waste not, want not" and, as a result, loses his life.
The song can be read as a commentary on society's relationship with death and the trivialization of serious issues. The fact that a game like "Hangman" could become entertainment on television is a reflection of how disconnected society has become from the reality of death. The lyrics also touch upon the importance of education and how not knowing the English language can be life-threatening. In a world where communication is vital, not knowing the language of the country you reside in can be a disadvantage.
Line by Line Meaning
Hangman!
The start of the game where one player must guess a word or phrase before being hanged
Is now lynch mob TV fun
The concept of the game has now turned into entertainment for people to watch and enjoy
The game you played as a kid
The game is based on the childhood game of Hangman
If you're a killer you'd better run
If you have committed murder, you should be afraid of being caught and punished
'cause the letters they're all hid
The letters needed to guess the phrase are all concealed and must be guessed correctly
Guess the death sentence phrase
The goal of the game is to guess the phrase that will lead to the hanging of the player
Before the last letter's drawn
The player must guess the phrase before the last part of the Hangman is completed
You'll go free with the right plays
A correct guess of the phrase will allow the player to escape punishment
And see the next day's dawn
The player's life will continue on past the game if they correctly guess the phrase
Contestant number one
The first player in the game
Killed his daughter and his wife
The crime committed by the player was the murder of two family members
Could not guess "Waste not, want not"
The player was unable to guess the phrase, leading to their punishment
So he lost his life
The player was hanged to death for their crime
There's a sentence on the wall
A phrase or sentence is written on the wall for the player to guess
Gotta figure it out
The player must guess the phrase or sentence to avoid punishment
I wish I'd studied English
The player regrets not having knowledge of the English language to aid in guessing the phrase
'cause my time is running out
The player is running out of time before they will be hanged
Soon they're gonna shout
The people running the game will soon begin the hanging if the player does not guess the phrase
Hangman!
The end of the game where the player is hanged for failing to guess the phrase
Contributed by Juliana O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.