Zombina and the Skeletones are especially popular on Halloween playlists.
Raised in Hell
Zombina and the Skeletones Lyrics
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Back-to-back with my conjoined twin, dead from the pain
My mother's milk was cyanide and razors; her embrace,
She spilled me from her bosom to this cold hard carapace
And I was raised in hell,
I was raised in hell-ell-ell,
I was raised in hell!
I was raised in hell,
I was raised in hell-ell-ell,
I was raised in hell,
I was raised in hell!
I went to school in a wasteland, cut off the heads of other kids
To instruct the evil knowledge bubbling under beneath
My teacher was a preacher made out of black stone,
He lied to me about the world and he left me all alone
I don't (???) love
Only hate, just rock and kill
Cause I'm insane...
The lyrics of Zombina and the Skeletones's song "Raised in Hell" speak to the experience of growing up in a world of pain and suffering. The opening lines of the song suggest a violent, painful birth, in which the singer's conjoined twin died from the agony. The image of being incubated in the pit also implies a literal descent into hell.
The second stanza continues the dark imagery, with the singer's mother feeding him a toxic mixture of cyanide and razor blades. Her embrace is also described as painful, with the singer being "spilled" from her bosom onto a "cold hard carapace." This pain and trauma are clearly formative for the singer, as the chorus repeats the refrain, "I was raised in hell," emphasizing the idea that the singer's upbringing has left them uniquely damaged.
The third stanza introduces the idea of "evil knowledge," suggesting that the singer was taught to be cynical and mistrustful of the world. Their teacher is described as a "preacher made out of black stone," suggesting a kind of demonic figure who intentionally misled them. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer has embraced their insanity, living only for destruction and violence.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the idea that trauma and pain can have a lasting impact on a person's psyche. The imagery in the song is nightmarish and surreal, with the singer's upbringing being described in almost mythic terms. The repetition of the chorus drives home the idea that the singer's experience was truly traumatic.
Line by Line Meaning
I was conceived on a bed of nails, incubated in the pit,
I was conceived and grew up in a hostile environment that is the pit, where nails were the bed for me and my conjoined twin.
Back-to-back with my conjoined twin, dead from the pain
My twin and I suffered so much pain that death was its end, but we were still together until then.
My mother's milk was cyanide and razors; her embrace,
My mother was toxic and unloving, as her milk was poison and her embrace was violent.
She spilled me from her bosom to this cold hard carapace
My mother abandoned me to face the tough life on my own, and I built a shell to protect myself.
I was raised in hell,
Growing up in the pit, with a toxic mother and a dead twin, made my upbringing a living hell.
I was raised in hell-ell-ell,
The repetition emphasizes how difficult and painful my upbringing was.
I went to school in a wasteland, cut off the heads of other kids
In school, which was also a harsh place, I resorted to violence like beheading other children to cope.
To instruct the evil knowledge bubbling under beneath
I wanted others to feel the same pain and taught them about the dark things that lurk underneath life's surface.
My teacher was a preacher made out of black stone,
My mentor was cold and unfeeling, like a stone statue, and only taught me about darkness.
He lied to me about the world and he left me all alone
My mentor deceived me about the world, and then abandoned me after shaping me into their own image.
I don't (???) love
There seems to be an error in the lyrics, as there is no clear context of what these lines mean.
Only hate, just rock and kill
I am consumed by my anger and bitterness, and my only solace is in hurting others.
Cause I'm insane...
The chaotic nature of my upbringing has driven me to madness.
Contributed by Anna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.