Annotations for Hang Em High

Lyric: [Outro]
Annotation:
what the fuck

Lyric: [Guitar Solo]
Annotation:
sick guitar solo

Lyric: [Bridge]
Annotation:
Keith Morris; former lead vocalist for Black Flag and credited guest vocalist on this song, revealed in  an interview for the Dallas Observer in 2022 that the spoken portions heard under Gerard’s singing during the bridge recount a story Morris’ dad told him as a teenager. Per the story, a truck driver refueled his truck at a truck stop and simultaneously tried to change a flat tire. The tires, Morris says, were held by metal pins. As the truck driver attempted to remove the metal pins, a vehicle part somehow shot from the axle and decapitated him. An exact isolation or transcription of the story told on the track has yet to be made.

Lyric: Instrumental Intro
Annotation:
The instrumental intro sounds like music that would be in the background of a western movie. This theme is continued in the first line of the following verse.

Lyric: Gun it while I’m holding on
Annotation:
Between murders he has to escape quickly to avoid detection

Lyric: Would I lie to you?
Annotation:
The devil asks the man if he really thinks the devil would lie, the answer of course is obviously that he has indeed lied, but the man chooses to believe the lie anyway, because he can’t bare the alternative. This line is particularly important, because towards the end of the story we discover that the devil did indeed lie, if only by omission.

Lyric: Mass convulsions strike the choir by the grace of God
Annotation:
A ‘convulsion’ is another word for outrage and commotion. The ‘choir’ here refers to the general populace or audience of his crimes. The invocation ‘by the Grace of God’ is often used by people when they are shocked by something so as to invoke God’s protection.

Lyric: Shotgun sinners, wild-eyed jokers, got you in my sights
Annotation:
This is a reference to the storyline of the album, where the protagonist must kill 1,000 men in order to be reunited with his wife. This line explains how he targets the less-innocent, maybe hinting at the fact that he still has morals. It could also be referring to how all 1,000 of the souls must go to Hell after he kills them. If he only kills the innocent, most of them won’t go to Hell and it will have been for nothing.

Lyric: She won’t stop me, put it down
 She won’t stop, we’ll all get down
 She won’t stop, we’ll all get down
 So get your gun and meet me by the door
 She won’t stop me, put it down
 She won’t stop me, put it down
 She won’t stop me, put it down
 So get your gun and meet me by the door (Whoa!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down (Yeah!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down (Let’s go!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down
 So get your gun and meet me by the door (Whoa!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down (Yeah!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down (Whoa!)
 She won’t stop me, put it down
 So baby
Annotation:
These lines are most likely referring to the  storyline of the album, where a man is on a mission to kill 1,000 souls. The ‘she’ is most likely  his lover, and ‘put it down’ is referring to a gun. The two lines contradict each other, as he’s saying she won’t stop him, but he’s also being told to put down his gun and stop killing others. Alternatively, he’s telling her to get out of his way. After learning of his plans, she’s most likely holding him at gunpoint. He’s confident that she won’t shoot, so he tells her to put down her gun and join him. In the background of these lines, you can hear a man speaking in the back. He’s saying something along the lines of, Why’d you do what you did? Stop laughing, stop laughing! Well, why’d you do it? Stop, stop laughing Don’t, you better stop Stop it!

Lyric: Well, I’ve got something to say
 Grab your six-gun from your back, throttle the ignition
 Would I die for you?
Annotation:
A six-gun is a six-chambered revolver commonly used by cowboys. They’re the trademark gun of old Western films, which fits into the odd western theme of the track.  This line likely represents a gun-shot suicide. He’s asking himself if he’d really live for everyone in his life.

Lyric: But don’t stop if I fall, and don’t look back
 Oh, baby, don’t stop, bury me, and fade to black
Annotation:
The narrator is telling his companion to continue fighting their enemies even if he dies, an idea also explored in the band’s song  “SING.” He advises her to bury him and move on with her life. Western movies often end with the screen fading to black. This reference continues on the western, almost cowboy-ish feel of the song established by the intro. This line is also sung in the beginning of the song.

Lyric: The angels just cut out her tongue,
Annotation:
A fancier way of saying she’s in shock and can’t talk. Similar to “cat got your tongue?”

Lyric: After all is said and done, climb out from the pine box
 Well, I’m asking you, ’cause she’s got nothing to say
Annotation:
The pine box here is most likely a coffin, the type which is a staple in Western films.  Alternatively, this could be referring to the Demolition Lover’s revival from the dead. Playing into the album’s plot, a man is brought back to life by the devil. If he upholds his end of the deal, his lover will be resurrected as well. And although he’s speaking to her, she has nothing to say, because she is currently dead.

Lyric: Well, here’s your answer in spades
Annotation:
The phrase “in spades” is used to indicate the overabundance of something . In this case, Way is putting the person’s doubts to rest to the point of overkill. Apart from that, spades are used to dig the holes that bodies are put into. The girl will know that he loves her to the point of sacrifice when the undertakers are digging his grave.

Lyric: Wait until it fades to black, ride into the sunset
Annotation:
A reference to the popular Western movie cliché in which the film’s hero has resolved whatever conflict confronted him and makes his grand exit by riding off into the picturesque  sunset in the background.

Lyric: Call her black Mariah
Annotation:
Black Maria is a slang term for a police van used to transport prisoners.  This line can either be heard as calling her ‘black Mariah’ as in her name, or calling her a black Mariah as in calling a van for her.

