I'm a rolling thunder, pouring rain
I'm coming on like a hurricane
My lightning's flashing across the sky
You're only young, but you're gonna die

I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get you, Satan get you

Hell's bells
Yeah, hell's bells
You got me ringing
Hell's bells
My temperature's high
Hell's bells

I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine
If you're into evil, you're a friend of mine
See my white light flashing as I split the night
'Cause if good's on the left, then I'm sticking to the right

I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell
I'm gonna get you, Satan get you

Hell's bells
Oh, hell's bells
You got me ringing
Hell's bells
My temperature's high
Hell's bells

Yeow

Hell's bells, Satan's coming to you
Hell's bells, he's ringing them now
Those hell's bells, the temperature's high
Hell's bells, across the sky
Hell's bells, they're taking you down
Hell's bells, they're dragging you under
Hell's bells, gonna split the night
Hell's bells, there's no way to fight, yeah

Ow
Ow, ow
Ow

Hell's bells


Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by LHGL

Hells Bells Lyrics as written by Angus Mckinnon Young Brian Johnson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Hells Bells song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

80 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +5
    General Comment

    Back in the old days nocturnal thunderstorms were mythologized into The Wild Hunt. One version of the Wild Hunt had it as the Devil hunting for souls. This idea seems to match the lyrics of this song.

    Letmeinon March 27, 2010   Link
  • +5
    Song Meaning

    In the beginning of this song, the bell is played out. 13 rings are rung to symbolize Bon's Scott's life. It then is preceded by the mournful riff of Angus Young, only for the rhythm guitar, the bass, and the drums to go in perfectly into the song. A new riff begins and the wait to hear the singer is suspended. In 1980, this song made people mad, it took too long for the singer to begin but ended up being loved by many. Finally, after 30 seconds, a voice is heard, and AC/DC was back. Brian Johnson's Hells Bells was the first song of the album for a specific reason, a tribute to Bon Scott, and Hells Bells symbolizes his whole life in this one song. "I'm a rolling thunder, a pounding rain I'm comin' on like a hurricane White lightning, flashing across the sky You're only young but you're gonna die" Bon Scott's reckless life all in one verse. This was perfect, Bon was like a raging storm, he unleashed his path of destruction and electrifying lighting but as soon as the storm was developing to be massive one, it suddenly dies off. Although the storm was young, it ended. "I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives Nobody's putting up a fight I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell I'm gonna get you, Satan get you" Bon was compared to no one. He was a definite bad ass. He loved getting into fights, such as T.N.T. which talks about a badass who everyone fears yet respects. No one put up a fight against Bon, and Bon will certainly make you feel like you're going to Hell if you ever mess with him. "I'll give you black sensations up and down your spine If you're into evil you're a friend of mine See my white light flashing as I split the night 'Cause if good's on the left, then I'm stickin' to the right" Bon's recklessness would leave you with a sour taste. Once he starts, he just won't stop, giving you sensations up and down your back telling you to get the hell out of there. Bon loved his band, there were with him at all times mostly, and they were his friends, his family, and everyone thought that what he did was outrageous and wrong but he didn't care. He will electrify you and he'd loved to do it, and if what he did was wrong but he loved doing it, he'd hate to be right. Never mess with Bon Scott. R.I.P. Bon Scott.

    PeterCastleon September 17, 2013   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    It's kind of obvious from the lyrics that the narrator of this song is the GRIM REAPER. It seems pretty much that simple.

    BWoodmeyeron June 11, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This song is not narrated by the Grim Geaper. It's being spoken from the devils point of view. "'Cause if good's on the left, then I'm stickin' to the right " that would make the right evil not death. It's about the ringing of hell's bells when the devil takes another soul down to hell.

    jebus81on July 02, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    if i had a theme song, this would be it. mabey you think im a satanist, mabey you dont i dont care. i do think that the song should end more abruptly and have one last ring of the bell. i really like the line:i got my bell im gonna take you to hell.

    gearhead426on April 01, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "Every song on Back in Black is dedicated to Bon Scott. They are all written based on Bonn Scott.... "

    really?
    What Do You Do for Money Honey Givin' the Dog a Bone Let Me Put My Love into You You Shook Me All Night Long Rock 'n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

    think again dickface

    Boo Urnson June 02, 2006   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Brian Johnson Has said in interview that he wrote this song and not as a tribute. Johnson had writiers block when trying to come up with songs and was inspired to write this after a thunderstorm hit at the recording studio in Jamacia. He goes through the whole story on VH1's "Ultimate Albums" when they covered Back in Black.

    Boo Urnson June 25, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Great great song. I don't think he sang it like an idiot, idiot.

    Muzzyon April 15, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Brain's voice just sends shivers down your spine during this song...

    ComradeNuon June 15, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I know this coz I saw a documentary where Brian Johnson was talking about how he wrote hell bells...You know how with Bon Scott's death, Brian was drafted into the band...Essentially these guys had gone to the Caribbean(!) to heal their emotional wounds so to speak and Brian, struggling to fit in and fill Bon Scott's shoes, ended up writing one of the most haunting and chilling songs in rock history during an actual thunder storm!!! So "I'm a rolling thunder, a pounding rain I'm comin' on like a hurricane" has nothing to do with Vietnam. It was a proclamation of Brian's arrival on one stormy night, so reflective of the mood of the band at a time when they were struggling to come to terms with the loss of the great Bon Scott.

    miketheravenon October 03, 2005   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.