The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Oh, in the cornfield beneath
Hangman Street
Is a rock with some initials
And beneath it is me
I need all your forgiveness and most of your love
You see, the hangman
You saw hanging
That wasn't who I was
But nobody noticed
Nobody cared but me
Well, I knew she'd been unfaithful
But he knew she had to pay
So I grew to be more like him
With each passing of each day
But I slipped out on some side road
I thought things I'd never dared
So I went to a toolshed
Put shlack in my hand
Oh, but nobody noticed
Nobody cared but me
Oh, oh, oh
Well, I came to touch Dutchman Falls
With my hatchet and my dog
Well, she must have raised her hands
I must have cut her down like cake
And you know the man I was
He left me long enough
Was sad enough to say
Now we were a virtue
In pride and murder sin
I have no need for redemption
I had no need for you
Hangman Street
Is a rock with some initials
And beneath it is me
I need all your forgiveness and most of your love
You see, the hangman
You saw hanging
That wasn't who I was
But nobody noticed
Nobody cared but me
Well, I knew she'd been unfaithful
But he knew she had to pay
So I grew to be more like him
With each passing of each day
But I slipped out on some side road
I thought things I'd never dared
So I went to a toolshed
Put shlack in my hand
Oh, but nobody noticed
Nobody cared but me
Oh, oh, oh
Well, I came to touch Dutchman Falls
With my hatchet and my dog
Well, she must have raised her hands
I must have cut her down like cake
And you know the man I was
He left me long enough
Was sad enough to say
Now we were a virtue
In pride and murder sin
I have no need for redemption
I had no need for you
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First off, the lyrics above are all wrong. If you get the volume just right, you can hear it clear enough:
"Out in the cornfields, beneath the hangman's tree, is a rock, some initials and beneath it is me. I need all of your forgiveness and most of your love, you see, the hangman you saw hanging, well that wasn't who I was.
But nobody noticed, nobody cared but me.
Well i knew she'd been unfaithful, but he knew she had to pay so I grew more like him with each passing of each day and I slept out on some side road; I thought things i'd never dare so I went to the tool shed and put shellac in my hair.
But nobody noticed, nobody cared but me.
Well I came to Dutchman Falls with my hatchet and my dog Well she must've raised her head, I must've cut her down just like cake. You know the man I was, he left me long enough and strong enough to sin.
Now rage, it were a virtue and pride, it weren't a sin. I have no need for redemption. I have no need for him."
This song, to me, is almost split personality, or just building enough anger inside to commit something you'd never normally do, sort of like a blind rage. In the beginning, he's at the hangman's tree near a rock and some initials. He's in agony, he's asking for forgiveness and love. I assume he made the initialed rock in memorium he made for his dead wife. And then he relives how he did it. He was faithful to her, she cheated on him, and his inner self, be it jealousy or rage(or a bad conscience even), caused him to begin thinking about making her pay.
He grew into his rage by continually thinking about it and ended up sleeping alone, outside, plotting to kill her, then going to the tool shed to get a hatchet. The "Put shellac in my hair" line is basically making his outer appearance different than what it usually is, maybe further turning into his rage persona. Shellac is a super shiny resin, so it could have just been a word for greasing up his hair to look different. But there actually is a shellac hairspray, so it could've been just that! He probably invited his girl to the falls, and chopped her up there in a blind rage, claiming the man he used to be( the nice guy) left long enough to allow his rage to do the job.
The very end, and I went over it a bajillion times, is correct in my version. The changed tone, the eerie calm, makes me believe he likely became his rage persona and abandoned his former self. "Rage it were a virtue and pride it weren't a sin" is odd grammar but I partly blame it on the new person he's become. I think that line basically means Rage, or himself, was a virtue. it saved him from suffering. "pride weren't a sin" gives me the impression he believes that being proud that he did it isn't bad because she's gone and he isn't hurting anymore because of her actions. "I have no need for redemption, i have no need for him" is saying that he's not looking to redeem himself by admitting what he'd done or turning himself in, and he has no need for the weak man he used to be.
The thing that gets to me most of all is the line "But nobody noticed, nobody cared but me." So all the while even before he knows she's cheated, when he's slowly changing and suffering and becoming a monster and changing his appearance and essentially getting ready to kill his wife, nobody noticed or said anything at all. Only person who cared about anything he was feeling or doing was him. Poor guy.
@ChillyKitten I agree with the entire thing, except the first part. <br /> <br /> "Out in the cornfields, beneath the hangman's tree,<br /> is a rock, some initials and beneath it is me.<br /> I need all of your forgiveness and most of your love,<br /> you see, the hangman you saw hanging, well that wasn't who I was.<br /> <br /> I think its the view from the not vengeful side of him, looking at his crime.When he says "the hangman you saw hanging, well that wasn't who I was", he is referring to the vengeful beast that got hung.<br /> <br /> But nobody noticed his nice side because they only saw the vengeful side that got hung, and therefore no one cared.<br /> <br /> I think the song is a flashback of the crime.
God, this song kills me. Especially the guitar solo and the vicals around that bit- he sounds like he's in agony and the fact that there's no backing to the guitar, for a moment... wow. It's so effective. I love the way he sings this song, because he really acts it- if you know what I mean. It's not just another 'lalala, it ain't not that I don't not love you girl' song. I reckon it's pretty obvious what it's about really, the way I see it his girlfriend or wife was unfaithful to him and he was either coaxed by a friend or some kind of alter-ego to go back to Dutchman Falls and kill her. At the end the deeper voiced alter-ego takes over and tells us that he has 'no need for redemption... no need for him'. I hear 'him' instead of 'you' btw, I thought it was a reference to God/Jesus offering redemption and him refusing it. The image of her raising her hands and him cutting her down 'like cake'... wow. Really powerful stuff, kids.
The last four lines sound like:<br /> "Now, rage--it were a virtue.<br /> And pride--it weren't a sin.<br /> I have no need for redemption.<br /> I have no need for him."
and its "I slept out on some side road" and lat "put shellac in my hair" which adds to the imagery and sadness of the character for me, like the killer tried to slick back his hair and look presentable, but nobody noticed/cared.<br /> <br /> also, he sings "I came to Dutchman falls" not "touch Dutchman falls"
This song really plays with point of view.
"Well, I knew she'd been unfaithful But he knew she had to pay So I grew to be more like him With each passing of each day"
I think the "he" is his desire for revenge. "Each day" he needs vengeance more and more.
There's some more stuff i could say but i don't really feel like thinking that hard