Die, All Right!

um, i'm not sure why everyone thinks this song is about pharmaceutical testing.

i think it's just about selling your soul for money, particularly in show business. you sign your name/life away for cash...

"found the backdoor out of teenage hell"

i think it refers to just becoming rich. a lot of musicians aspire to be rich from a tender age.

maybe they are even referring to themselves or anyone else in the business that may be selling out for cash. there's a teeny bit of regret, or guilt... "except the tics won't go away." but in the end they push it away, brush it off, "i'm gonna die alright!"

this isn't about selling your body for science...it's about the man and the little guy..like a lot of hives songs....selling yourself to a company, you work hard, slowly loose your soul, you don't know how much of yourself you can sell and stay alive....but you cant complain because you have money now and your not dead yet and your willing to see how far you can push it for the sake of money.....long story short: you need money, sometimes you going to loose yourself to get it...

This song is about a man who sells his soul to corporate culture. He needs money so he ‘sells his body to the company’. In the 6th and 7th lines, he states “they gave me a paper and I went ahead and penned it,” which represents him signing contracts that tie him into this company more permanently. Throughout the song he repeats “I’m gonna die,” showing his revelation that in this corporation he is losing his soul and individuality or ‘dying inside’. The lines you quoted specifically show a more in-depth explanation of how he’s “gonna die,” in that he can’t enjoy the same things he did before. The man recognizes he’s “too messed up even mess around,” or stuck so deeply in this web of contracts and the company’s exploitation of his labor that he can’t even find time to enjoy himself. Now seems as apt a time as any to explain the “men with knives,” in the second line who wanted to “lend his body.” These men represent those running the company, and by portraying them in this sinister fashion, he compares his joining this system to a hostage situation. While he can try to escape, or leave the company, the men with knives will cut him down, symbolic of how he can’t escape the contracts he has signed without serious monetary repercussions. The song ends with him repeating “heavy morals seem so light but when it comes to cash I’m gonna die alright!” The sad reality has sunk in that he has no escape from the system, and his wages slowly sink him into poverty. He is only able to pursue money in order to keep his head above water, forgetting the morals he used to have and the reasons he originally pursued money. He has been turned into yet another slave of the corporate system, and even when he recognizes that he has penned his life away to the aforementioned “men with knives,” it’s to late for him to get out. This song showed the punk side of The Hives and was a clear example of their focus on rebellion against conformity. Hope this helps provide some insight and feel free to ask for clarification on other lines:)

dammit, no-one has posted anythin here? Its a shame, cos right now the hives are pretty much the most exiting thing that has happened to music in a very long time. Ok its fair to say that maybe they are not bringing anything new to the rock scene, but these guys sure know how to write a song, and they will blow you away live. This is by far my favourite song by them.

the hives kick ass this is definitely one of their finest

mmmm....i love the hives. i'm seeing them next month...so happy!

This song is pure punk rock. The hives are the best band on the planet, and this is one of the fine example, my fav song by them too, prophet

"Too messed up to sit and settle down. Too messed up to even mess around." Love how they sing those lines...

erm, what exactly do you all think this song means? I dont like sounding stupid.. but i'm not quite sure.

This song seems to mean that he has a problem with spending money. And that he uses it to buy things to help him escape "teenage hell". That is why he says thank you mr.ceo because he is basically referring to the company that gave him money to screw his self up. JUST MY OPINION I COULD BE WRONG!!!!

Hmm.. this song rules, the riff is easy - but so hooky it stays in my head all day. The Hives rule I don't care how easy it is.