The Swinging Man

i always thought it was about.. the type of people who just hang around their own town/place or are always looking to get drunk and womanize.. in their own world think they never do anything wrong.. (feet never touch the ground) heads in the clouds..smoking drinking kinda typical Budweiser lovin people............ i cant explain it but the suicide is right i think

This song is the opposite of the "Family man" song from the album "Family man". In the beginning of the "Family man" Henry asks "Do you want the family man or do you want the swinging man? You choose." and whisper answers "Family man". This song represents another option.

Its about hanging yourself/suicide

I'm not sure it's about suicide necessarily. I think es89 is right about it being about a person who spends their days with their head in the clouds ("My feet never touch the ground"). The swinging man doesn't want to bother with reality and its pains, so he looks to get high or drunk, etc. to take his mind off it all. He's living in his own little world, waiting for someone to snap him out of it ("Now if you love me, you'll cut me down").

You are on the hook (of society) just swinging around.

Henry Rollins, in an episode of his podcast “Henry & Heidi,” says this song was inspired by an acid trip he had. He was tripping in the Black Flag rehearsal space at SST with some of the Black Flag road crew and found himself standing in a corner rocking back and forth on his feet- ball of foot to heel, forward and backward. Someone asked if he was ok and he replied “I’m not dead?” He had been feeling as if he was hanging by his neck, off the ground, swinging back and forth. He then thought it was funny to be a “swinging man,” hanging from a noose but super cool and popular with women, “swinging.” That moment from his acid trip inspired the lyrics to this song.