The Dead Weather – Hang You from the Heavens

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  General Comment:I think the song is about relationships that are bad for both people, but neither can really break away from. Throughout the entire song Allison Mosshart sounds very conflicted, and the phrase "One step forward, and back two/three" is pretty indicative of that. She makes a conscious effort to end the relationship, does all she can to sabotage it, but at the end of the day she still has passion in her heart ("I'd like to grab you by the hair"), and still can't help but revere her partner ("and hang you up from the heavens"). Then the alternate phrase ("and drag you to the devil") conflicts further, showing that she also feels her partner is, basically, an asshole.
  
  I could go into more detail, but I think you can follow along my train of thought with this in mind.

  Flag TrendyHateon August 11, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:i think it's about being done with a relationship and wanting to give that person hell in the sneakiest yet meanest way possible because you are so angry with them and your relationship. and, if you think about it, this meaning makes sense in the progression on the album. it comes after 60 feet tall, which is about being addicted to someone even though you know they're bad for you.

  Flag elec_trickon July 13, 2010   Link

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  Lyric Correction: The album comes with a lyrics booklet and the online lyrics are still wrong :/
  
  "I make my hole just to see how
  see-through clean I can cut you"

  Flag ninety6tearson March 26, 2010   Link

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    Probably because a lot of people are pirates.

    Flag stagnateon November 26, 2011  
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  General Comment:I think this song is about someone who wants to be abused and controlled by the other person but is actually the one hurting the other because they are forcing the speaker to wear the trousers in the relationship, and because the relationship isn't set up the way he/she wants it to be, they in turn become more destructive towards the other person and therefore ruin the relationship ("one step forward and back three"). This leads to indecisiveness where "I think I'm leaving but it aint true"- they want to leave to save both them and the other person from being in ruin but can't bring themselves to do it because despite building up a negative atmosphere between them, he/she still likes them.
  
  I say he/she because both Alison and Jack sing in this song so it's sort of asexual, but you get the point.

  Flag VortexOfLanguageon January 16, 2010   Link

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  General Comment:I always thought it was "You say 'I love you' but it ain't true" and instead of "I like to grab you by the hair" I'd imagine it as "I'd like to grab you by the hair"... Kind of like I would, but I can't.
  
  I guess it just makes more sense to me because I'm always thinking it's about ruining someone with the relationship they have with you. You feel anger toward them but in the end, you can't decide what to do exactly or how to do it.

  Flag Kitty333on June 08, 2009   Link

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    I also hear what you hear, kitty.

    Flag queenofpromiseon December 13, 2009  
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  General Comment:I think this is about a broken relationship. The love is gone and it has bred contempt and abuse from both parties. The singer keeps trying to end the relationship but can't end it ("one step forward and back three"). So instead they stay together and walk a path to self-destruction by staying together when they want to drag each other to the devil.

  Flag Wayward Seanon June 07, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:I think this song is about someone who has complete control of another person that likes
  them. This person doesn't know what to do with the other and is talking about how they could do anything including ruining them.

  Flag jozumanon May 11, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:excellent song

  Flag troxellon April 21, 2009   Link

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    i agree but the band has jack white in it, you wouldn't expect anything else. actually that could be said about the whole band!

    Flag thinkpeaceon June 10, 2009  

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