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.
Hangman, we played rubber soul with a razor blade
Behind the church, hiding place,
It was a long joke 'til the punch line came.
Can you read my mind, read my mind
Follow along to the end of the song
Hangman, we played double dutch with a hand grenade
Behind the church, hiding place.
Apathetic to the devil's face.
Wear the sheriff's badge put your toys away
They let us go saying let us pray
Hangman, we played hide and seek on the fire escape
Through the smoke we saw the flame
It was a long wait 'til the firetruck came
On the count of three
Jump with me on the count of three
One two one two three go!
Hangman, we played blind man's bluff with the ninth brigade
Throw the brick through the windowpane,
Double dutch 'til they stop the game,
'Til the cops show up, hand cuff stunned
They let us go but we lost one
Hangman ,we played blind man's bluff 'til they stopped the game
Youth without youth, born without time,
Youth without youth, can you read my mind?
Behind the church, hiding place,
It was a long joke 'til the punch line came.
Can you read my mind, read my mind
Follow along to the end of the song
Hangman, we played double dutch with a hand grenade
Behind the church, hiding place.
Apathetic to the devil's face.
Wear the sheriff's badge put your toys away
They let us go saying let us pray
Hangman, we played hide and seek on the fire escape
Through the smoke we saw the flame
It was a long wait 'til the firetruck came
On the count of three
Jump with me on the count of three
One two one two three go!
Hangman, we played blind man's bluff with the ninth brigade
Throw the brick through the windowpane,
Double dutch 'til they stop the game,
'Til the cops show up, hand cuff stunned
They let us go but we lost one
Hangman ,we played blind man's bluff 'til they stopped the game
Youth without youth, born without time,
Youth without youth, can you read my mind?
Lyrics submitted by dustybreeze
Youth Without Youth Lyrics as written by James Shaw Emily Haines
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I take “Hangman” to mean they are telling this story as a sort of defense to someone judging them, like a sentencing hearing. Hangman being the title of someone who is prejudice from the get go and only looking to punish without empathy.
I agree “rubber soul” possibly Beatles reference. If I remember correctly, that album title came from the Stones as a sort of dig on their previous work maybe trying to be soulful without any real context behind it. I take this to mean as youth they were pushing their limits in the name of fun, until the games resulted in real consequences. Playing a rubber album with a razor blade; rubber is tough but the blade will cut eventually. Eventually you reap what you soul, if you are playing with life so callously it will catch up to you. Possible drug connotations, like people dabbling think it won’t catch up with them but it always does. Or possibly just the dumb things kids do for fun that would be criminal if older and caught.
The next verses similar motif but just escalating as the kids grow. Until “blind man’s bluff with the ninth brigade”. The angst sort of seams to be becoming more focused into legitimate protest, culminating at the very height into going directly against authority at the expense of being arrested and seeing loved ones perish.
The repetition of some of the games from the earlier verses seams to bring the whole story home, in that they are pleading for mercy from the hangman because they were youth deprived of opportunity and left to their own devices to find some of entertainment that the more privileged would associate with being young. I think of my youth how at times there was flirtation with rebellion and lawlessness, but being a bit more privileged provided more wholesome means to enjoy my childhood. Not everyone has that.