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.
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Flew away howling on the yellow moon
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
The people cry and the people moan
Look for a dry place to call their home
Try to find some place to rest their bones
While the angels and the devils try to make their own
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
I knew a lady who came from Duluth
She got bit by a dog with a rabid tooth
She went to her grave just a little too soon
Flew away howling on the yellow moon
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
The people cry and the people moan
Look for a dry place to call their home
Try to find some place to rest their bones
While the angels and the devils try to make their own
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go down to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see 'em again till the fourth of July
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This song symbolizes the unsurety of life, it doesn't matter where you go when you die, it's not your choice and it doesn't matter anyways.
@seaked1 Nihilsm.
This is the way I hear it.
A guy who often wonders where is he going to go when he dies. He knows there are 2 places, and he often wonders what each place is like. "wont see them again 'till the forth of july" A Idea that maybe the fire in the fireworks is the closest guess on what hell is like. "people cry people moan , look for a dry place to call their home" --Maybe an Idea that sometimes people spend too much of their time wondering where they are going to go , and how they will buried. "I knew a lady who cam from duluth- section"-- Maybe that is saying that you just might die early, and you might have wasted all your time wondering where your going when you die.. When it is already chosen where your going.
That is exactly what I believe this song would be about i had been wonderin for a while now and thanks for helpin me understand :)
interesting- i got similar feelings about the song as well, given his mental state. RIP
@Rob_98443 I like this man
Isn't this a cover song by the Meatupuppets???
@NicoleInWonderland Yes. It was recorded on Nirvana Unplugged that MTV used to host. The Meat Puppets played with them for this song and at least one other.
Might be a reference to some cartoons, mainly the older Luney Tunes, where a character gets sent into the sky strapped to a rocket loaded with dynamite, and when he explodes it looks like fireworks.
Just a thought.
LOL thats funny<br />
as for whether this song is mocking or serious, it comes across as both for me. Well, ok, that's not true, it's obviously a mockery, But self mockery is not an unknown thing, just to mock somebody doesn't mean you fully disagree and are totally different from them, I find it's rather the opposite. The ideas of good and bad/evil as well as the good being exalted and/or leading better, more heavenly lives, and of some sort of judgment of how good a person is, based on other peoples ideas of worth purveys at least my society. I'm talking subconscious and habitual thought patterns, not actually belief, but the beliefs of this song have everything to do with them. So at least for me this song is just a mockery of society, humanity, and myself. And the cruelty of it. And no, I'm not going to go out and eat babies because I don’t believe right and wrong should be my foremost concern, (though I do hear it makes one hell of a good essay/small book). I just think right and wrong are unhealthy abstract concepts, when there’s really so much more involved…
This sing sent chills down my spine when I first heard it. I wrote a poem titled, "When Angels and Devils Collide", which is the inverse of Lake of fire. Even though Nirvana did not write it, Kurt felt it. I was born on the 4th of July, and had 2 suicides in my family. I am also from Athens, Ga, and Nirvana played at the 40 Watt club. Below is my poem if anyone cares to see it. Basically it is about the fact that life is not materialality, it is about emotions, feelings, care, concern, tomorrow, today, and whatever may be or has been, created, destroyed, sorrows and joys. Just life man, just life. Ken
Where Angels and Devils Collide
Show me a place where Angels and Devils collide
And I’ll show you space, where there is nowhere to hide
Through exposure comes freedom, at the cost of a life
Through exposure comes thirst, like a desert, bone dry
As we traverse and travail on the outskirts of time
We philosophize and postulate about the sublime
Do not look for rest in the illusion of land
For on land one may fall, at the first slight of hand
Those who find peace, find it not within man
Those who find peace, find it in the one,
“I AM”
(c) 2002 Ken Holbert
@k_holbert Jesus IS the answer!
i dont really know what this songs meaning is..rob i do like your ideas on it..but this is one of my fav. nirvana songs. I have a bootlegged version of this on an album and its fantastic.
This is my favorite Nirvana song. I love how he sings it...its haunting...isn't this on Unplugged? That's almost a haunting performance...I can't watch that without being in a sorta tranze...My older bro "raised" me on Nirvana, but I never got a personal interest in them until a couple years ago, but they've always been the top band on my list. Awsome song.
i think this song was written bout duluth, minnesota, not georgia, because of the big lake superior out there and every forth of july they shoot fireworks up from boats in the lake, creating the name "lake of fire" the spiritual stuff just colors it up a little bit, death is a great thing to write about. and it says "a girl from duluth too." im sure thats what this is bout....
my brother was recently in jail (for posession of marijuana) which he had to serve 22 days and is bullshit. he said in jail, when this song would come on you could hear everyone singing it on the top of their lungs. i think that this song fits their situation very well. haha