Corey_Lazarus Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 This has been bugging me for a long time. "We Are 138," by The Misfits, is one of my favorite songs by them. Glenn's voice is great on it, the riff is simple and catchy, and there's even a very short solo. It's heavy, but also somewhat soft. I just have one question... What the fuck does "138" mean? It may be the most commonly associated symbol with the band, aside from the Fiend, and I haven't met anybody that knew what it meant. Is it something to do with New Jersey? Is it an old b-movie (since a lot of old Misfits songs were based on b-movies)?
Guest Mindless_Aggression Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 Just speculation on my part but it could be police code. I'm sure youv'e heard of a "187", which is murder, maybe 138 means something as well. This has all been pulled totally out of my ass and is probably really wrong but it sounds possible.
Guest Doomsault Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 Okay I've got a theory but just in case anyone doesn't know the lyrics: We Are 138 We are 138, we are 138, we are 138 We are 138, we are 138, we are 138 We are 138, we are 138 In the eyes of the tiger Do you think we’re robot clean Does this face look almost mean Is it time to be an android not a man The pleasantries are gone We’re stripped of all we were In the eyes of tiger We are 138, we are 138, we are 138 We are 138, we are 138, we are 138 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 My interpretation is that Danzig meant that humans are perfect creatures(robot clean) unless you piss us off and then we revert to our savage intincts and attack like a programmed robot(is it time to be an android not a man) and become what we used to be before technology(we're stripped of all we were). In some interview I read in what I think was the book inside the Misfits box set said none of the other band members knew exactly what it meant but they all had their own interpretations, Danzig later said "They didn't write and don't know shit about it, it's about violence."
Nighthawk Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 I thought you were deliberately not supposed to know what it means. In which case it may mean nothing at all.
Henry Spencer Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 I was at a show a few weeks ago where a bunch of local punk bands played Misfits songs, and We Are 138 is great fun to chant along to.
Guest Doomsault Posted June 28, 2004 Report Posted June 28, 2004 What I meant was "What, you guys don't know?"
Corey_Lazarus Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Posted June 28, 2004 Well, I guess there isn't much of a significance to 138. My friend Jason, who is a bigger fiend than I am, said it was a code from when Glenn and his friends pretended to be robot assassins as children...but Jason also thought "Play That Funky Music White Boy" was originally by P Funk instead of Wild Cherry...
B. Brian Brunzell Posted June 29, 2004 Report Posted June 29, 2004 My uncle used to play with Ron Parisi and Wld Cherry back in the 70s before they got famous. He was also asked to join Molly Hatchet but declined, on reasons that they sucked.
Giuseppe Zangara Posted June 29, 2004 Report Posted June 29, 2004 You dudes should check out Papa M's cover of "Last Caress."
Nevermortal Posted June 29, 2004 Report Posted June 29, 2004 Does it top Atom & His Package's cover of "Where Eagles Dare"???
Guest El Satanico Posted June 30, 2004 Report Posted June 30, 2004 Here you go Hope that helps. Did anyone actually check this link out? Both Danzig and Jerry Only clearly state that THX-1138 was the main influence for the song. Another ex band member said Danzig liked to tell people 138 was a character in I, Robot.
The Ill One Posted June 30, 2004 Report Posted June 30, 2004 Well, I guess there isn't much of a significance to 138. My friend Jason, who is a bigger fiend than I am, said it was a code from when Glenn and his friends pretended to be robot assassins as children...but Jason also thought "Play That Funky Music White Boy" was originally by P Funk instead of Wild Cherry... Yeah, I heard about that from a "fiend." But I guess that link clears it all up. Fun song to cover.
Steviekick Posted July 2, 2004 Report Posted July 2, 2004 Actually, there is no definitive meaning of what 138 actually means. Jerry Only says that it's a reference to the movie THX 138 which makes sense because him and Danzig are both big sci-fi/horror movie fans. Bobby Steele, the Misfits guitarist who feels that he was kicked out of the band because Doyle is Only's brother, said that he and Danzig started saying it to confuse people and that there really wasn't any meaning behind it. Danzig's version (well, according to popular legend) is that he and a friend used the reference as a code to describe the feeling of wanting to kill someone without thinking about it. That's propably the most true, because I remember reading a transcript of a chat he did where he was asked if Only or Steele's version of what it means iss right and his response was something like neither of them know what the fuck they are talking about, and that it means violence.
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now