We had a play based on it, but had to change the title because there was a suicide in the news.
Oh, you mean the song is not about hanging out and being very good at it?
‘I am born to hang
well it's all healthy news
in a nutshell this means
that I never have to live like you
I am born to hang
but not to have kids
and to never be wed, no
to someone who I don't even love
hang the noose it'll eventually come loose ‘
The subject matter so very Morrissey points to other songs. Think of ‘Neal Cassady drops Dead’ or ‘Honey You know Where to find me’, I’m sure there’s others.
‘and the song that we sing
it rings in our heads
it's flowing with dread
because it's all that we know’
Makes me think of lyrics in ‘Will let you know’ and ‘Maladjusted’.
Love this little outsider rocker, Clash-abilly? but as some have pointed out a bit underfed or unfinished, maybe.
A comment by a DavidBeauy on
https://songmeanings.com/m/songs/view/78091/ had this to say ...,
‘This song is specifically referencing the fact that in centuries past, Morrissey would be grouped with the Witches, the Seers, and the "Other Sex's" that most often succumbed to the hangings provided by villages intolerant of unique individuals who just so happened to transcend the trappings of everyday existence.’
At ...
Definition of if you're born to be hanged, then you'll never be drowned in the Idioms Dictionary by The Free Dictionary
idioms.thefreedictionary.com
‘if you're born to be hanged, then you'll never be drowned
proverb If someone is destined to die in a particular way, no other type of injury or disaster will kill them.’
Prov. If you escape one disaster, it must be because you are destined for a different kind of disaster. (Sometimes used to warn someone who has escaped drowning against gloating over good luck.)’
something to chew on