“Die When You Die” by GG Allin

“Die When You Die” is a song in which, all things considered, it may be difficult to ascertain what it’s about exactly. On the surface it reads as if GG is relishing the death of certain types of people, i.e. gays that die via AIDS, Black people lynched by the K*K and cancer patients. 

And yes, by the looks of things he did in fact possess such a disposition. But concerning the anti-gay tone for instance, it has been widely speculated that Allin himself was bisexual, which is even sorta alluded to in the lyrics. Well one thing that is blatantly obvious is that he was very countercultural. He simply did not care if he offended those who didn’t agree with his stance or not.

Thesis Sentiment of “Die When You Die”

So getting back to actually trying to derive a thesis sentiment from this piece, it seems that what the vocalist is most simply saying is that when it’s your time to go, then you’re going to go. Or viewed alternatively, Allin doesn’t come off as the type of person who like sheds tears when someone dies of misfortune or even apparently murder. Rather he perceives death as something to celebrate, so to speak.

That said, it has been noted that this song and especially its titular phrase was inspired by a 1979 track entitled “You’re Gonna Die” by a band called Destroy All Monsters. And some have asserted that the way the phrase is used herein is meant to parody “You’re Gonna Die”. By the way, this is a song whose lyrics are apparently nowhere to be readily found on the internet.

But either way it seems that the main point GG Allin is trying to get across is that the death of certain individuals, like the ones mentioned above, is something he supports. 

Or put more basely he doesn’t like gays with AIDS, those who spread the disease. Furthermore, the racist singer dislikes Black people. Also he does not have any sympathy for the weak, such as individuals with terminal cancer. 

And maybe some people would argue that the vocalist is rather biggin’ up karma, i.e. what goes around coming around. But such a conclusion would be a stretch since, unlike a person with AIDS knowingly spreading it, the likes of the entire Black race or say people born with cancer have never done anything criminal or self-destructive to be the recipients of such hatred.

It is for this reason many considered GG Allin a despicable character.

Who was GG Allin?

GG Allin (1956-1993) was an American musician who has been described as “the most offensive man in punk”. Even detailing some of the things he did on stage is too disgusting for us to regurgitate here, so checkout this article if you want to learn more. 

But it can be said that he was a lot like a rapper, in a manner of speaking, i.e. the crazy things GG did in pubic, particularly during live performances, earning him more notoriety than his music which never particularly sold well. 

In fact he was such a bada-s that when he OD’d to death in the company of his friends, reportedly those around him hadn’t even realized he passed or in the very least was knocking on death’s door. And all of this for someone whose birth first and middle name was literally Jesus Christ.

The Song “Die When You Die”

This track is from GG Allin’s fifth studio album, a project colorfully entitled “Freaks, Fa**ots, Drunks and Junkies”. Said outing was the product of a since-defunct label based in Long Island known as Homestead Records. And as for GG himself, he’s from a town in New Hampshire known as Lancaster.

This song was written by GG Allin, and he produced the aforementioned album alongside an artist simply known as Bulge.