A Misfits mystery: What does ‘We Are 138’ mean?
Punk rock has always maintained a rather complicated relationship with lyricism, spanning from Joey Ramone’s barely intelligible ramblings on the sticky stage of CBGB to the likes of Crass cramming an entire political manifesto into a two-minute track of buzzsaw guitars and sneering distortion.
It is no surprise, then, that punk’s discography is awash with mysterious, misunderstood, and needlessly aloof anthems, like Misfits’ ‘We Are 138’.
Although Misfits first arose from the underworld in 1977, at the arguable peak of punk’s relevance in the United States, they are best viewed entirely in their own category. Releases like Beware and Walk Among Us might have had a colossal impact on the sound of American hardcore during the early 1980s, yet it doesn’t feel right to place the skull-obsessed outfit alongside the likes of Black Flag or Minor Threat – perhaps it’s down to their penchant for face paint, or unwavering dedication to the world of horror.
It was with that individualistic, inimitable sound that Misfits established the landscape of horror punk (think regular punk, but dragged backwards through Halloween stores and raised exclusively on a diet of Hammer horror films). It didn’t take long for the band to lean into that tag, either, penning a wealth of horror-slanted tracks which now largely reside in the neglected Halloween playlists of people who think they’re too cool for ‘The Monster Mash’.
Admittedly, the band did seem to fall deeper into that novelty horror sound following the departure of Danzig in 1983, ushering in the divisive era of outspoken fascist Michael Graves, during which time the quality of the band’s output took a steep nosedive. In the light of that new era, the quality of the Danzig era seemed all the more alluring, with tracks like ‘Last Caress’ and ‘We Are 138’ standing out among the greatest Misfits anthems.
Despite being one of their most recognisable tracks, though, ‘We Are 138’ does raise a series of important questions. Namely, what on earth does 138 mean, and why are Misfits identifying as that? There are numerous fan theories over what the intent of the song was, with one Reddit user even suggesting that the song is about Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering, who scored 138 in an IQ test imposed during the Nuremberg Trials.
Although early punk did have a fascination with the world of Nazi Germany – predominantly for shock value, more than anything else – it seems unlikely that ‘We Are 138’ is rooted in the days of the Nuremberg trials. Instead, band members Jerry Only and Bobby Steele have linked the song’s lyrics to the cult sci-fi film THX 1138, set in a dystopian future of androids and robots.
“We used to have badges with a picture of a robot with 138 on his forehead,” Steele once recalled of the connection between the film and the song. “[Danzig] used to tell us that if someone asked what it meant, we should just laugh, and in a mocking tone say ‘What? You don’t know?’ and sound real snobby when you say it.”
Although that theory certainly seems to make sense, particularly when looking at lyrics like “Do you think we’re robot clean?” and “Is it time to be an android not a man?” Nevertheless, Danzig himself has disputed those claims. “They didn’t write it, and they don’t know what the fuck it’s about,” he once said, dismissing his bandmates’ theories about the song.
The songwriter concluded, “It’s about violence.”
In his typical fashion, the songwriter didn’t think to expand upon that summary any further. Exactly how the number 138 relates to violence remains unknown, as does the possibility that Danzig was merely having a dig at his former bandmates when he made that revelation, throwing people off the scent of the song’s true meaning.
For our money, the THX 1138 connection seems most likely, but many men have driven themselves mad trying to figure out the inner workings of Danzig’s mind, so perhaps it is best left as a mystery.
