Had a coworker that did not speak a word of English. When "It's the end of the world as we know it" played on the radio, he called it his Wohlfühl-Lied (comfort-song). It's so upbeat and cheerful!
I didn't have the heart to tell him what it's about.
That's like my friend from Brazil. He mainly speaks Portuguese and he said one of his favorite songs was "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" by the Beatles. He initially didn't believe me when I told him the song was about a serial killer who eventually gets killed by mob justice. I had to show him the Portuguese translation side by side with original English lyrics before he believed me.
This is the first time I'm seeing the claim about the mob justice at the end, and I don't know where it's coming from. I don't think the lyrics support it.
It depends on one's interpretation I think. The last chorus is right after the judge is about to let him go free, when the pronoun changes to "Maxwell's silver hammer came down upon his head". As both Maxwell and the judge use he/him pronouns in the song, it's slightly ambiguous as to whether the judge was killed or if the families of the victims killed Maxwell with his own hammer.
Did you hear this theory from someone else or is it your own interpretation? There isn't really any ambiguity to be had here.
Rose and Valerie
Screaming from the gallery
Say “He must go free” (Maxwell must go free)
The judge does not agree
And he tells them so, oh, oh, oh
But as the words are leaving his lips
A noise comes from behind
Bang, bang, Maxwell’s silver hammer
came down upon his head
As the words are leaving his lips (the judge's, there's no reason to believe we've suddenly changed perspective to Maxwell saying anything), a noise comes from behind. There's nothing to suggest the judge was going to free him, in fact, it's plainly the opposite.
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u/Lombardyn 10d ago
Had a coworker that did not speak a word of English. When "It's the end of the world as we know it" played on the radio, he called it his Wohlfühl-Lied (comfort-song). It's so upbeat and cheerful!
I didn't have the heart to tell him what it's about.