After just one listen, the infectious melody of Bobaflex’s “I’m Glad You’re Dead” gets stuck in your head for hours, if not days. My initial instinct when I heard this song for the first time on SiriusXM’s Octane awhile back, was to feature an immediate review on Hard Rock Daddy, but the macabre lyrics gave me pause. Having grown up on hard rock and heavy metal, I am not easily shocked, but these lyrics seemed so dark that I wanted to wait until I got some clarity behind the song’s meaning before featuring it.
Casual Bobaflex fans may not realize that the band was started by two brothers (Shaun and Martin McCoy) with ancestral ties to the most infamous family feud in American History – the Hatfields and the McCoys. Given their history, it wouldn’t have been shocking if “I’m Glad You’re Dead” was related to this family feud. However, the song was actually inspired by a fan who shared with the band that his father had recently passed away. When they tried to offer their condolences, they were told by the fan not to be sorry because his father was “an abusive creep.”
With this inspiration and a dark sense of humor, the highly motivated and creative brothers set out to make a video that people would not soon forget. The McCoy brothers, who run their own label, have learned how to bootstrap to get things done, a necessary skill to produce the video for “I’m Glad You’re Dead” on a tight budget.
Producing the video on their own was not nearly as challenging as finding a location to shoot it. Even without knowing the lyrics to the song, churches were not exactly opening their doors to a rock band planning to perform a mock funeral. After 59 rejections, one church finally agreed to let the band use their facility to shoot the video. Driven to make it something special, the McCoy brothers went so far as to dig a six-foot grave themselves to complement the mock funeral.
It may sound ironic, but the video for “I’m Glad You’re Dead” really brought the lyrics of the song to life. While it is visually disturbing to see how the corpse is treated – (imagine Weekend at Bernie’s without the humor) – once you know that the song is about an abusive father, all sympathy is lost, and you find yourself reveling in the madness that the McCoy brothers have created.
Even without the brilliant video, “I’m Glad You’re Dead” stands out as one of the best hard rock anthems in recent memory. The lyrics are dark, but the song is melodic and catchy, with a great groove and impassioned vocals that are seductively sinister and powerful.
Despite working with a limited budget, Bobaflex has delivered a hard rock video for the ages. Check out the lyrics below the video for “I’m Glad You’re Dead.”…
I’m Glad You’re Dead Lyrics
Sitting at your funeral, I’d have to say it’s overdue
Our family cries, the preacher really tries…
To make your life sound meaningful
I fight to keep a straight face
My heart it glows, as you decompose
And I wonder…
Can you hear me laughing cause I’m dancing on your grave?
I’m glad you’re dead
All the pain you spread
It dissipates away, that’s why I gotta say…
I’m glad you’re dead, but something in my head
Won’t let me forget, all the things you did
And I wonder…
Can you hear me laughing cause I’m dancing on your grave?
Goodbye to misery, and all the things you took from me
Beloved sister, how you tricked her
The love was pain, we fought to get away
And for my mother, I hope you suffer
And I wonder…
Can you hear me laughing cause I’m dancing on your grave?
I’m glad you’re dead, all the pain you spread
It dissipates away, that’s why I gotta say…
I’m glad you’re dead, but something in my head
Won’t let me forget, all the things you did
And I wonder…
Can you hear me laughing cause I’m dancing on your grave?
I feel it, I’m gonna have a party
And I’m happy, because you’re gone
I feel it, I’m the life of the party
And we’re so happy, because you’re gone
I hope you burn in hell
I hope you burn in hell
I’m glad you’re dead, all the pain you spread
It dissipates away, that’s why I gotta say…
I’m glad you’re dead, but something in my head
Won’t let me forget, all the things you did
And I wonder…
Can you hear me laughing cause I’m dancing on your grave?
I’m glad you’re dead
I loved the video. It couldn’t be better. Awesome song!!!!!