Dragula by Rob Zombie: Lyrics Meaning and Interpretation
Dragula by Rob Zombie came out in the year 1998. It then went on to become the most famous song of Zombie’s career. He is a superstar of the 90s, and had an extremely successful solo music career. From there he went on to the world of movies. The song Dragula is from his solo as well as his debut album Hillbilly Deluxe. Dragula, is by far, that song, with which Rob Zombie became famous to the world. By the year 2010, this song had sold almost 717,000 copies in the United States of America alone. Dragula lyrics meaning are majorly based on the drag racer known as “DRAG-U-LA”. It is from the sitcom known as “The Munsters”, this song was a bestseller in its time.
The people who produced this song are Rob Zombie himself along with Scott Humphrey. Scott also wrote this song along with Rob. Interestingly, Rob himself shot the video of this song, which he made exactly like a horror movie. The words at the beginning of the song- “superstition, fear, and jealousy” are from a 1960 horror movie called “The City of the Dead”. The video of the song attracted a lot of attention because of how thrilling it is. Also, because the MTV show called “Headbangers” hosted by Riki Rachtman brought more attention to it through its features and abundant praise.
What Does the Title Mean?
Grandpa Munster’s car called DRAG-U-LA is the inspiration for the title of the song. That’s based on the classic show on the television called “The Munsters”. This show ran from the year 1964 till the year 1966. In the television show, the above-mentioned car was built for speed and made around a coffin. Rob Zombie took up this very macabre approach of Munsters for his creation of a song based on cars with his signature aesthetics of horror and thrill.
Verse 1 – What Does It Mean?
Dead I am the one, exterminatin’ son
Slippin’ through the trees, stranglin’ the breeze
Dead I am the sky, watchin’ angels cry
While they slowly turn, conquering the worm
In the very beginning, the speed of the car is pronounced, as the car goes on to “strangle the breeze” on its way. The first line is a reference to Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler. So, he was the first Dracula and named after his father Vlad Dracula.
Dragula lyrics meaning of the first line is a reference to “Son of the Dragon”, and is mentioned in the song as “exterminating son”. The next two lines bring in the echo of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Conqueror Worm”. Likewise, the last two lines of this poem are “That the play is the tragedy, “Man”/ And its hero, the Conqueror Worm”. The lyrics also mean the speed of the car is so unparalleled – it even surpasses the angles, who conquer everything and everyone!
Chorus – What Does It Mean?
Dig through the ditches
And burn through the witches
I slam in the back of my Dragula
Dig through the ditches
And burn through the witches
I slam in the back of my Dragula
Dragula lyrics meaning of the chorus is a few further steps towards showing off what this car is capable of. The fact that it can dig through any ditch or even possess the ability to burn and vanquish any witch is a hyperbolic instance to flaunt its power. The repeated mention of slamming the brakes indirectly indicates the power of the driver as well. The fact that it is ultimately the driver, who has the power to drive this car as he pleases, shows what immense power he has.
When you look up a picture of this actual car, you will see that it was built from a real coffin, and it also has a headstone in the front of it. Likewise, the Dragula, is designed and built by Tom Daniel. Incidentally, Tom Daniel is also the designer of the car that Rob Zombie drives in the music video of this song.
Verse 2- What Does It Mean?
Dead I am the pool, spreading from the fool
Weak and want you need, nowhere as you bleed
Dead I am the rat, feast upon the cat
Tender is the fur, dying as you purr
Dragula lyrics meaning of the second verse grows darker, as more Dracula imageries comes to light. The car is spreading some pool from the fools, which means the pool of blood of Dracula’s victims. If you remember Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, you will know Dracula turns into a rat when it needs to hunt. In the lyrics, there is a similar reference, where a rat is feasting on a cat. It is a familiar concept, that the charm of a Dracula invites in female victims, who consciously offer themselves to the beast. The last line of this verse tells something similar, where the victim of this Dragula “purr” even as they are dying.
Verse 3 – What Does It Mean?
Dead I am the life, dig into the skin
Knuckle, crack the bone, 21 to win
Dead I am the dog, hound of hell, you cry
Devil on your back, I can never die
Verse 3 talks about the various gruesome things Dracula is capable of doing. It can be as unstoppable as life itself. And before you know it, it will have you under its charm, digging into your skin. It is like the hound of hell, without an ounce of mercy. No matter how much the victim cries, there is no repose. Like a leech or like the devil itself, it will fix itself to your life, till it has sucked out every ounce of life you had in you.
Hook – What Does It Mean?
Do it baby, do it baby
Burn like an animal
The hook has a very clear sexual connotation, where “do it baby” can mean only one thing. The next line, “burn like an animal” means burning in passion and sexual desire. It also means burning in the fire of fear and pain that the Dracula is capable of inflicting on its victims.
Outro – What Does It Mean?
Dig through the ditches
And burn through the witches
I slam in the back of my Dragula
The outro repeats the first verse, where the power of the car flaunts again. That it can dig through any ditch and burn any witch, reminds you how extraordinary the car is. How fatal its powers are, and how far it can take its driver, both literally and metaphorically.
The song Dragula is initially about a car. But the Dragula lyrics meaning tells us it is more about an actual Dracula- the beast rather than anything else. Gruesome images throughout the song arrest the listener’s attention and also to instill a sense of thrill and fear in them. The music video adds to the eeriness and fear of it.
