Hey everyone. I just turned 17, and my parents agreed to let me get a tattoo for my birthday gift. I spent a solid three weeks considering different phrases, song lyrics, images, e.t.c. that had some existing meaning to me, and I finally settled on “Hang Em’ High, Or Not At All” which is a lyric from a song by Every Time I Die. It’s quite obviously not meant to be read literally, and is, in the context of the song, essentially a metaphor for “unless you’re going to put all your energy into doing something, don’t do it”. However, my parents seem to think that if I get this tattoo people are going to read the “Hang Em’ High” part, immediately think of lynchings, and finger me as some sort of racist/Neo Nazi. I personally think that this is ridiculous, and that you’d have to be quite stupid not to grasp the deeper meaning of the words. What does everyone think?
Thanks!
I’d agree with you and not your parents. If you like the phrase, then go with it. It has a good message and I see nothing wrong with it. The only way your tat could even resemble Nazis is by having a suastika. Are you just having the words or are you putting some art around it? Good luck and you’re lucky your parents are willing to let you have a tattoo at all.
Nice idea for a tattoo!
I can see where the mindset comes from when I came home to a jewish family with my first tattoo ovey…:D
As a compromise have you considered have the words done in say Latin? The meaning would be the ame but then ppl would likley ask you the translation and give you the oportunity (if you wanted) to explain the meaning of the tattoo.
Alternatively could always get it put on as a temp for a week and see how it feels and get your parents used to the idea.
Good Luck
Matthew
Welcome to the “battle with the parents” issue. It never goes away, so the best thing to do is learn to deal with it and get what YOU want and not what THEY want. You’re gonna have in on your skin for a long long time so consider that too. BTW, my Mom still doesn’t care for my tattoos either…..and I’m 60 years old and she’s 82. Hahahaha…see what you have to look forward to! 😀
I can see where the mindset comes from when I came home to a jewish family with my first tattoo ovey…:D
As a compromise have you considered have the words done in say Latin? The meaning would be the ame but then ppl would likley ask you the translation and give you the oportunity (if you wanted) to explain the meaning of the tattoo.
Alternatively could always get it put on as a temp for a week and see how it feels and get your parents used to the idea.
Good Luck
Matthew
Matt has a good idea fo sho
I do like your tatt idea but i also understand where your parents are coming from too. I also think if they ae going to let you get a tatt that it is something YOU have to decide on when it comes to the design and verbage. Its on YOU for life not them. Hope you get it and good luck!
Personally, I think your better off getting a tattoo of something they “agree” with, or at least agree to sign for, and then when you turn 18 go for whatever you want. Speaking from the point of view of a 17 y.o, I doubt your parents will budge on this, no matter what you say/do.
While I think the latin idea works for a lot of things, I don’t believe it works for this. I think songs lyrics get warped and the idea behind the tattoo disappears a bit. That may just be me, but as someone who plans to get multiple sets of lyrics on his body, I’d never translate them to a different language, as it wouldn’t feel the same to me.
While I think the latin idea works for a lot of things, I don’t believe it works for this. I think songs lyrics get warped and the idea behind the tattoo disappears a bit. That may just be me, but as someone who plans to get multiple sets of lyrics on his body, I’d never translate them to a different language, as it wouldn’t feel the same to me.
I agree and disagree with the above – I think it’s pretty dumb to get a tattoo for the sake of it just because your parents will sign for it and then get the one you want next year (unless there’s something else you genuinely want as well, that they’ll sign for now), you may as well just wait the year and get what you want without the hassle. (Well, you will still get the hassle, but you don’t need to listen ;))
I don’t know where in the world you are, here in Britain tattooing is illegal under 18 with or without parental consent anyway, and that’s one of the few laws here I actually agree with. Not suggesting anything changes overnight when you turn 18, but it’s a good line to draw, just about everybody I know who got underage tattoos have got or are getting them covered over. So, at that age, a year is a pretty good time frame to wait and sit on the design – the younger you are, the harder it is to know what you’ll want for the rest of your life, but chances are if you’re still set on the idea after a year then it’s a safe bet you’ll love it for a very long time!
I don’t disagree with your design idea, I think anybody who looks at that and takes it too literally are probably gonna be the type of people who’d disapprove no matter what you have, so that doesn’t matter too much… and I do agree with what the person above me said about the translation – imo translation works well for sayings and phrases, but translating song lyrics into a foreign language would be like translating a poem – lyrics and poetry are an artform using words, and I think that is something that’d literally be lost in translation…
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