Michael Jackson: Thriller Meaning

Song Released: 1984

Thriller Lyrics

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Sep 26th 2009 !⃝

   This song is just about the genre of thriller, and things that happen in the supernatural world. However, before this song was released, a church of Jehovah's Witnesses contacted him and told him not to release it, because it reinforced beliefs that they did not dwell with, what was beyond their beliefs. Michael wasn't going to release it for this reason, but he had signed a contract and was obliged to. Lucky he did, because this is some of his best work to date, and not to mention the best selling album of all time! Love you Michael x.
   
   special_k_monkey@hotmail.com

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 7th 2019 !⃝

   Anyone think he's singing about being raped?
   
   "It's close to midnight
   Something evil's lurking from the dark
   Under the moonlight
   You see a sight that almost stops your heart
   You try to scream
   But terror takes the sound before you make it
   You start to freeze
   As horror looks you right between your eyes
   You're paralyzed
   'Cause this is thriller
   Thriller night
   And no one’s gonna save you
   From the beast about to strike"
   
   "You hear the door slam
   And realize there's nowhere left to run
   You feel the cold hand
   And wonder if you'll ever see the sun
   You close your eyes
   And hope that this is just imagination
   Girl but all the while
   You hear a creature creeping up behind
   You're out of time"
   
   "Darkness falls across the land
   The midnight hour is close at hand
   Creatures crawl in search of blood
   To terrorize y'all's neighborhood
   And whosoever shall be found
   Without the soul for getting down
   Must stand and face the hounds of hell
   And rot inside a corpse's shell"
   
   "Cause this is thriller
   Thriller night
   And no one’s gonna save you
   From the beast about to strike
   You know it’s thriller
   Thriller night
   You’re fighting for your life
   Inside a killer thriller tonight
   Ahahahahahahahaha
   I'm gonna thrill ya tonight"
   
   "Ooh, babe
   I'm gonna thrill ya tonight. 'Cause this is thriller... get up (I'm gonna thrill you tonight)"
   
   
   Seriously wtf?

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jul 6th 2011 !⃝

   He was exposing Jehovah's Witnesses. Ask a former Witness who was treated unjustly to read those words, watch the video and compare it to the elder witch hunt. Micheal turning on his girlfriend is like family & friends who say they would always be there for you then turn their back on you & side with the organization who are the zombies.
4. anonymous

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   Aug 8th 2023 !⃝

   I think that Thriller is how he was abused as a child. His father would beet him and his brothers on a regular basis. If u read the lyrics it makes sense and you don't have to stretch it at all to see.
   It represents how afraid he was of his father ( his father representing the beats MJ references to in the song.)
5. anonymous

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   Apr 1st 2023 !⃝

   It stupid.
6. anonymous

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   Sep 26th 2022 !⃝

   I believe this is talking about the horrors and experience of Sleep paralysis, for those who have experienced it, will understand. It’s just like the way he described it all, very brilliant.
7. anonymous

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   May 20th 2020 !⃝

   I believe it is about being raped. Watching hours. Wanting to scream but you can’t. Alien abduction. Time between midnight and 3:33 am when most abductions occur. The video was just to deflect the truth. If Michael has done the video about aliens people would run scared. Doing it about zombies and the witching hour, is more “acceptable”
8. anonymous

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   Apr 26th 2020 !⃝

   I feel like this song is about mj scaring his girl into believing evil is near, but it's all in her head. She's safe with him always
9. anonymous

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   Apr 24th 2020 !⃝

   I feel like this song is about how he had a rough childhood that no one could understand so than he trying to express that through music if he couldn't say it through words. If you didn't know of his rough childhood and think he was trying to explain how he was hurt and he felt like it was a Thriller.
   The zombies would be like the beast of his childhood. Life is never easy...
   "You hear the door slam
   And realize there's nowhere left to run
   You feel the cold hand
   And wonder if you'll ever see the sun
   You close your eyes
   And hope that this is just imagination"
10. anonymous

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    Oct 4th 2019 !⃝

    I recon the song is about what falling for someone feels like...
    
11. anonymous

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    Jul 7th 2019 !⃝

    He is simply saying to look into the skies. Look at the moon. Wonder if u will see the sun. Referring to same sky both in existance. We live in a thriller. They are out to get you. The government. The masquerade is the song itself he speaks of. A diversion from what's real in this world and what is not. Thriller the dome is gonna get you with its jaws wide open. Coming back referring to the bible is easily summed up by one world changed while recording forever embedded in music history. The jaws of the alien. Why alien? Because that's what exists within reality not the round thriller we think of. We are the zombies depicted. Brilliant!
12. anonymous

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    Mar 14th 2019 !⃝

    If u read it, without thinking about the rhyming(as MJ had all the lyrica written by himself, created the music video, produced it, oversaw the music video production in most aspects, even made a disclaimer, abt not maing any claims, in congruence whatsoever, to the occult), as he made it a point, not to stray away from the main concept. The true lyrics, indeed, were about his childhood abuse,& how u can't escape it..the cold hands, the door slamming, you can't fight it (esp as a child, for himself,being powerless to the beast,no matter how much u wanna fight it off..it s too late).. This is a true account of experiences from his childhood..his father, being 'the beast',& not being able to escape it. 'Thriller' was the 'thrill' his father got,from his grotesque abuse towards michael,& (who knows if it was not just mike, but his other siblings). He then, turned honest lyrics, into a zombie/werewolf theme (creatively), to hide his true intentions of thr actual lyrics which scream out pain& hurt. I think,that's why he turned out the way he did. No disrespect to MJ fans. Obv, he was the best performer&musical genius, however, it couldn't be more *apparent* of his ways w children that were extremely inappropriate.
13. anonymous

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    Aug 1st 2018 !⃝

    Within the lyrics it's not a stretch to go to the "predator" type behavior that he was later accused of...
14. anonymous

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    Jul 14th 2018 !⃝

    It's actually pretty simple. He's trying to get his lover scared enough to get her to hold himself closer to her and comfort her.
    
    Then he'll "Thrill Her."
15. anonymous

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    Jun 24th 2017 !⃝

    The song lyrics actually depict the book of revelations of the Bible, regarding the beast and end times of the world. Revelations chapter 8 and 9 talk about darkness falling on the land and the Beast marking people with his number 666. Also about the demonic creatures being released from the bottomless pit to seek out people who aren't Christians. The song is definitely about the end of the world and what will take place.
16. anonymous

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    Apr 30th 2017 !⃝

    I think the song is about a guy trying to scare a girl into only trusting him and manipulating her so she will be more loyal to him.
17. anonymous

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    Feb 26th 2012 !⃝

    This song is Michael's description of the 'thumb' that the music industry has on him....the evil being the Illuminati...close to midnight.. 12 am until 3 am are the witching hours....the darkest time of night said to be most evil....'they're out to get you - there's demons closing in from every side - they will posses you unless you change that number on your dial' refers to the demonic messages imbedded in the music we listen to including his. He's saying 'they will posses you' unless you turn the channel or station and don't listen. Think this is far fetched? Just look up John Todd and see how far fetched it is....
18. anonymous

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    May 16th 2011 !⃝

    If you watch the music video, (which, by the way, is on youtube.com,) MJ is walking down the street with and singing to his GF, leaving the movie theater. Basically, a bunch of zombies decide to come out of their graves and surround them. MJ looks like he is going to protect his GF, but then his eyes go weird, and becomes a zombie! So he dances with the zombies and then his GF wakes up to find that the whole incident was a dream. So it's a spooky, creepy experience with zombies. What a thriller!
    
    It's close to midnight and something's lurking in the dark...

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