Murder ballads

**Randi Gormley** · Jul-27-2011, 3:42pm

Steeleye Span had a bunch; what I can think of this sec is the ballad of the three poachers -- they shot two keepers on the way out of the wood "Exile and transportation two brothers they were taken and the other one hung as a token, may God forgive their crimes.'

I wrote one a long time ago for fun called "Billy Hardesty" after a local mass killer (killed his parents, his dog and a neighbor before wandering into town and had a shootout with police that left him wounded.) We used to get letters occasionally from him from prison.

Twa Corbies/Three Ravens (depending on the version) could work. (O'er his white bones as they lie bare the wind will blow forever more...)

**Levinbravo** · Jul-27-2011, 11:31pm

"Little Sadie"

"john Hardy"

Dwight Yoakam's acoustic version of "Buenos Noches from a Lonely Room"

**Dobe** · Jul-28-2011, 12:11am

3 that pop right up: Cruel Willie : 'stuck him in the belly with a knife' woa! I think it's a pretty old song. Here's a great version:

Del McCoury- BlackJack County Chain (can't find a full version with Del):

Nashville BB - Blackbirds & the Crows. Couldn't find them either but here's the tune:

**Mandoviol** · Jul-28-2011, 6:54am

Frankenpine recorded a bunch of songs about death on their debut album, "The Crooked Mountain." The first is "Texas Outlaw" (all about revenge killings against Union soldiers for killing Confederates after they swore an oath of allegiance to the US), the second, "Never Lie," which is from the point of view of a gunman who has "never lied to [his] guns," and is going to be hung for laying one too many men low. The third is "Over Your Bones," which is more a lament for the loss of the past, but also for those who have been killed (Indians? I'm not sure, but as an archaeology student who just spent a lot of time excavating burials in Turkey, the song has special meaning for me). The fourth is "Eye of the Whale," which is a murder/suicide ballad about a whaling ship; the whale gets murdered, and the captain and his wife both commit suicide, the captain by shooting himself with a musket under the chin, the wife by drowning herself in the whale's domain.

Mason Brown and Chipper Thompson also recorded a number of old murder/death songs on "Am I Born To Die: An Appalachian Songbook." They are: "Jesse James" (killed by Robert Ford, "the dirty little coward"), "Banks of the Ohio," "Bruton Town" (all about separation of lovers, honor killings, etc.), "God Moves on the Water" (the Titanic disaster), and "The Pesky Sarpent" (boy gets bitten by a venemous snake, girl sucks it out for him, they both die).

I guess the many recordings of "O, Death" would fall in this category (thinking of Ralph Stanley's, Mavis Staples' (with Darol Anger), and others).

Also, "Katie Dear" (Louvin Brothers, Solas [as "The Silver Dagger"], Schooner Fare [as "The Butcher Boy"], and the Chieftains), "Knoxville Girl", "Mollie Bawn" (look before you shoot), "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" (as done by Solas), "Mary of the Wild Moor," "Railroad Bill," "Staggerlee"....the list goes on and on.

Oh, and lest we forget "John Barleycorne (Must Die)." Violent murder of a cereal crop, who still wins in the end.

Does Silly Wizard's "The Fisherman's Song" count?

Wah, more come to mind:

"Good Corn Liquor" by the Steeldrivers (Daddy has to run 'shine to pay for Mom's medicine, the sheriff shoots him down cold).
"Sticks That Made Thunder" also by the Steeldrivers (Civil War battle, many are killed; from a tree's perspective).
"John Wilkes Booth" by Tony Rice (Story of Booth, his killing Lincoln, Lincoln's premonitions, the hunting of Booth, the executions of the conspirators).
"Darling Corey."
"Omie Wise" (Bruce Molsky has a good version on his fiddling and singing instructional video).

**dcoventry** · Jul-28-2011, 7:04am

The Dead version of the song Stagger Lee is a great update of that story. Robert Hunter did a great job with the lyrics, and Garcia wrote a fine chord progression and melody.

Stagger Lee
Shakedown Street
(Garcia/Hunter)

Last Updated 02/29/96

General Rules On Chord Charts

Intro: [c d e]

F C Bb F Bb
1940, Xmas eve, with a full moon over town
F C Bb F
Stagger Lee met Billy DeLion
Bb
And he blew that poor boy down.
F C Bb F
Do you know what he shot him for?
Bb (a# a g#)
What do you make of that?
G
Cause Billy DeLion threw lucky dice
A
Won Stagger Lee's Stetson hat.

Riff

C D C D G C G
Bayou, Bayou, tell me how can this be?
G C G
You arrest the girls for turning tricks
C D C
But you're scared of Stagger Lee.
G C G C D
Stagger Lee is a madman and he shot my Billy D.
C G C D (C G C D)
Bayou go get him or give the job to me.

Delia Deliah, dear sweet Delia-D
How the hell can I arrest him? He's twice as big as me.
Well don't ask me to go downtown, I won't come back alive [no more].
Not only is that mother big he packs a .45 [four].

Bayou, Delia said, just give me a gun
He shot my Billy dead now I'm gonna see him hung.
She went into the DeLion's club through Billy DeLion’s blood
Stepped up to Stagger Lee at the bar,
Said, "Buy me a gin fizz, love."

As Stagger Lee lit a cigarette she shot him in the balls
Blew the smoke off her revolver, had him dragged to city hall
Bayou, Bayou, see you hangin’ high
He shot my Billy dead and now he's got to die.

Delia went a walking down on Singapore Street
A three-piece band on the corner played "Near My God to Thee"
But Delia whistled a different tune, what tune could it be?
The song that woman sung was "Look Out Stagger Lee".
The song that Delia sung was "Look Out Stagger Lee".

**JeffD** · Jul-28-2011, 8:49am

I would not advise a young woman to date a man named Willy. Sorry Willy, but I am just sayin

I used to have to review automobile accident reports as part of my job, and I recomended that folks not drive vehicle #2.

**Marty Henrickson** · Jul-28-2011, 9:30am

Originally Posted by JeffD

I would not advise a young woman to date a man named Willy. Sorry Willy, but I am just sayin

I used to have to review automobile accident reports as part of my job, and I recomended that folks not drive vehicle #2.

And if you do happen to be driving vehicle #2, and see a fellow named Willie in a vehicle nearby, go ahead and start praying!

What about "Black Jack Davey"? Does anybody die in that one?

**mandolino maximus** · Jul-28-2011, 9:46am

Rovin' Gambler - Traditional / Bluegrass Classic (Check out Smash Hits of Bluegrass by The Mashville Brigade recorded at The Station Inn.)
Tragic Life - The Infamous Stringdusters (performed by)

I took the wife to the International Bluegrass Music Museum on The Banks of The Ohio in Owensboro. She would not "take a little walk."

**Mandoviol** · Jul-28-2011, 11:01am

Found your "Mr. Fox" here.

This reminds me a bit of an old Scottish ballad called "The Boar and the Fox" that involves a female fox murdering a boar before their wedding day.

**Mo Soar** · Jun-28-2012, 11:15am

Thanks for the list, now I've got around 150 songs to listen to and work through (many of them I already know a version of).

Add: Paul Thorn "Bull Mountain Bridge" (written by Wild Bill Emerson)

also, from a Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem album my mother used to play when I was young: "Weela Wallia" (which I think is a variant of The Cruel Mother). Likewise "Butcher Boy" (suicide, not murder) from the same album. In a youtube clip from Pete Seeger's show they mention it's called Tarrytown in the version on this side of the pond.

**robinson.sam8** · Jun-28-2012, 11:48am

Katy Dear, AKA Silver Dagger - Worth mentioning several times. Dolly Parton and Old Crow Medicine Show have great versions.

Little Omie Wise by Doc (First song of his that I learned way back in junior High)

Pretty Peggy O, AKA Fennario as done by the Grateful Dead - Not strictly a murder ballad but someone dies and it sure is sad enough. They do a great instrumental version of it on the outtakes from Terrapin Station

Bob Dylan's Lonesome Hattie Caroll. Mason Jennings did a great version for the movie, I'm Not There,( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5w9QkzFj9A )

**dcoventry** · Jun-28-2012, 8:21pm

Bob Dylan's Ballad of Hollis Brown has been in rotation recently. The Neville Bros. did a nice updates version.

**Dobes2TBK** · Jun-28-2012, 8:29pm

http://www.whoozon1st.com/web-snippe...on-5-18-12.mp3

Local version done of Preston Miller

**dang** · Jun-29-2012, 5:54am

Nice old thread. I have a live show from Tim O'brien, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas (and others) from 6/27/98 where it is (almost) an all murder ballad set. One of my all time favorites!

**belbein** · Jun-29-2012, 7:16am

What about "Frankie and Johnny"?

And as long as we're going pop, "Bad Bad Leroy Brown." Which would be cool klayzmerized.

**belbein** · Jun-29-2012, 7:20am

Shot his DOG? The man deserves no mercy.

**stratton7584** · Jun-29-2012, 7:33am

" In The Gravel Yard"

**Michael H Geimer** · Jun-29-2012, 8:53am

I think The Red Headed Stranger by Willie Nelson deserves at least a second mention in this thread, it being a murder ballad concept album.

"It was the time of the preacher ..."

**Kheath** · Jun-29-2012, 5:27pm

Acoustic Dwight Yoakum " Buenos Noches From a Lonely Room"
I searched til I found them, then I cursed at the sight
Of their sleeping shadows in the cold neon light
In the dark morning silence I placed the gun to her head
She wore red dresses, but now she lay dead

Doesnt get any more murderish than that. Another I like, altho murder is the back story, is " Billy Austin" by Steve Earle, about a death row inmate moments from execution.................Kevin

**Mo Soar** · Jun-30-2012, 10:02am

Originally Posted by belbein

What about "Frankie and Johnny"?

This one has been fun to research because there are so many versions easily available, between youtube and itunes and spotify and general internet searches, I think I have around 20 distinctly different versions that I've listened to. I've always found the transformations and adaptation of music as it travels around fascinating.

**Dobes2TBK** · Jun-30-2012, 2:52pm

couple I found that were kinda chilling,

Cruel Brother - robber comes upon three sisters, will you marry me or die by my pen knife? he kills the first two, third one says you wouldn' do that if my brothers were here - well longer story short - the robber's one of the brothers.

The Boy that Burned in the Berryville Jail - robber jailed, jail catches on fire, jailer ignores his cries...

(nope, not walkin' by no river bank with no boy named Willie"

**citeog** · Jun-30-2012, 6:50pm

There's Planxty's "Little Musgrave" (The next stroke Lord Barnard struck, Little Musgrave ne'er struck more).

Norman Blake's "Billy Gray" is a keeper (Planxty did it as "True Love Knows No Season").

The afore-mentioned "Weela Waile" (both a gruesome murder ballad AND a children's song in Dublin) and, my personal favourite, "The Maid Of Cabra West" (he gave out many an oath and curse 'til he was dead I'm sure, then I lifted up the manhole lid and I dropped him down the sewer).

Give me a murder ballad over "moon, june, croon" any day of the week.

Paul

**Mo Soar** · Jul-01-2012, 10:55am

Originally Posted by citeog

The afore-mentioned "Weela Waile" (both a gruesome murder ballad AND a children's song in Dublin)

Imagine, if you will, a little American girl going to half-day kindergarten and singing her favorite song for the teacher, who was appalled. It didn't even get a note home, the teacher marched the two blocks from the school to my house to confront my mother for playing such disreputable music to a child.

**drbluegrass** · Jul-01-2012, 11:17am

"Ballad Of A Teenage Queen" He was gonna' do it but she beat him to it.

Tom

**Jim** · Jul-01-2012, 12:06pm

Dan Fogelburg had a good one in the early 80s called Tucson Az. A little slow as he recorded it but I think it would Bluegrass nice and tells a good ( ie terrible) story,