Throwing a little more estrogen into the mix - Bessie Smith’s version of “Black Mountain Blues” is pretty badass.
“I’m going back to Black Mountain
With my razor and my gun
I’m gonna shoot him if he stands still
And cut him if he runs.”
Tom Waits has several:
“Goin’ Out West” (chorus):
Well I know karate, Voodoo too
I’m gonna make myself available to you
I don’t need no make up
I got real scars
I got hair on my chest
I look good without a shirt
“Romeo Is Bleeding” (last verse):
but romeo is bleeding as he gives the man his ticket
and he climbs to the balcony at the movies
and he’ll die without a whimper
like every heros dream
just an angel with a bullet
and cagney in the screen
From Led Zeppelin’s Hats off to (Roy) Harper:
Now that’s one badass mofo!
Stagger Lee was based on a true story. On December 28, 1895 the St. Louis Globe Democrat reported that “Stag” Lee Sheldon shot William Lyons after Lyons snatched Sheldon’s hat from his head and refused to give it back. When Lyons hit the floor Sheldon took back his hat and walked away. Lyons died and Sheldon was convicted of the killing.
verbenabeast
Another good line from “Who Do You Love?”
“Just turned 18 and I don’t mind dying.”
A 2 bad dude song: “Big Boy Pete” (the other bad dude in the song is appropriately named “Bad Man Brown”.
Originally done by the Olympics. Paul Revere and the Raiders made a good cover version of it. And the Kingsmen completely stol… er … paid an “homage” to it (melody exactly the same) with their song “Jolly Green Giant”.
Another good verse from “Behind Blue Eyes”
When my fist clenches clap it open,
before I use it and lose my cool,
and if I smile tell me some bad news,
before I laugh and act like a fool.
Someone already mentioned 16 tons. Two of my favorite lines:
I was born one morning when the Sun didn’t shine,
I picked up my shovel and walked to the mine.
I’ve been trying to think of the female side of this.
There’s Joan Jett’s “Little Liar”
You want to sleep with me but hey that’s tough, tough, tough
Why Don’t you call me when you’re all grown up?
(I like the echo on the word tough).
I like songs about wussy white wannabe badasses, like “Boyz 'n tha Hood” and “Pretty Fly for a White Guy.”
‘Iron Horse’ by Motorhead
‘He lives his life and he’s livin it fast
Dont try to hide when the dice have been cast
He rides a hurricane that cuts to the bone
Loaded forever, ferociosly stoned!’
and
‘Wasted forever on speed, bikes and booze,
Yeah us and the brothers, we’re all born to lose’
Silly, silly silly us. We dopers forget:
“Who Do You Love?” by Bo Diddley, which is basically a continuation of the persona he created for himself in his immortal “Bo Diddley”. Imagine that: creating a character so compelling, you chose the character’s name as your own.
“I walked 47 miles of barbed wire,
Used a cobra snake for a neck tie.
Got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made out of rattlesnake hide”.
“Gimme Back My Bullets” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Actually, now that I think about it, most of the Skynyrd catalog qualifies.
“Last Caress” by the Misfits.
“I got something to say, I killed your baby today…”
California Kid by The Beat Farmers comes to mind…
*'Bout that time the front door was kicked in
Well, there stood some scumball all covered in sin
He said, “That’s my woman!” I said, “That’s no lie”
I blew a whole in him just as big as the sky.
I got my Colt 45
Right by my side
I’m the California Kid
I hope your quite prepared to die.*