# Cheerful-sounding songs with surprisingly dark lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 11, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217 "2018-04-11T15:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/182 "2022-01-02T15:10:13Z")
People Who Died - Jim Carroll Band [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nf8u6thqGA8/maxresdefault.jpg "People Who Died") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf8u6thqGA8) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/183 "2022-01-02T17:29:50Z")
This is the first song I thought of, [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ifpLV98R2kc/hqdefault.jpg "Till You Die - Candy Butchers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifpLV98R2kc) ---
**Author:** ![allenv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@allenv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allenv)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/184 "2022-01-02T23:46:35Z")
Great Big Sea’s “excursion Around the Bay” and “My Name is Captain Kidd” ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/185 "2022-01-03T00:55:05Z")
Frank Zappa’s “Jewish Princess” is a sprightly little number, rife with rather harsh (ok, Zappaesque) entreaties. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/186 "2022-01-03T01:34:29Z")
Depressing lyrics can be overcome. With _Nights in White Satin_, the Moody Blues gave us upbeat sentiments like: _Breathe deep the gathering gloom_ _Watch lights fade from every room_ _Bed sitter people look back and lament_ _Another days useless energy spent_ How jolly. But tweak the tempo just a bit and it takes on a whole new dimension. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8sJbpTwGYg8/hqdefault.jpg "THE DICKIES Nights in White Satin Promo, 1979") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sJbpTwGYg8) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/187 "2022-01-03T01:51:00Z")
I’m convinced that the Dickies are the greatest cover band in the world. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/188 "2022-01-03T06:53:04Z")
“You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” from _Annie Get Your Gun_ was originally a peppy little number. In a revival, Bernadette Peters slowed down the tempo and revealed how sad it really was. “L.A. County” by Lyle Lovett sounds is a cheerful tune about driving to LA with an old friend by your side. In the first verse, the friend is a man who ends up asking the woman on the drive to marry him. Later verses the friend is a .45 and the singer murders both the woman and her fiance on the altar of the church at their wedding. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/189 "2022-01-03T21:02:59Z")
This Dolly Parton written tune seems like the typical “ode to mama” country song, but listen til the end… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/87o1E6SUptY/hqdefault.jpg "To Daddy") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87o1E6SUptY) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/190 "2022-01-05T00:16:29Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/StdD1z6Qh0M/maxresdefault.jpg "Fly Into the Sun") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StdD1z6Qh0M) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/191 "2022-01-05T03:00:47Z")
Has anyone mentioned Eric Clapton’s “Peaches and Diesel”? Cheerful tune, but the lyrics include “boy, you’re gonna be dead.” ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217/192 "2022-01-05T03:03:18Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Also “Peaches and Diesel” — he cheerfully sings “Boy, you’re gonna he dead!” Only some idiot did — over three years ago! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerful-sounding-songs-with-surprisingly-dark-lyrics/812217.md?page=9)