# How many songs have a death in them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 11, 2000, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789 "2000-09-11T17:28:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/1 "2000-09-11T17:28:17Z")
I was listening to the radio, and there was Hey Joe, by Jimi Hendrix followed by Shooting Star, by Bad Company(?). Can you think of any others, preferably in the classic rock genre? A few others: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot. I Shot the Sheriff - Eric Clapton Last Kiss - ? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/2 "2000-09-11T17:47:47Z")
One head light - The Wallflowers Tallahachie Bridge - (don’t know) Diamond Smile - Boomtown Rats Death of a Disco Dancer - Smiths There is a light that never goes out - Smiths Sing me to sleep - Smiths …and that’s just off the top of my head… ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/3 "2000-09-11T17:56:44Z")
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner–Warren Zevon Excitable Boy–Warren Zevon Bat out of Hell–Meatloaf ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/4 "2000-09-11T17:59:35Z")
‘stereotype’ - the specials ‘jerry was a racecar driver’ - primus any rap song - any rapper ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/5 "2000-09-11T17:59:48Z")
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen Miss Otis Regrets - Cole Porter Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts - Bob Dylan Maxwell’s Silver Hammer - The Beatles Mack the Knife - The Threepenny Opera Were You There (When they Crucified My Lord) - Traditional Highway Patrolman - Bruce Springsteen Long Black Veil - Traditional plus these Johnny Cash songs (off the top of my head): Folsom Prison Blues Don’t Take Your Guns to Town 25 Minutes to Go The Wall ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/6 "2000-09-11T18:13:10Z")
Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun - Julie Brown Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer - ??? ---
**Author:** ![DarbyV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@DarbyV](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarbyV)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/7 "2000-09-11T18:40:06Z")
The Night the Lights went out in Georgia–Vickie Lawrence Billy Don’t Be a Hero–Paper Lace Wildfire–Micheal Murphy Seasons in the sun–Terry Jacks Shannon–Henry Gross (well it’s a dog, but its still a death) Ode to Billie Jo–Bobbie Gentry ---
**Author:** ![mikehardware](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mikehardware](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikehardware)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/8 "2000-09-11T19:30:28Z")
Elanor Rigby, and A Day in the Life, by the Beatles The Night Santa Went Crazy, and Jurassic Park, by “Weird Al” Yankovic D.O.A., by not sure, but I think it was something like Bloodrock Sniper, by Harry Chapin Timothy (probably the biggest hit ever about cannibalism). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/9 "2000-09-11T19:31:28Z")
I count 31. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/10 "2000-09-11T19:59:12Z")
Janie’s Got a Gun–Aerosmith Papa Loved Mama–Garth Brooks ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/11 "2000-09-11T20:02:01Z")
Shit-fire. After “Young Love,” and “Lust,” Death is THE most-mentioned phenomenon in popular music! Here’s a book recommendation: Jeff Pike; THE DEATH OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL: UNTIMELY DEMISES, MORBID PREOCCUPATIONS, AND PREMATURE FORECASTS OF DOOM IN POP MUSIC, Faber & Faber, 1993. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/12 "2000-09-11T20:30:43Z")
what about “Video Killed the Radio Star”? jingle bells ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/13 "2000-09-11T20:34:40Z")
“James K. Polk” by They Might Be Giants “Doug at Home”/“Doug at the Gates of Hell” and “Isaac’s Lament” by Uncle Bonsai “Here Comes the Groom” by John Wesley Harding “The Hunting Song” by Tom Lehrer “Woman in the Wall” by The Beautiful South “The Drinking Song” by Moxy Früvous ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/14 "2000-09-11T21:10:22Z")
“Please Don’t Bury Me” John Prine “Bye Bye Johnny” Bruce Springsteen “Abraham Martin and John” Dion DiMucci “I Don’t Like Mondays” Boomtown Rats “Hey Joe” Jimi Hendrix “Vincent Black Ligtning '52” Richard Thompson “Devonside” Richard Thompson “Matty Groves” Fairport Convention “Marie Provost” Nick Lowe ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/15 "2000-09-11T21:16:03Z")
Last Kiss Leader of the Pack ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/16 "2000-09-11T21:33:20Z")
“IMHO” by the manhattan transfer. Oops, no, sorry, that’s not a song. That’s where this thread belongs. ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/17 "2000-09-11T21:41:48Z")
I know the OP said classic rock but I am going to throw this in for good measure. I listen to a lot of Heavy Metal and a lot of it has to do with death - just from a small handfull of disks I grabbed out of my desk drawer: Bleen for Ancient Gods - Amon Amarth Killing Floor - Bruce Dickenson Silent Night, Bodom Night - Childern of Bodom Children of the Grave - Black Sabbath Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden Serenity Painted Death - Opeth Glimpse Into Genocide - Napalm Death and just about anything by the Misfits, Sentenced, Six Feet Under, Cannibal Corpse and a host of others. I could go on for hours… ---
**Author:** ![Kodyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Kodyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kodyn)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/18 "2000-09-11T22:10:39Z")
Was It a Lie?-Sleater Kinney (talk about depressing, geeez) Marianne-Tori Amos Hello Birmingham-Ani Difranco Little Amsterdam-Tori Amos Phanta-Le Tigre (Well, sort of. There’s an explosion at the end, you can just kind of assume I guess) Toodles Mr. Jim-Tori Amos ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/19 "2000-09-11T22:13:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Punoqllads \* > \*\*“IMHO” by the manhattan transfer. > > Oops, no, sorry, that’s not a song. That’s where this thread belongs. \*\* Ooo wah, ooo wah cool, cool kitty Sending off the thread to MPSIMS city Ooo wah, ooo wah c’mon kitty Cleaning up GQ without no pity… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789/20 "2000-09-11T22:36:07Z")
Timothy by the Buoys. Not only death, but cannibalism! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-songs-have-a-death-in-them/32789.md?page=2)