# Murder Ballads **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471 "2020-02-25T03:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/1 "2020-02-25T03:46:40Z")
So, there is a sub-genre of ballads dedicated to murdering a lover. From traditional songs like “Banks of the Ohio” to blues/rockers like “Hey Joe” or “Down By The River”. With that in mind, are they really singing “_Like the river flows, surely to the sea_” or are they singing “_Like the river flows Shirley to the sea_”. Because with that 2nd version, I think most of the rest of the lyrics would fit in to a murder ballad. ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/2 "2020-02-25T04:34:00Z")
_Airplane_ jokes aside, I think you’re the only person in the world to think this, but you never know! [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=841347](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=841347) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/3 "2020-02-25T04:44:59Z")
> [@Junior\_Spaceman](#): > > _Airplane_ jokes aside, I think you’re the only person in the world to think this, but you never know! > [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=841347](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=841347) That’s what I was wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/4 "2020-02-25T06:18:18Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > So, there is a sub-genre of ballads dedicated to murdering a lover. They’re not _all_ about murdering a lover - see “Stagger Lee”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, or “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/5 "2020-02-25T06:37:05Z")
Frankie and Johnny ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/6 "2020-02-25T07:02:15Z")
Lyle Lovett, “L.A. County” Elvis Costello, “Alison” Garth Brooks, “Papa Loved Mama” I’m sure there are more recent examples, but I’m out of the loop for contemporary music. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/7 "2020-02-25T09:32:20Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > … > Elvis Costello, “Alison” > … 😕 What is there about _Alison_ that suggests it’s a murder ballad? If we’re supposed to be listing them, I can’t resist the temptation: [**Delilah**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fT9BHpImI) by _ **The Sensational Alex Harvey Band** _. I believe some Welsh fella also did a version. But nothing of note. j ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/8 "2020-02-25T10:39:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > They’re not _all_ about murdering a lover - see “Stagger Lee”, “I Shot the Sheriff”, or “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”, for example. “Railroad Bill” (1895!?) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/9 "2020-02-25T11:28:58Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > If we’re supposed to be listing them, I can’t resist the temptation: [**Delilah**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0fT9BHpImI) by _ **The Sensational Alex Harvey Band** _ If we’re listing them, then the Killers (no pun intended) have a murder ballad _trilogy_ worthy of note; “[Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjHnk4vO8Zo)”, “[Midnight Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYsTFZnj4jw)”, and “[Jenny Was a Friend of Mine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfBT1D04SoE)”. They also did a pretty stellar cover of Kenny Rogers’ “[Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhP0cwGHA8Y)”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/10 "2020-02-25T12:05:09Z")
The Felice Brothers [Whiskey In My Whiskey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLrBd81ONOw). > [@](#): > > I put some whiskey into my whiskey > I put some heartbreak into my heart > I make my way across that ole dance floor > And put three rounds Lord, in my Eleanor ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/11 "2020-02-25T12:22:09Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > 😕 > > What is there about _Alison_ that suggests it’s a murder ballad? Declan declaims that it is not a murder ballad, but there are definitely suggestive lines. The chorus alone should give one pause: Alison, I know this world is killing you. Oh, Alison, my aim is true. There’s nothing in the lyrics to suggest that Elvis means “aim” as in “purpose” because he never made his purpose clear. It could just as easily be the aim of a gun. And he’d then simply shrug it of by saying “well really, it was the world that killed her because she’d changed so much from the Alison I used to know.” Some more supporting lines, not proof themselves but in context of the chorus can be taken to suggest murder: “Somebody better put out the big light”: I see this as snuffing out the light of life. The way that he emphasized “stop” in “wish that I could stop you from talking” to me emphasizes a final and forceful way to stop her from talking. But really, it’s the chorus that does it for me. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/12 "2020-02-25T13:22:35Z")
The Rembrandts’ [Johnny Have You Seen Her?](https://www.google.com/search?q=johnny+have+you+seen+her+the+rembrandts&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS821US821&oq=johnny+have+you+seen+her&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l2.7654j1j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) seems to imply foul play. The singer is questioning his good pal Johnny as to the whereabouts of his girlfriend. On the surface we’re meant to be suspicious of Johnny but what if Johnny is actually protecting the girlfriend from the singer?:dubious: He sounds kind of possessive, with lines like “Johnny did she tell you that her heart belongs to me? Did she tell you that _I will never set her free_?” Or maybe it’s just me. It could just be implying that Johnny and the missing girl are having an affair but the dark tone suggests mayhem, no? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Greenjeans](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.greenjeans/32/551_2.png) [@Mr.Greenjeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Greenjeans)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/13 "2020-02-25T13:29:11Z")
Everybody run, the homecoming queen’s got a gun. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/14 "2020-02-25T14:03:53Z")
Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/15 "2020-02-25T14:40:00Z")
[Melody Motel](https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/773200/Squeeze/Melody+Motel) by Squeeze, in which the protagonist murders a prostitute. [Country Death Song](https://www.lyrics.com/track/2819031/Violent+Femmes/Country+Death+Song) by the Violent Femmes, in which the protagonist murders his daughter and then hangs himself. Cheery stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/16 "2020-02-25T14:56:24Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Declan declaims that it is not a murder ballad, but there are definitely suggestive lines. The chorus alone should give one pause: > > Alison, I know this world is killing you. > Oh, Alison, my aim is true. > > There’s nothing in the lyrics to suggest that Elvis means “aim” as in “purpose” because he never made his purpose clear. It could just as easily be the aim of a gun. And he’d then simply shrug it of by saying “well really, it was the world that killed her because she’d changed so much from the Alison I used to know.” > > Some more supporting lines, not proof themselves but in context of the chorus can be taken to suggest murder: > > “Somebody better put out the big light”: I see this as snuffing out the light of life. > > The way that he emphasized “stop” in “wish that I could stop you from talking” to me emphasizes a final and forceful way to stop her from talking. > > But really, it’s the chorus that does it for me. The author denied that interpretation in this 2002 Rolling Stone blurb about the song: [Alison Bechdel on 'Fun Home''s Tony-Award Triumph](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/alison-87988/) Thanks for suggesting it though; I never knew till now how “I Hope My Aim Is True” became the name of that album. Though it’s more about the singer’s attempt to run away from the crime, ‘Red’ Arnall’s country classic, “Cocaine Blues,” fits the OP. I like Hank III’s cover: [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmiy-QLQO0M](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmiy-QLQO0M) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/17 "2020-02-25T15:05:54Z")
“The Green, Green Grass of Home.” He’s murdered someone, by gum, why not Mary? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/18 "2020-02-25T15:12:01Z")
What about R. Dean Taylor’s Indiana Wants Me? It could be interpreted that he not only killed the lover, but his baby’s mother (I wish I had you to talk to). ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/19 "2020-02-25T15:14:21Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Declan declaims that it is not a murder ballad, but there are definitely suggestive lines. The chorus alone should give one pause: > > Alison, I know this world is killing you. > Oh, Alison, my aim is true. > > There’s nothing in the lyrics to suggest that Elvis means “aim” as in “purpose” because he never made his purpose clear. It could just as easily be the aim of a gun. And he’d then simply shrug it of by saying “well really, it was the world that killed her because she’d changed so much from the Alison I used to know.” > > Some more supporting lines, not proof themselves but in context of the chorus can be taken to suggest murder: > > “Somebody better put out the big light”: I see this as snuffing out the light of life. > > The way that he emphasized “stop” in “wish that I could stop you from talking” to me emphasizes a final and forceful way to stop her from talking. > > But really, it’s the chorus that does it for me. You know, I really wonder if this is a gun-culture country vs non-gun-country culture thing. I was virtually queuing at 9AM waiting for the record shop to open in order to buy the album, so I’ve known the song well for more than 40 years, and this is the first time that the thought that this might possibly be about murder had crossed my mind. Or been pushed across my mind. FWIW, my interpretation - the narrator musing on meeting an ex whose subsequent choices of men have gone badly wrong. It’s painful to see her as she is now, to the point that he wonders if she would be better off dead (or perhaps, that it would be easier for him to take if she were dead). The narrator would have been her best choice because of his decency - “My aim is true”. Now, in light of this discussion, I grant that the line may have a double meaning - artist’s prerogative - but a murder ballad? No, I don’t get that at all - I’m with the writer on that one. j ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/20 "2020-02-25T15:47:17Z")
Nick Cave’s got an entire album of 'em: [Murder Ballads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Ballads). I quite like it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471.md?page=2)