# 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:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [February 26, 2020, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/41 "2020-02-26T08:49:28Z")
I hold Your Hand in Mine-- Tom Lehrer ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/42 "2020-02-26T13:21:14Z")
Pretty Polly. Judy Collins ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/43 "2020-02-26T14:51:49Z")
“Smoking Gun” by Robert Cray ---
**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:** [February 26, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/44 "2020-02-26T16:20:32Z")
[I Shot the Sheriff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiYUYcpsT4) - Bob Marley [Goodbye Earl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7gNf_9njs) - Dixie Chicks Although you could claim the first one was self-defense and in the second one, the bastard had it coming. ---
**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 26, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/45 "2020-02-26T16:29:47Z")
Chicago’s [Cell Block Tango](https://genius.com/Chicago-cast-cell-block-tango-lyrics) is the [del]king[/del] QUEEN for this thread. He had it coming, he had it coming He only had himself to blame! If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen it I betcha you would have done the same. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/46 "2020-02-26T16:46:35Z")
> [@MadTheSwine](#): > > So it is A Bob Dylan song? What album was it on? > > Tweeter and the Monkey Man" was really [written by] Tom Petty and Bob [Dylan]. Well, Jeff [Lynne] and I were there too, but we were just sitting there around in the kitchen, and he was for some reason talking about all this stuff that didn’t make much sense to me, you know, it was that Americana kinda stuff and we got a tape cassette and put it on and then transcribed everything they were saying. > > George Harrison Yeah, I agree. I thought it was an earlier Dylan song that he brought to the Wilburys, but apparently he wrote it as part of the group. So Wilburys it is. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/47 "2020-02-26T17:25:42Z")
> [@MadTheSwine](#): > > So it is A Bob Dylan song? What album was it on? > > Tweeter and the Monkey Man" was really [written by] Tom Petty and Bob [Dylan]. Well, Jeff [Lynne] and I were there too, but we were just sitting there around in the kitchen, and he was for some reason talking about all this stuff that didn’t make much sense to me, you know, it was that Americana kinda stuff and we got a tape cassette and put it on and then transcribed everything they were saying. > > George Harrison > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Yeah, I agree. I thought it was an earlier Dylan song that he brought to the Wilburys, but apparently he wrote it as part of the group. So Wilburys it is. This is what I also thought, that Dylan wrote it alone as a Springsteen parody. Didn’t know that he wrote it with Petty. Thanks for the correction, nitpick rescinded. ---
**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 26, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/48 "2020-02-26T17:57:15Z")
“God, shmod! I want my monkey-man!” ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/49 "2020-02-26T19:42:52Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > “Delia’s Gone” by Johnny Cash is a good one. > > _First time I shot her > I shot her in the side > Hard to watch her suffer > But with the second shot she died > Delia’s gone, one more round > Delia’s gone_ Johnny Cash has an entire compilation album called “Murder” which contains this song and many others (much older) in his recording history about that very topic. It’s a companion to the albums “Love” and “God” and all 3 are well-worth hunting down. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/50 "2020-02-26T20:01:07Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > [I Shot the Sheriff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiYUYcpsT4) - Bob Marley. That was self defence. The Sheriff was trying to murder _him_. ---
**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:** [February 28, 2020, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/51 "2020-02-28T06:38:14Z")
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471/52 "2020-02-28T21:45:41Z")
“The Little Glass of Wine”, by the Stanley Brothers. An adaptation of an old [English ballad](http://www.clinchmountainecho.co.uk/disc/rrt423.php). Their heartbreaking [version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1g2_kzkx4Q). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/murder-ballads/848471.md?page=2)