Mama, just killed a man
Put a gun against his head
pulled my trigger, now he’s dead…
Are you ready, Are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust
She’s a killer queen…
Janie’s Got A Gun by Aerosmith
I shot the sheriff
But I did not shoot the deputy
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer from Abbey Road (that would be the Beatles, for you kids. )
Country Standard “Miller’s Cave” (perfomed by Gram Parsons, amongst others) has a particularly casual double homicide -
“they laughed at me
until I shot ‘em.
Put their cheatin’, schemin’ bones
in Miller’s cave”
Did Hank Williams ever write a murder song?
mm
Country Death Song - The Violent Femmes
I gave her a push, I gave her a shove.
I pushed with all my might, I pushed with all my love.
[LYRICS DELETED BY MODERATOR]
“John Hardy was a desperate little man
He carried two guns every day.
He shot a man by the West Virginia line
They watched John Hardy get away,
Poor boy,
They watched John Hardy get away.”
I don’t know who wrote it but Leadbelly sang a couple different versions.
Beasts of Bourbon Psycho
Olivia Newton John ** Banks of The Ohio **
Cowboy Junkies **Murder, Tonight In The Trailer Park **
Neil Young ** Down By The River **
Tom Waits **Murder In The Red Barn **
Randy Newman Lucinda
Adam & The Ants **Killer In The Home **
The Beautiful South Woman In The Wall
Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?
He’s singing from the point of view of the devil, so maybe not so much a murderer, more a ‘Carnage Facilitator’…
those are the lyrics you should have posted before. Still, since the figure singing is Satan I’m not sure it’s murder in the sense of one person killing another. I suppose Satan might take credit for every murder ever committed considering the lyrics.
OHHHHHHH I stand corrected. Thanks.
I combined the two in Neil Young’s Ohio
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Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Sonny Bono.
Bang bang you shot me down
Bang bang I hit the ground
Bang bang that awful sound
Bang bang my baby shot me down
“Cocaine Blues” by Johnny Cash
Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”, whose age-old question was answered by the Kingston Trio in “Bad Man’s Blunder”
The Boss’ “Murder Incorporated”
And another blues classic, “Frankie and Johnny”:
I’m trying to avoid an unfairly snappish response here, because I’m very tired and stressed and it’s hell-week at school right now, but I assumed everyone would have familiarity with the song itself–it’s pretty popular. Sorry if the shorthand didn’t make it clear.
I do consider it a murder song–one person (or being, or entity, what have you) responsible for the taking of the life of another person.
10,000 Maniacs’ I’m Not the Man
This song doesn’t actually mention the murder, but it’s implied. The song’s actually about the miscarriage of justice after the fact.
More Johnny Cash. “I Hung My Head”
“Sam Hall”