Ralph Stanley and his son, Ralph Stanley II, on stage at the 2008 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival. Stanley's version of "Pretty Polly" might be the definitive version of the quintessential murder ballad.
10 Awesome Songs About Murder
Murder ballads are a longstanding tradition in country and bluegrass music. Here are a few of my favorites, including "El Paso" by Marty Robbins, "Delia's Gone" by Johnny Cash, and "Pretty Polly" by Ralph Stanley and Patty Loveless.
These are all great songs in themselves. I was looking for songs that told the story of a murder, not just songs that mentioned or intimated that one had occurred.
A common theme for a murder ballad is the killing of a lover; love can be a dangerous game. However, there are plenty of motives for killing and just as many songs about it.
- "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"—Willie Nelson
- "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair"—David Bromberg
- "Blood on the Floor"—Fleetwood Mac
- "El Paso"—Marty Robbins
- "Me and My Uncle"—Grateful Dead
- "Delia's Gone" – Johnny Cash
- "Duncan And Brady"—New Riders Of The Purple Sage
- "Staggolee"—Pacific Gas & Electric
- "Coldwater Tennessee"—Robbie Fulks
- "Pretty Polly"—Ralph Stanley and Patty Loveless
1. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"—Willie Nelson
I could have included a song from The Red Headed Stranger. That album was pretty much all about murder. However, I decided on one of Willie’s lesser-known songs. This creepy tale is a perfect lead-in for an article on murder ballads. "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye" uses a common theme; a man kills his lover to keep her from leaving. Unusually, the narrative is spoken by the killer, addressing his victim.
“I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye” was released as a single in 1965. I first heard it on the Willie Nelson Live album, recorded at the Panther Ballroom in 1976. It's an album I enjoyed very much.
A new recording of “I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye” was included on Willie's album Teatro in 1998. Emmylou Harris sings backup on that version.
"The flesh around your throat is pale
Indented by my fingernails
Death is a friend to love and I
'Cause now you'll never say goodbye"
2. "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair"—David Bromberg
George Brooks wrote this jazzy, gleeful murder ballad. Bessie Smith and Her Blue Boys first recorded it in 1927. Other musicians have covered it, but the version I love best is this one by David Bromberg. Who knew a murder ballad could be so much fun?
This song can be found on the album Best of David Bromberg: Out of the Blues, released in 1977. It also includes a great live version of "Mr. Bojangles." It's one of my favorite Bromberg albums, and he is one of my favorite musicians. If you don't know him, check him out.
"First I cut her with my barlow
Then I kinda kicked her in the side
And I stood here laughing o'er her
While she bubbled up and died"
3. "Blood on the Floor"—Fleetwood Mac
This song is from Kiln House, the fourth album by Fleetwood Mac. It was released in 1970. This was their first album after Peter Green left the band and the last one to include Jeremy Spencer. Spencer is responsible for this tongue-in-cheek parody of a country western song.
This was before Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks period. Christine sang backup on some songs and drew the picture for the album cover.
"I came home one night
She were lyin',
With her legs around
Another mans bum
She saw me, started laughin'
But she cried, when she saw my gun"
4. "El Paso"—Marty Robbins
Written and originally recorded by Marty Robbins, “El Paso” made its debut in 1959 on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. The single was a crossover hit, charting at number one on pop and country charts.
Most people are familiar with this great old song. It tells the tale of a cowboy who shot a romantic rival in a fit of jealousy.
It has been covered by many artists. It was a concert favorite of the Grateful Dead. Their version of it can be found in Dick’s Picks Volume 11. It was recorded at the Stanley Theater in Jersey City on September 27, 1972.
"In anger I challenged his right for the love of this maiden
Down went his hand for the gun that he woreMy challenge was answered in less than a heartbeatThe handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor"
5. "Me and My Uncle"—Grateful Dead
A couple years before he started The Mamas and The Papas, John Phillips wrote this chilling tale of cold-blooded murder in 1963. It tells the saga of a young cowboy and his uncle traveling on horseback together. After an incident at a barroom poker game, their seemingly tight relationship takes an unexpected turn.
"Me and My Uncle" was first recorded by Judy Collins in 1964 on her album, The Judy Collins Concert. The Grateful Dead began playing the song in 1966. They soon incorporated it into their standard lineup. It was one of their most often played songs throughout their "long strange trip." It can be found on their self-titled album, released in 1971.
One of them cowboys he starts to draw,And I shot him down Lord, He never saw"
6. "Delia's Gone"—Johnny Cash
This is a great murder song, but I think I would have had to include it here for the video alone. I think this is the creepiest murder ballad video I've ever seen. A traditional song of the southern U.S. that dates to the early 1900s, the earliest recording dates back to the 1920s.
A pair called Karl Silbersdorf and Dick Toops copyrighted "Delia’s Gone" in 1959. It is unclear whether they actually had anything to do with writing or modifying the song, but many covers of it give them the writing credit.
The song is said to be inspired by the Christmas murder of 14-year-old Delia Green by her 15-year-old boyfriend, Moses Houston. The killing took place in Savannah, GA, in 1900.
Johnny Cash first recorded the song for his twelfth album, The Sound of Johnny Cash, in 1962. He recorded this new version for his 1994 album American Recordings.
I went up to MemphisAnd I met Delia thereFound her in her parlorAnd I tied her to her chair"
7. "Duncan and Brady"—New Riders of the Purple Sage
The song was originally recorded by Wilmer Watts and His Lonely Eagles in 1929, and it has been covered many times since then. The story told in the song is based on an actual shooting in St. Louis, Missouri. It took place in 1890. Police officers, including James Brady, were called to the scene of a bar fight.
During the confrontation, shots were fired, and Brady was killed. Harry Duncan, the bartender, was arrested for murder, but he claimed it was the bar owner Charles Starkes who had really pulled the trigger. Duncan was convicted and hanged.
The New Riders of the Purple Sage began as a spin-off from the Grateful Dead. It was Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, along with John Dawson and David Nelson. In the beginning, they were considered a warm-up for the Grateful Dead, and they soon developed their own following.
“Duncan and Brady” was on their 1976 album Powerglide. By then, the Dead members had left the group. The lineup consisted of, Buddy Cage, David Nelson, Michael Falzarano, and Stephen A. Love.
Well, it's twinkle, twinkle little starAlong came Brady in his 'lectric carGot a mean look right in his eyeGonna shoot somebody just to see him die"
8. "Staggolee"—Pacific Gas & Electric
"Stagger Lee," or "Staggolee," is based on the true story of "Stag" Lee Shelton and William "Billy" Lyons. Stag Lee shot Billy during an altercation and was convicted of murder. Although he was later pardoned, Stag Lee died in prison for another crime.
The story soon became American folklore; the song was first published in 1911. Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians made the first recording in 1923. Many Artists have covered this song, including Ma Rainey, Mississippi John Hurt, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Woody Guthrie. In 1959, Lloyd Price had a number-one hit with it.
The song persisted into the 1960s when Pat Boone recorded it. Other versions were offered by such notables as Ike and Tina Turner, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Johnny and the Hurricanes and Tom Rush. The Youngbloods included a version of the song on their 1971 album, Good and Dusty.
The Grateful Dead recorded a version focusing on the fictionalized hours after the death of Billy when Billy's wife takes revenge on Stagger Lee. A 1985 version by the Fabulous Thunderbirds is featured on the Porky's Revenge soundtrack.
This is merely a partial list of the many artists who have covered this song. With so many to choose from, it was hard to pick which one to share here. In the end, I chose this version of the song performed by Pacific Gas & Electric. It was originally released as a B-side to their 1970 hit single "Are You Ready?" and was later included on the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's 2007 film, Death Proof.
"He shot him three times in the shoulder, lordHe shot him three times in the sideWell, the last time he shot himCaused Billy Lyons to die"
9. "Coldwater Tennessee"—Robbie Fulks
Most people would describe Robbie Fulks’ music as alternative country or folk, and it’s hard to pin down. He is notorious for his humorous or silly songs, but he is also a gifted songwriter and musician.
With “Coldwater Tennessee,” Fulks shows a serious side. From his 2005 album Georgia Hard., the song tells the tale of a struggling country artist with a poor but loving home and family. He abandons his family and finally makes it big in music. That rejection is too much for the young son left behind
The crowd draws close, the door swings openCameras flash, and the pretty girls screamThen a burst of fire, and a shout from the shadows"This is from your fans in Coldwater Tennessee"
10. "Pretty Polly"—Ralph Stanley and Patty Loveless
"Pretty Polly" is probably the quintessential murder ballad. It is a traditional English folk song from the British Isles, Canada, and the Appalachian mountains of the U.S. It tells the tale of a young woman whose lover lures her into the forest to her doom.
In some versions of the story, the killer promises to marry Polly but murders her when he learns that she is pregnant. Often, in American versions, that part is left out.
"Pretty Polly" has become a popular banjo tune. Here, it is sung by the amazing Ralph Stanley, one of the first generation of bluegrass players, and Patty Loveless, a darling of neotraditional country music. The duet can be found on the album Clinch Mountain Country by Ralph Stanley and Friends, released in 1998.
Polly, Pretty Polly, your guess is about rightI dug on your grave the biggest part of last night"
