What is with guys singing about killing their girlfriends / wives?

[redqueen]

What is it with men?

Are there any songs by women in which they talk about killing their boyfriends / husbands? I don't recall any.

I just can't figure it out. I hope it's not related to the fact that the most common cause of violent death for women IS their boyfriends / husbasnds, but sadly I think it is.

*sigh*

What do you think?

[GOPisEvil]

1. Good-bye Earl anyone?

;-)

Of course that was seen as humorous, but your point is well-taken.

[redqueen]

8. I'll have to look that one up!

Thanks!

[GOPisEvil]

11. Dixie Chicks.

It is kind of a humorous "Thelma-and Louise, he deserves it" kind of song, but still.

[Phillycat]

15. Great song.

It's about an abusive guy. After he beats his wife and puts her in the hospital, the wife's best friend comes to town and they decide together that "Earl has to die". They poison him, wrap him up in a rug, and drop him into the lake. :)

[mirounga]

50. Earl

And nobody even misses Earl. Love it!

[WMliberal]

53. first thing I thought

that and that girl from TLC burning down Andre Rison's house...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Stone Cold Dead in the Market

Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Jordan..."she killed nobody but her husband" and then "earl had to die" the Dixie Chicks

[redqueen]

12. Two, even!

It's not that I think anyone really wants to kill anyone... I just like things to be equal in the art department. I surely don't want women to become the number one cause of violent death for their boyfriends / husbands!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

22. Here's an interesting point..in both songs the women kill the men

for beating them....in most male songs, the man kills the woman for cheating on him

[redqueen]

23. DAMMIT!

And I was just starting to feel a little bit better about this issue.

:grr:

[Fifth of Five]

49. Frankie and Johnny

is an exception to that rule. Frankie kills Johnny for cheating on her with Nelly Bly. At least I think I am remembering that right.

[Richardo]

3. The only one I can think of is TMBG's 'Twisting' which I posted earlier

She set your goldfish free
And now she's sighing
Blew out your pilot light
And made a wish

She doesn't have to have
Her dB's record back now
But there's not a lot of things
That she'll take back

(She wants) She wants to see you again
(She wants) She wants to see you again
Slowly twisting (Twisting)
In the wind (Twisting)
Twisting twisting (Twisting)
In the wind

She's not your satellite
She doesn't miss you
So turn off your smoke machine
And Marshall stack

She doesn't have to have
Her Young Fresh Fellows tape back now
But there's not a lot of things
That she'll take back

(She wants) She wants to see you again
(She wants) She wants to see you again
Slowly twisting (Twisting)
In the wind (Twisting)
Twisting twisting (Twisting)
In the wind

(She wants) She wants to see you again
(She wants) She wants to see you again
Slowly twisting (Twisting)
In the wind (Twisting)
Twisting twisting (Twisting)
In the wind

[StopTheMorans]

5. *slinks into thread* i posted one too, GNR's "used to love her"

*hangs head in shame, beats self with cat o'nine tails*

[redqueen]

6. You silly!

That's about his dog!

[StopTheMorans]

10. but i didn't post it in that context

:cry:

[redqueen]

13. Stop cryin

before I give ya somethin to cry about!

;)

[Gato Moteado]

14. i'm sure there are a few....

....but i can't think of any mainstream examples off the top of my head.

[tigereye]

42. I always thought that the guy

felt like he was "twisting in the wind" due to her behavior. Is that what you meant? Just curious. Great song.

[Richardo]

46. No. 'Twisting in the wind' describes a hanging.

One of Nixon's cronies (Ehrlichman?) famously used the phrase during Watergate. "Leave him slowly twisting in the wind."

Maybe referring to John Dean? I don't remember.

[tigereye]

54. but a metaphoric hanging... not a real one

not to split hairs...;)

[Phillycat]

4. "He Had It Comin'" from the Chicago soundtrack? :)

But I do see your point. I noticed that on my thread too.

[redqueen]

7. Yay!

There seem to be a few examples of this. This makes me feel much better!

:D

[Gato Moteado]

9. can't think of any off hand.....

...but the first one that comes to mind about boyfriends offing their significant others is costello's "allison". the second is lyle lovett's song where he drives to california with his gun in the seat next to him.....what's the name of that one?

[sniffa]

16. sorta

tori amos covers eminem's 97 bonnie & cLyde

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. i loved her cover of it

[JVS]

17. It is a traditional theme

[Joe Power]

29. There was an excellent show on CMT about this once

I'm not a regular viewer, but I caught it flipping channels once. If I remember correctly, they traced it back to Irish folk songs dealing with murder and revenge which migrated to Appalachia. This began a long tradition in country music.

Johnny Cash twice took it as far as it could go. Once by "killing a man in Reno, just to watch him die", and again in "Delia's Gone."

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. since men actually kill their wives and gf far more often

than women kill their partners...its just an extension of the culture we live in.

[redqueen]

20. That's what I was thinking about when I posted this.

It's a fact of life, so it's reflected in art.

I hate that fact of life, though. Really.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

24. its an extension of the sexism in our culture ..

i think it works cyclically

[Gato Moteado]

21. how about this old helen reddy hit.....

You live your life in the songs you hear,
On the rock and roll radio;
And when a young girl doesn't have any friends,
That's a really nice place to go.
Folks hopin' you'd turn out cool,
But they have to take you out of school.
You're a little touched, you know,
Angie baby.

Lovers appear in your room each night,
And they whirl you across the floor;
But they always seem to fade away,
When your daddy taps on the door.
Angie girl, are you alright?
Tell the radio goodnight.
All alone once more,
Angie baby.

Angie Baby, you're a special lady,
Livin' in a world of make believe...well, maybe...

Stoppin' at her house is a neighbor boy,
With evil on his mind,
'Cause he's been peekin' in Angie's room,
At night through the window blinds.
"I see your folks have gone away.
Would you dance with me today?
I'll show you how to have a good time,
Angie baby."

When he walks in her room,
He feels confused, like he walked into a play;
And the music's so loud,
It spins him around, 'till his soul has lost its way.
And as she turns the volume down,
He's getting smaller with the sound.
It seems to pull him off the ground.
Toward the radio he's bound, never to be found.

The headlines read that a boy's disappeared,
And everyone thinks he died,
Except a crazy girl with a secret lover,
Who keeps her satisfied.
It's so nice to be insane.
No one asks you to explain.
Radio by your side,
Angie baby.

Angie Baby, you're a special lady,
Livin' in a world of make believe...well, maybe...
Well, maybe...
Well, maybe...

[Gato Moteado]

25. here's one i just remembered by cher......

dark lady

The fortune queen of new orleans
Was brushing her cat in her black limousine
On the back seat were scratches
From the marks of men her fortune she had won
Couldn't see through the tinted glass
She said, "home james" and he hit the gas
I followed her to some darkened room
She took my money, she said, "i'll be with you soon"

Chorus:
Dark lady laughed and danced
And lit the candles one by one
Danced to her gypsy music
Till her brew was done
Dark lady played black magic
Till the clock struck on the twelve
She told me more about me
Than i knew myself

She dealt two cards, a queen and a three
And mumbled some words
That were so strange to me
Then she turned up a two-eyed jack
My eyes saw red but the card
Still stayed black
She said the man you love is secretly true
To someone else who is very close to you
My advice is that you leave this place
Never come back and forget you ever saw my face

Chorus

So i ran home and crawled in my bed
I couldn't sleep because of all the things she said
Then i remembered her strange perfume
And how i smelled it once in my own room
So i sneaked back and caught her with my man
Laughing and kissing till they saw the gun in my hand
The next thing i knew they were dead on the floor
Dark lady would never turn a card up anymore

Chorus

[Left Is Write]

26. It's not about killing a boyfriend or husband, but

"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" is about a woman who kills her brother's unfaithful wife and the man she cheated with.

[redqueen]

27. Is that what that's about?

I could never figure that song out. Thanks!

[Left Is Write]

31. Yep.

Little sister kills the wife and the former friend who cheated with her, and then before she can confess, her brother is nabbed, convicted, and hung. It's a very cheerful song.

[redqueen]

34. Good God

Why didn't little sister TELL someone?!

:(

[Left Is Write]

37. 'Cause then there wouldn't be a song.

"They hung my brother before I could say
The tracks he saw while on his way
To Andy's house and back that night were mine.
And his cheatin' wife had never left town
And that's one body that'll never be found
You see, little sister don't miss when she aims her gun."

[redqueen]

39. But, really...

would that be such a bad thing? :D

[Left Is Write]

47. I can't argue with that.

And I've gone and gotten it stuck in my head now, too!

[kick-ass-bob]

28. Stop listening to country music.

:P

[redqueen]

35. It's not just country, Sally!

John Lennon even sung about how his girlfriend better run for her life.

Yikes! :scared:

[Bridget Burke]

52. John is the one who should have run for his life.....

Instead of hooking up with the evil vampire...

[GOPisEvil]

30. Who needs songs when there's real life?

This is a truly sad story.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0103051lulu1.html

[redqueen]

36. Good lord that's sad...

Apparently she may be suffering from dementia... not like the lady who killed her husband with sauce bottles.

[Gato Moteado]

32. how about "the ballad of pickles"

it hasn't been written yet, but somebody should write it.

[nickgutierrez]

33. Come on, this isn't exclusive to men.

And this thread has a couple of examples, so I guess I didn't have to say that. :)

[redqueen]

38. Yeah, now I know!

I had no idea there were so many!

[Jesus H. Christ]

40. Then there's Jim Morrison.

Who sang about killing his father and fucking his mother.

Go figure.

[redqueen]

45. Yeah

but he was just nuts!

[Schema Thing]

41. Oh, just a thing we do. Pay us no mind.

[RandomKoolzip]

43. "Goodbye Earl," The Dixie Chicks.

[cestpaspossible]

44. Not the boyfriend but

1940 Xmas evening with a full moon over town
Staggerlee met Billy DeLyon
and he blew that poor boy down
Do you know what he shot him for?
What do you make of that?
'Cause Billy DeLyon threw lucky dice,
won Staggelee's Stetson hat

Baio, Baio, tell me how can this be?
You arrest the girls for turning tricks
but you're scared of Staggerlee
Staggerlee is a madman and he shot my Billy dead
Baio you go get him or give the job to me

Delia DeLyon, dear sweet Delia-D
How the hell can I arrest him when he's twice as big as me?
Don't ask me to go downtown - I wouldn't come back alive
Not only is that mother big but he packs a .45

Baio Delia said just give me a gun
He shot my Billy dead now I'm gonna see him hung
She waded to DeLyon's Club through Billy DeLyon's blood
Stepped up to Staggerlee at the bar
Said Buy me a gin fizz, love

As Staggerlee lit a cigarette she shot him in the balls
Blew the smoke off her revolver, had him dragged to city hall
Baio, Baio, see you hang him high
He shot my Billy dead and now he's got to die

Delia went a walking down on Singapore Street
A three-piece band on the corner played "Nearer, My God, to Thee"
but Delia whistled a different tune...what tune could it be?

The song that woman sung was Look out Staggerlee
The song that Delia sung was Look out Staggerlee
The song that woman sung was Look out Staggerlee
The song that Delia sung was Look out Staggerlee

[shrike]

48. How about "My Wife," by the Who

The guy in it isn't dead, but he expects to be if his wife catches up with him:

"Gonna buy a tank and an aeroplane/when she catches up with me won't be no time to explain/I ain't been home since Friday night and now my wife is coming after me."

[mac56]

51. "Keep On Sleepin' With One Eye Open"

Old rhythm and blues song. Same theme, with the husband threatened by the wife.