 sj |
||
|
||
murder songs
|
|
|
Subject: murder songs From: GUEST,emmie Date: 02 May 13 - 04:44 PM hi, i've been asked to sing some folk songs at a literary event that is for an author who writes victorian murder novels. I have a couple of songs about women being murdered and wondered if people could suggest a song about a woman murdering a man? Very macabre subject I know :-) |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: nboldock Date: 02 May 13 - 05:06 PM Not exactly a folk song (though based on one), Nick Cave's "Henry Lee" (in which PJ Harvey sings the female part) fits the bill. "And with a little penknife, clutched in her hand, well she plugged him through and through..." |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Susan of DT Date: 02 May 13 - 05:56 PM A search for the keyword of "murder" in the digital tradition gets this list of 318 songs. Frankie and Johnie and the various Child #68 come to mind for women murdering their male lovers. A PLEA FOR ORDER ADAM GORMAN ALAN BANE ALICE B. ALICE MITCHELL AND FREDDY WARD ANDREW ROSS (ANDREW ROSE) AROUND THE CORNER ASHLAND TRAGEDY (III) BABYLON, OR THE BONNIE BANKS O' FORDIE BAMBOO BRIER BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW BANKS OF THE OHIO BANKS OF THE ROSES (2) BANKS OF THE ROSES (3) BATSON BENJAMIN DEAN BILL MARTIN AND ELLA SPEED BILL NORRIE BILLY LYONS AND STACK O'LEE BILLY TAYLOR BINNORIE BINNORIE (TWO SISTERS) BIRMINGHAM SUNDAY BLACK HAIRED LASS BLACKJACK COUNTY CHAIN BLOODY GARDENER BLUEBEARD BO LAMKIN BOLD MANNING BOLD POACHERS BONNIE, BONNIE BANKS OF THE VIRGIO (Cruel Brother) BONNY BIRDIE BONNY FARDAY BORDER WIDOW'S LAMENT BOTTOMLESS WELL BRUTON TOWN BUFFALO SKINNERS CAPTAIN GLENN CAPTAIN GLENN CHARLES GUITEAU CHYLDE OWLET CLERK SANDERS CLERK SAUNDERS COCAINE BLUES 2 COLD RAIN & SNOW CRAZY MAN MICHAEL CRUEL BROTHER CRUEL MOTHER DANIEL MONROE DEATH OF A SALESMAN DEATH OF EMMA HARTSELL DELIA (2) DELIA (4) DELIA'S GONE DEVIL WINSTON DIXON AND JOHNSON DOWIE DENS OF YARROW DOWN IN A WILLOW GARDEN DRAGGING THE RIVER DUNCAN AND BRADY DUNCAN AND BRADY (2) DUPREE DUPREE (2) EARL BOTHWELL EDGAR AND ELLEN EDWARD EDWARD BALLAD EDWARD IN THE LOWLANDS EGGS AND MARROWBONES 4 EL PASO ELECTRIC CHAIR BLUES EVERY MAN EWING BROOKS FAIR ANNIE AND SWEET WILLIE H FAIR FANNY MOORE FAIR FANNY MOORE (2) FAIR FLORILLA FAIR WILLIAM AND LADY MAISRY FALL RIVER HOEDOWN (Lizzie Borden) FALSE LADY FALSE LAMKIN FALSE SIR JOHN FALSE SIR JOHN 2 FAMOUS FLOWER OF SERVING MEN FARMER MICHAEL HAYES FATAL FLOWER GARDEN FLORA AND DONALD, OR, THE MASSACRE OF GLENCOE FLORA THE LILY OF THE WEST FLOYD FRAZIER FOUR MARY'S FOUR RODE BY FRANKIE AND ALBERT FRANKIE AND ALBERT FRANKIE AND JOHNNY FRANKIE AND JOHNNY (4) FRANKIE SILVERS FULLER AND WARREN GAMBLING ON THE SABBATH DAY GLENCOE GOINS HANGED I SHALL BE HOLLOW GROUND I HAD A WIFE I'LL HOLD YOUR HAND IN MINE IN SEAPORT TOWN IT RAINED A MIST J.B. MARCUM JAMES MACDONALD JEALOUS BROTHERS JEALOUSY JELLON GRAEME JESSE JAMES (3) JESSE JAMES (I WONDER WHERE MY POOR OLD JESSE'S GONE) JIMMY AND NANCY JOHN FUNSTON JOHN HARDY JOHNNY ARMSTRONG JOHNNY ARMSTRONG (2) JOLLY SOLDIER KILLING JAR LADY DAISY AND THE KITCHEN BOY LADY DAYSES LADY DIAMOND LADY DYSIE 2 LADY DYSIE AND THE KITCHIE BOY LADY DYSMAL AND THE KITCHEN BOY LADY ISOBEL LADY ISOBEL AND THE ELF KNIGHT LAIRD OF WARISTON LAMKIN Lamkin LEAVING HOME LITTLE BLOSSOM LITTLE SADIE LITTLE SIR HUGH LITTLE SIR WILLIAM LONG BLACK VEIL LONG LANKIN LONNIGAN'S WIDOW LORD BANNER LORD MAXWELL'S LAST GOODNIGHT LORD RANDAL LORD RANDALL (2) LORD RANDALL (3) LORD THOMAS LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ANNET G LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ELENDER or THE BROWN GIRL LORD THOMAS AND FAIR ELLENDER (3) LORD THOMAS AND LADY MARGARET LOVELY JAMIE LOVELY WILLIE LUDLOW MASSACRE LULA VIERS MAGGIE WAS A LADY (Frankie & Johnny variant) MARIAN PARKER 1 MARROW BONES MARY FAGAN MARY HAMILTON MARY HAMILTON (2) MARY HAMILTON (5) MARY MILD MASTERTONE MURDER, or, An Address to All Concerning Death by Banjo MATHY GROVE MATTIE GROVES MCAFEE'S CONFESSION MCKINLEY'S RAG ME AND MY UNCLE MEEKS FAMILY MURDER MEEKS MURDER 3 MEG DRUMMOND MILL O' TIFTY'S ANNIE MISS OTIS REGRETS MOLLY BAWN MOLLY BAWN (POLLY VAUGHN 2) MONONGAHELA SAL MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE (2) MURDER OF F.C.BENWELL (BERWILL) MURDER OF MARIA MARTIN MURDER OF SARAH VAIL MURDERED BY A BROTHER NAOMI WISE NAT GOODWIN OLD JUDGE DUFFY OLD ROBIN OF PORTINGALE OMIE WISE OMIE WISE (2) ON THE BANKS OF THE OLD PEDEE ONCE A JOLLY PASTOR OOR HAMLET OUR HOUSE (ALWAYS WELCOME ...) OUTLANDISH KNIGHT OXFORD CITY OXFORD TRAGEDY PAT O'BRIEN PAVANNE PEARL BRYAN PEARL BRYAN (3) PETER AND I PETER CLARKE POLLY VAUGHN (3) POLLY WILLIAMS POOR ELLEN SMITH POOR ELLEN SMITH (2) POOR ELLEN SMITH (3) POOR MURDERED WOMAN PRETTY POLLY PRETTY POLLY (2) PRINCE ROBERT PROUD GIRL (YOUNG HUNTING) PUT IT IN A COOL DRY PLACE RAIN AND SNOW ROBIN HOOD'S DEATH (2) ROLLING OF THE STONES ROLLING OF THE STONES (2) ROWAN COUNTY CREW SAM HALL (5) SAMUEL SMALL (SAM HALL) SHEATH AND KNIFE SHEATH AND KNIFE 2 SIDNEY ALLEN SILVERY TIDE SIR HUGH, OR THE JEW'S DAUGHTER SIR JAMES THE ROSE (Steeleye Version) SIX DUKES WENT A-FISHING STAG O'LEE (6) STAGALEE 3 STAGGER LEE (4) STAGOLEE STAGOLEE 2 STANDING STONES STENKA RAZIN STEP IT OUT, NANCY STOKES'S VERDICT STONE COLD DEAD IN THE MARKET SUNCOOK TOWN TRAGEDY SWEENEY TODD THE BARBER THE ARSENIC TRAGEDY THE ASHLAND TRAGEDY THE ASHLAND TRAGEDY (II) THE AULD MAN AND THE CHURNSTAFF THE BALLAD OF FRANKIE SILVER THE BALLAD OF GRACE BROWN AND CHESTER GILLETTE THE BALLAD OF TIM EVANS THE BALLAD OF WILLIAM BLOAT THE BANKS OF THE ROSES (4) THE BONNY EARL OF MURRAY (2) THE BRAMBLE BRIAR THE BROOKFIELD MURDER THE BUFFALO SKINNERS THE CONSTANT FARMER'S SON THE CONSTANT FARMER'S SON (5) THE CRUEL MILLER THE CRUEL MOTHER THE CRUEL MOTHER (4) THE CRUEL MOTHER 2 THE CRUEL SHIP'S CAPTAIN THE CRUEL SHIP'S CARPENTER THE CRUEL SISTER THE DOWIE DENS o' YARROW THE EXECUTION OF FREDERICK BAKER THE GHOST SONG THE HEIDLESS CROSS THE IRISH BALLAD (RICKETY TICKETY TIN) THE JEALOUS BROTHERS (6) THE JEALOUS LOVER THE JEALOUS LOVER 2 THE KING O' SPAIN'S DAUGHTER THE KNOXVILLE GIRL THE LADY AND THE FARMER'S SON THE LAST NIGHT OF NOVEMBER THE LAWSON MURDER THE LONELY WILLOW TREE THE LONESOME DEATH OF HATTIE CARROLL THE LORD OF SCOTLAND THE MAID OF CABRA WEST THE MURDER OF COLONEL SHARP THE NEW YORK TRADER THE NOEL GIRL THE OLD SHAWNEE THE PEDDLER AND HIS WIFE THE RICH OLD LADY THE SCOTTISH SONG THE SHAPE OF MY LOVE THE SHIP'S CARPENTER THE SLAUGHTER OF THE LAIRD OF MELLERSTAIN THE SWAN SWIMS BONNIE (Two Sisters) THE TWA SISTERS THE TWO BROTHERS THE TWO BROTHERS 3 THE TWO BROTHERS 4 THE TWO SISTERS (7) THE TWO SISTERS (9) THE WESTERN RAILWAY (or GREEN THE GANGER) THE WIND AND RAIN (Two Sisters) TOM DOOLEY TOO MANY MARTYRS TRUE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES TWO BUTCHERS TWO SISTERS (12) TWO SISTERS (13) TWO SISTERS (Bonnie Broom) WANDERING COWBOY WHITE HOUSE BLUES WHITE HOUSE BLUES (3) WILD BILL JONES WILD BILL JONES (2) WILLIAM GLEN WILLIAM GRISMOND WILLIE WARFIELD WIND THAT SHAKES THE CORN WORKHOUSE BOY YOUNG ALANTHIA YOUNG HUNTING YOUNG HUNTING YOUNG HUNTING 2 YOUNG JOHNSTONE YOUNG REDIN |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST Date: 02 May 13 - 06:03 PM Gosh! Rather a lot to keep me busy there! Thanks very much! |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Joe Offer Date: 03 May 13 - 01:18 AM Hi, Emmie - Be sure to take a look at Paul Slade's murder ballads Website, http://www.planetslade.com/ -Joe- |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: HENRY LEE From: Richard from Liverpool Date: 03 May 13 - 01:46 AM Nick Cave's Henry Lee is indeed a folk song... well, I suppose it depends where you draw the line. It's a version of Young Hunting, Ballad 68 in Francis Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads - albeit what Nick Cave has apparently done is take the version recorded by the West Virginian Dick Justice in 1929, and put them to a new tune. So I guess it's a question of whether you see old words with new tunes as folk or not. I happen to think Nick Cave's version of Child 68 is one of the best out there... I do sing Nick Cave's tune, but with a couple of extra verses to continue the story as Dick Justice continues it. Henry Lee, after the versions sung by Dick Justice (1929) and Nick Cave (1996) "Get down, get down little Henry Lee And stay all night with me You won't find a girl in this whole world That will compare with me" "I can't get down and I won't get down And stay all night with thee For the girl I have in that merry green land I love far better than thee" She leaned herself against a fence Just for a kiss or two And with a little penknife held in her hand She plugged him through and through Come take him by his lily-white hands Come take him by his feet And throw him down this deep, deep well That's more than five fathoms deep "Lie there, lie there little Henry Lee 'til the flesh drops from your bones For the girl you have in that merry green land Can wait forever for you to come home" And out then sang a little birdie Sat high upon a tree "Tell me, tell me, my lady What became of Henry Lee?" "Fly down, fly down little birdie And light on my right knee And I will give you a cage of gold With bars of ivory" "I can't fly down and I won't fly down And light on your right knee For a girl who would kill her own true love Would kill a little bird like me" "If I had my bended bow My arrow and my string I'd pierce a dart so nigh your heart It'd stop your twittering" "If you had your bended bow Your arrow and your string I'd fly away to that merry green land And tell them what I've seen" |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST, Paul Slade Date: 03 May 13 - 03:05 AM Thanks to Joe for giving PlanetSlade a mention. Earlier this week, I posted my reply there to a California student who asked me exactly the same question about songs with a female killer. Scroll down to Loni Kate English's letter here to see my suggestions. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST Date: 03 May 13 - 05:28 AM In the Outlandish Knight and its varients the female protagonist drowns the male(serial killer??!) in order to save herself, dont know if this counts. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: RWilhelm Date: 03 May 13 - 01:05 PM "Dr. Burdell, or The Bond Street Murder" Emma Cunningham was aquitted of his murder in 1857 but she probably did it. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: greg stephens Date: 03 May 13 - 01:12 PM Miss Otis Regrets is the classic female murder song I think. Not a folk song, but Cole Porter trying(successfully) to write a tune in the folk style. And Frankie and Johnny(or Albert) is another impeccably folkie classic. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: dick greenhaus Date: 03 May 13 - 03:46 PM William Taylor. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST Date: 03 May 13 - 06:50 PM Hi there. Thanks so much for all this wonderful information. I had a look at planetslade which was really interesting. So far I think my favourites are william Taylor and I also really like young hunting as I think I prefer the original versions to Nick Caves. The other two songs I'm thinking of singing are Polly Vaughan and the oxford girl. Please let me know any other suggestions you might have. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Jack Campin Date: 04 May 13 - 08:20 AM Have a look at the ballads on Mary MacKinnon, the Edinburgh murderess hanged in 1838, which I collected here: http://www.campin.me.uk/Embro/Webrelease/Embro/13law/13law.htm I would be surprised if anybody's ever sung the first one with anybody listening. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: CET Date: 04 May 13 - 09:30 AM If you are not limiting yourself to strictly trad songs, Gillian Welch wrote a great song about a woman killing her abusive husband. The name escapes me for the moment, but it's a very powerful and dramatic song. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: CET Date: 04 May 13 - 09:33 AM The song is Caleb Meyer. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST Date: 04 May 13 - 04:54 PM I know the song caleb myer...good idea although I think I may have to stick to stuff that has an english victorian vibe. Thanks for the link to Mary Mcinnon. Are there any tunes to go with these words? |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Jack Campin Date: 04 May 13 - 06:17 PM I included the tunes, in several formats. Look at the links at the bottom of the lyric pages. |
|
Subject: Lyr Add: BURKE AND HARE From: Jim Carroll Date: 05 May 13 - 10:16 AM How about a mass-murder song Jim Carroll BURKE AND HARE
William Burke it is my name |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Jack Campin Date: 06 May 13 - 05:25 AM Lots more Burke and Hare songs at my page referenced above, but they aren't what the OP wanted. I don't recall any songs in which Burke's wife Mary MacDougall gets star billing - she played an equal part in the business. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST, Paul Slade Date: 06 May 13 - 07:31 AM Those MacKinnon's Ghost lyrics Jack gives are terrific. I'd love to hear someone sing them one day - ideally a female version of Alasdair Roberts, I think. |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: dick greenhaus Date: 06 May 13 - 11:58 AM Sweeny Todd, the Barber? |
|
Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: Henry Lee From: Levana Taylor Date: 11 Jan 22 - 12:02 AM For the record, here's Dick Justice's tune and chords for "Henry Lee," as transcribed by Ethel Raim (Sing Out!, September 1966). T:Henry Lee M:3/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=152 N:Transcribed from Dick Justice's 1930 recording (Brunswick C3521) by +:Ethel Raim, published in Sing Out!, September 1966 K:Cmajor (E/2F/2) | "C"G2 G | "F"A2 A/2G/2 | "C"G2 G | C3/2 z/2 (E/2F/2) | w:Get_ down, get down lit-tle Hen-ry Lee And_ "G"G2 (A/2G/2) | {G}E2 D | "C"C3- | C z (E/2F/2)| G>F G | "F"A>G A | w:stay all_ night with me_ The_ ver-y best lodg-ing I "C"G2 G | C2 (E/2F/2) | "G"G2 {E}G | E>E D | "C"C3- | C z (G/2A/2) | w:can af-ford Will_ be far bet-ter than thee_ I_ "F"F2 F | c2 (c/2A/2) | "C"G2 G | C2 (G/2A/2) | "F"F2 F | w:can't get down, and I won't get down And_ stay all c2 (_B/2A/2) | "C"G3 | z z A/2G/2 | "F"F2 F | c =B A | "C"G A G | w:night with_ thee For the girl I have in that mer-ry green C2 (E/2>F/2) | "G"G2 (A/2>G/2) | E>D D | "C"C3- | C z || w:land I_ love far_ bet-ter than thee_ [Variant of the first two phrases for verse 4]: (E/2E/2) | "C"G2 G | "F"A2 A | "C"G2 A | C2 (D/2^D/2) | "G"E2 F | {F}E2 D | "C"C3- | C w:Fly_ down, fly down, you lit-tle bird And a-light on my right knee |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: GUEST Date: 11 Jan 22 - 05:12 AM https://youtu.be/Gw7gNf_9njs |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: meself Date: 11 Jan 22 - 10:47 AM I find it curious that in the lyrics of Henry Lee, above, she "plugs" him with the knife - I've only heard "plug" in such a context being used to mean "shoot" (with a gun) ... ? |
|
Subject: RE: murder songs From: Mrrzy Date: 11 Jan 22 - 05:44 PM Robin Hood died betrayed by a woman who over-bled him, any songs about that? If not, I have a song challenge for someone... |
| Share Thread: |