Favorite Badman Ballads

Subject: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Jim Krause
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:20 PM

Shambles asked a question about the ballad Wild Bill Jones. This is one of my favorite badman ballads. And since there have been several of these favorite, or worst of threads lately, I thought I'd start this one. What are your favorite badman/badwoman ballads? Here are some of mine.

• Wild Bill Jones
• Jesse James
• Staggolee (Dr. John's version)
• Little Maggie
• Darlin' Corey

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,Ina
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:28 PM

There's a really chilly badwoman-song by R. Thompson called "Pavanne"

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Kim C
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:32 PM

Well, Sam Hall, of course.

I don't know if El Paso counts, but that's certainly one of my favorites. Another Marty Robbins tune I really like is They'll Bury Me Tonight, about a man who shoots his sweetie because she done took up with another.

There's a song I've got on a Greentrax (I think) compilation called Burke & Hare - about a real-life pair of hooligans who used to murder street urchins and sell their bodies to an evil doctor for research.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:33 PM

"Jesse With The Long Hair Hangin' Down" - sung by Rick Kane of Orillia, Ontario, Canada...written by I forget who.

"Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts" - Bob Dylan

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:34 PM

Oh yeah, and "Johhny Get Your Gun", written by me.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:42 PM

"Nebraska," by Bruce Springsteen

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Bert
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:43 PM

If you're mentioning Marty Robbins then you have to include 'Big Iron'

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 01:54 PM

Lotsa good choices already!!

And geez, I must really love this song because it fits in so many different categories (like its a great "don't get mad get even" song), but I'll go for "East Texas Red."

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 02:20 PM

A bit of a twist, but how about Woody's "Pretty Boy Floyd"?

Little Hawk, Lily, Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts is perhaps my favourite Dylan song ever. What a rogue.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:27 PM

John Hardy, Four Rode By (Tyson), Pretty Boy Floyd (Guthrie)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Mbo
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:31 PM

"Notorious" by Confederate Railroad.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: SINSULL
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:32 PM

Liberty Valance.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:38 PM

I'd say John Hardy, but I hasten to add that I'm not talking about Burl Ives' rather trivialized version. I mean the full version that talks about the crap game at the Darksey Bar and his shooting the other player; how he's urged to hurry to get away, but he says "when I leave it'll be at a walk; nobody ever said I ran"; how he hid out but was apprehended when he tried to catch a train; how he was converted and was executed after having been saved. A very satisfying song, and I get the impression it's fairly accurate to the actual events.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: bigchuck
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:38 PM

Good choices. I like Poncho and Lefty (Townes Van Zandt) a lot, as well as a real neat song called Frank James' Farewell by one of the country songwriters. (Kevin Welch maybe?)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: dwditty
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:42 PM

Billy the Kid. I like Ry Cooder's version although I doubt that he wrote it. I'll have to look it up, as Casey Stengel would say...then learn it for a hearme session. In fact, a whole night (or at least a good string) of badman ballads might be a cool idea for hearme.

dw

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,John Bauman
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 03:48 PM

na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na BADMAN!!!!!!

OhgodI'mSOsorry

John

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Midchuck
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 04:08 PM

Claude Dallas, by Ian Tyson and Tom Russell. Nothing else even comes close. And it's pretty much all true.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Kim C
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 04:19 PM

Bert, you know, I've always thought of Big Iron as a good-guy song since the bad guy gets it in the end. But I suppose it qualifies!

I'm glad someone mentioned Claude Dallas. I like that one too.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 04:28 PM

"She undid my belt
she unsnapped my jeans
she untied my tubes I had tied in my teens
I got my Colt 45 right by my side
I'm the California Kid,I hope you're
Quite prepared to die"

-The California Kid Country Dick Montana and the Beat Farmers

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Benjamin
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 05:14 PM

John Henery- performed well by so many people! Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, John Jackson, etc.

Railroad Bill- also tradition, sung by John Jackson.

Billy the Kid

I was planning on writing a song about D.B.Cooper when I find a bit more on him.

Benjamin

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 06:35 PM

More votes for "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "East Texas Red". Also a vote for a Robin and Linda Williams song, which I think was called "Six O'Clock News. Someone will surely know the correct title. Also "Brownsville Girl" by you all know who.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Mbo
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 06:42 PM

Brennan on The Moor!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 06:56 PM

Oh, someone said Railroad Bill!!! I'll vote for that.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: RWilhelm
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 06:59 PM

I've never heard a version of "Staggerlee" I didn't like.

"Frankie and Johnny" were both pretty bad.

So were "Bill Martin and Ella Speed."

"Duncan and Brady" were bad.

And Bill the gun-totin cowboy of Woody Guthrie's "Philadelphia Lawyer"

Ry Cooder's version of "Billy the Kid" was written by Andrew Jenkins and recorded in the 20's by Vernon Dalhart.

"Jesse With the Long Hair Hanging Down" was written by Robert Earl Keen.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,guinnesschik
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 07:38 PM

You go, Lonesome EJ! I also LOVE "Jesse James." My fave record growing up was "Gunfighter Ballads" by Marty Robbins. My very favorite, however, is Johnny Cash singing, "Don't Take Your Guns To Town," and (I believe it's called) "Twenty Five Minutes To Go," where the singer recounts his last moments on earth before facing ther gallows. Johnny Cash rocks!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Les B
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 09:10 PM

Lots of good ones already named, but howabout:

Belle Starr Otto Wood Butch Cassidy

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Les B
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 09:12 PM

Should be:

Belle Starr -- Otto Wood -- Butch Cassidy (sometimes called The Wild Bunch)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Giac
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 09:43 PM

Willie Seaton (isn't that a Tom Paxton song?)

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 09:54 PM

Hooray for "Claude Dallas"! I'd have nominated that one if I'd remembered it. What a superb song.

"Tweeter And The Monkey Man"

"John Wesley Harding"

"Billy - # 1, 2, 3 and whatever..."

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Dylan version)

All four by you know who...

Anybody know where I can find the words to "Jesse With The Long Hair Hangin' Down"?

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: richlmo
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 09:57 PM

I go along with " Pancho and Lefty " and I also like " Carrie Brown " by Steve Earl

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Mbo
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 10:03 PM

YES! Tweeter & The Monkey Man! Traveling Wilburys RULE! BTW I just sang "Congratulations" on Hearme a few minutes ago!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Stewie
Date: 29 Aug 00 - 10:16 PM

I'll vote for 'Claude Dallas' too, but I think my all-time favourite is 'Poor Lazarus', particularly Van Ronk's version. An excellent recent addition to the genre is Kevin Welch's 'Wilson's Tracks'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: DougR
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 01:13 AM

"Tom Dooley." DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: sledge
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 03:40 AM

long lankin

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: GUEST,Gene
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 11:11 AM

The Ballad Of John Dillinger

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 11:31 AM

The Red Headed Stranger is about as they come.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Wesley S
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 11:54 AM

I'm not sure who wrote it but Joe Ely does a great song called "Me and Billie the Kid".

"She used to love that little dog then one day I up and shot it"

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 11:58 AM

I grew up with Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads too. And found a copy of it in the co-op's trash along with "Songs Our Daddy Taught Us'. I should be ashamed about picking through other people's trash - but I am not.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Jon W.
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 12:18 PM

"True Love Knows no Season" written by Norman Blake (or was it Tony Rice?) and recorded by Planxty.

"Cole Younger" recorded by Dock Boggs.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Jim Krause
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 12:59 PM

I like the idea about doing a Hearme session all about badman/badwoman ballads. One o' these days I'll have to get crankin' and join up on one of 'em. Great titles, all.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 01:10 PM

ALMOST ANY badman song by Dave Van Ronk. He can breathe such vigor, such badness into a song, it's breathtaking!

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Midchuck
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 01:34 PM

Jon W. said:

"'True Love Knows no Season' written by Norman Blake (or was it Tony Rice?) and recorded by Planxty."

The title is "Billy Gray," dammit!

It's Norman's song, so Norman can damn well decide what the title is. Planxty are either crooked or don't know enough to get out of their own way!

And Tony Rice could no more have written that song than I could play one of his guitar solos!

There are people who can play guitar as good as Norman and there are people who can write as good songs as Norman but there is no one who can play guitar as good as Norman and write as good a song as Norman and that's all there is to it.

I have spoken.

Now please try not to get me upset again today. It's bad for me to get worked up at my age.

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Midchuck
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 01:35 PM

Gawd, that was fun!

Peter.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Jim Krause
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 01:57 PM

Now there's a great lead in for a badman ballad! Even got a title already Don't Get Me Started
One more to add to the list, it's Blind Willie McTell's version of Delia's Gone. He just recorded it under the title Delia

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Jim Krause
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 02:03 PM

Thought of another one Delia recorded by Blind Willie McTell
Peter, I think you have the makings of another badman ballad. You even have a title already Don't Get Me Started Go to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 02:57 PM

All of those cowboys
lost all of their gold
And I loved my Uncle
God rest his soul
He taught me good Lord
Taught me all I know
Taught me so well
I grabbed that gold
And left his dead ass there by the side of the road."

Me and My Uncle - The Grateful Dead

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 30 Aug 00 - 03:14 PM

The Narrator and his father in Willow Garden, although they get theirs in the end.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: DougR
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 02:48 AM

Well, Peter, ever heard of TUMs? DougR

Subject: Lyr Add: JESSE WITH THE LONG HAIR (R E Keen)
From: RWilhelm
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 10:55 AM

Little Hawk,

JESSE WITH THE LONG HAIR...
Robert Earl Keen

Jesse took a powder, slicked his long hair back
put a cartridge in his gun and stepped outside his shack,
saddled up his buckskin mare and rode off into town.
Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Luann fixed her makeup, straightened out her dress,
picked up a photograph and held it to her breast
How could she ever love him? He never was around.
Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Chorus:
Flesh and blood it turns to dust Scatters in the wind
love is all that matters in the end.

Sheriff Paul was sleepin', his hat off in his lap
When he got a package that woke him from his nap.
He unrolled a poster, couldn't help but frown
It was Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

They had been compadres many years before.
Jesse saved his life one time back before the war.
Now he was the king of thieves, he wore it like a crown.
Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

CH0RUS

Mr. Brown the banker hid the money in his case.
It was time for him to leave this God forsaken place.
His true love loved the outlaw who hated Mr. Brown
That was Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Mr Brown had taken the land that Jesse owned.
The banker claimed that Jesse had not repaid his loan.
Truth and lies were tangled but when the truth unwound
there was Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Mr. Brown was all alone Luann came walking in.
She pulled a pistol from her purse and pointed it at him.
When the door blew open she turned to look around
It was Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Mr Brown grabbed Luann's gun and held it to her head.
"I'll blow her to Kingdom Come" is what the banker said.
In that fateful moment Jesse stood his ground.
Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

CH0RUS

The bullet that killed Mr. Brown came through the windowpane.
It put a hole above one eye and lodged down in his brain.
He never saw a puff of smoke, no flash, no fire, no sound.
From Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Sheriff Paul was fast asleep his hat down on his eyes,
when he got a letter and much to his surprise
a picture of the sweet Luann in her wedding gown
and Jesse with the long hair hangin' down.

Chorus:
Flesh and blood it turns to dust Scatters in the wind
Love is all that matters in the end my friend.

Subject: RE: BS: Favorite Badman Ballads
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 31 Aug 00 - 11:47 AM

Lots of good ones to choose from. A few I haven't seen mentioned yet are "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, "1959 Vincent Black Lightning" by Richard Thompson, and a few (among many) by Steve Earle -- "Billy Austin," "Ellis Unit #1" and "Copperhead Road".