Murder ballads are a sub-genre of the broadsheet ballad, the lyrics of each being a narrative poem that tells a tale of murder. Illustration by Arthur Rackham of the ballad The Twa Corbies A ballad is a story, usually a narrative or poem, in a song. ... A narrative poem is an extended poem which tells a story. ...

Description of the genre

A murder ballad typically recounts the details of a mythic or true crime — who the victim is, why the murderer decides to kill him or her, how the victim is lured to the murder site and the act itself — followed by the escape and/or capture of the murderer. Often the ballad ends with the murderer in jail or on their way to the gallows, occasionally with a plea for the listener not to copy the evils committed by the singer.

Some murder ballads tell the story from the point of view of the murderer, or attempt to portray the murderer in a somewhat sympathetic light, such as "Tom Dooley". A recording of that song sold nearly four million copies for The Kingston Trio in 1958. Other murder ballads tell the tale of the crime from the point of view of the victim, such as "Lord Randall", in which the narrator takes ill and discovers that he has been poisoned. Others tell the story with greater distance, such as "Lamkin", which records the details of the crime and the punishment of the criminals without any attempt to arouse sympathy for the criminal. Supernatural revenge wrought by the victim upon the murderer sometimes figures in murder ballads such as "The Twa Sisters" (also known as "Binnorie", Child Ballad #10). Tom Dooley is an old North Carolina folk song based on a historical event. ... The Kingston Trios original lineup: Bob Shane, Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds The Kingston Trio is an American folk group. ... Lord Randall is a traditional ballad that includes dialogue. ... Lamkin is an old ballad (Child Ballad 93), and probably one of the darkest. ... Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ... For other uses, see Revenge (disambiguation). ... The Two Sisters is a murder ballad that recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her sister. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ...

History of murder ballads

Murder ballads are a notable portion of recorded medieval ballads from Scandinavia and Great Britain. In those, the victim overcomes the murderer, tricks him and stabs him to death while sleeping. Thus, justice is fulfilled, and the murderer is punished. Many of those ballads mention a row of dead brides, from seven and up to ten, until the final surviving heroine. For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ...

Often the details and locales for a particular murder ballad change as it is sung over time, reflecting the audience and the performer. For example, "Knoxville Girl" is essentially the same ballad as "The Wexford Girl" with the setting transposed from Ireland to Tennessee - the two of them are based on "The Oxford Girl", the original murder ballad set in England. The Knoxville Girl is an Appalachian murder ballad. ...

American murder ballads are often versions of older Old World ballads with any elements of supernatural retribution removed. For example, the English ballad "The Gosport Tragedy" of the 1750s had both murder and vengeance on the murderer by the ghosts of the murdered woman and her unborn baby, who call up a great storm to prevent his ship sailing before tearing him apart. In contrast, the Kentucky version, "Pretty Polly", is a stark murder ballad ending with the murder and burial of the victim in a shallow grave. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ... Pretty Polly (Roud 15) is a traditional folk song The song is a murder ballad, telling of a young woman lured into the forest where she is killed and buried in a shallow grave. ...

Modern murder ballads

Nick Cave's 1996 album Murder Ballads contains both traditional and original music of this form. Mick Harris (Scorn) and Martyn Bates (Eyeless in Gaza) also released an album with the same name. Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional actor. ... This article is about the Nick Cave album. ... REDIREDT Scorn (band) ... Eyeless In Gaza is the post-punk musical duo of Martyn Bates and Peter Becker, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England (better known as the birthplace of George Eliot). ...

Other examples of modern CDs featuring murder ballads include Alasdair Roberts' 2005 album No Earthly Man and Kristin Hersh's 1998 album Murder, Misery and Then Goodnight. Another contemporary example of a murder ballad is Billy Roberts' widely covered popular song "Hey Joe", the most famous version being the one recorded by Jimi Hendrix in 1967. Alasdair Roberts Alasdair Roberts is a Scottish folk musician. ... Kristin Hersh (born August 7, 1966) is a prolific American singer/songwriter who performs solo acoustic concerts; she also has performed as lead singer and guitarist for alternative rock group Throwing Muses and currently leads the hardcore punk-influenced power trio 50 Foot Wave. ... Murder, Misery and Then Goodnight is Kristin Hershs third solo album and quite a departure from her other solo recordings, in that it contains solely Appalachian folk songs about murder and death arranged by Kristin Hersh, rather than songs written by Kristin herself. ... William Moses Roberts Jr. ... Hey Joe is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard, and as such has been performed in a multitude of musical styles. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ...

List of murder ballads

The 1913 massacre (usually referred to as the Italian Hall Disaster) refers to the tragedy in which seventy-three men, women and children were crushed to death on December 24, 1913 in Calumet, Michigan. ... Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912–October 3, 1967) was a prolific American songwriter and folk musician. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Banks of the Ohio is a nineteenth century murder ballad, in which Willie invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects his marriage proposal. ... The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Label of the fourth Sun Records Sun Records has been the name for four 20th century record labels. ... Child Owlet is Child ballad 291 and a murder ballad. ... This article is about the band. ... The Cruel Mother (Roud 9, Child 20) is a murder ballad. ... Nehemiah Curtis Skip James (June 21, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. ... Edward is a traditional murder ballad existing in several variants, collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad number 13. ... El Paso is a 1959 western ballad by singer Marty Robbins. ... Marty Robbins (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982) was one of the most popular and successful American country and western singers of his era. ... Lily of the West is a traditional American folk song about a man who travels to Louisville and falls in love with a young girl named Flora, the eponymous Lily of the West. ... Frankie and Johnny (also called Frankie and Albert) is a bluegrass murder ballad. ... Brook Benton (19 September 1931 — 9 April 1988) was an American singer and songwriter most remembered for his mournful R&B ballad, Rainy Night in Georgia. ... Elvis redirects here. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... Suicide is an American rock music group intermittently active since 1971 and composed of Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (synthesizers and drum machines). ... For other uses, see Centralia Massacre. ... Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912–October 3, 1967) was a prolific American songwriter and folk musician. ... Jack the Stripper was the nickname given to an unknown serial killer responsible for what came to be known as the London Nude Murders (also known as the Hammersmith Murders or Hammersmith Nudes case), from 1964-1965. ... Nekromantix is a psychobilly band that was formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1989. ... Hey Joe is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard, and as such has been performed in a multitude of musical styles. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... I Hung my Head is a murder ballad written by the singer-songwriter Sting. ... This article is about the musician. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... The Irish Ballad is a song by the satirist Tom Lehrer. ... Thomas Andrew Tom Lehrer (born April 9, 1928) is an American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician. ... Buddy Wayne Knox (July 20, 1933 - February 14, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 rockabilly hit song, Party Doll. Knox was born in the tiny farming community of Happy, Texas and as a boy learned to play the guitar. ... Jellon Grame is Child ballad number 90 and a murder ballad. ... Kings of Leon are a rock band made up of three brothers and one cousin, based in Mt. ... The Knoxville Girl is an Appalachian murder ballad. ... The Louvin Brothers were Charlie and Ira Louvin, an American duo best-known as the popularizers of close harmony, a kind of country music. ... The Wilburn Brothers were a popular country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... Lamkin is an old ballad (Child Ballad 93), and probably one of the darkest. ... Lily, Rosemary and the Jack Of Hearts, a song by Bob Dylan, was performed live before the official version was released on the 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Little Sadie is a 20th Century American folk ballad. ... Cocaine Blues is a song written by TJ Arnall, though it is a rework of a traditional song title Little Sadie. Johnny Cash famously peformed the song at his Folsom Prison concert, an event portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Walk The Line. ... Hank Thompson can refer to different people: Hank Thompson was a baseball player in the 1940s and 1950s. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. ... Merle Travis (November 29, 1917 - October 20, 1983) is an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician. ... Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912 - October 3, 1967), known almost universally as Woody, was a folk singer and raconteur who wrote some of Americas best-loved songs. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Lord Randall is a traditional ballad that includes dialogue. ... For other uses, see Mack the Knife (disambiguation). ... Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Bobby Cassotto, May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was one of the most popular American big band performers and rock and roll teen idols of the late 1950s. ... Louis[1] Armstrong[2] (4 August 1901[3] – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo[4] and Pops, was an American jazz musician. ... Nebraska is a song by Bruce Springsteen. ... Springsteen redirects here. ... Omie Wise or Naomi Wise (1789-1808) was an American murder victim, who is remembered by a popular murder ballad about her death. ... Omie Wise or Naomi Wise (1789-1808) was an American murder victim, who is remembered by a popular murder ballad about her death. ... Al Dexter (May 4, 1902 in Jacksonville, Texas - January 28, 1984 in Lewisville, Texas) is an American country musician and songwriter, best known for Pistol Packin Mama, a 1942 hit that was one of the most popular recordings of the World War 2 years. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... The Andrews Sisters on the cover of the reissue collection From left to right: Maxene, Patty, and LaVerne. ... Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen) was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. ... Pretty Polly (Roud 15) is a traditional folk song The song is a murder ballad, telling of a young woman lured into the forest where she is killed and buried in a shallow grave. ... Gene Summers was born in Dallas, Texas on January 3, 1939 and has been a rock/rockabilly artist since the 1950s. ... Stagger Lee (also known as Stagolee, Stackerlee, Stack OLee, Stack-a-Lee and by several other spelling variants) was an African American murderer whose crime was immortalized in a blues folk song, which has been recorded in hundreds of different versions. ... Lloyd Price (born March 9, 1933 in Kenner, Louisiana) was an early rock and roll musician. ... Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was a country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet. ... Tom Dooley is an old North Carolina folk song based on a historical event. ... The Kingston Trio is an American folk group, perhaps the single most prominent one. ... The Two Sisters is a murder ballad that recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her sister. ... This article is about the music group. ... Wake Up Call was a show on CNBC that aired early in the morning. ... Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. ... This article is about the musical band. ... Where the Wild Roses Grow is an alternative-rock song written by Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ninth album Murder Ballads (1996), and features guest vocals by Australian pop-singer Kylie Minogue. ... Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is a successful rock band with international personnel. ... Annie Clark, live. ...

See also

• List of songs about killers
• Teenage tragedy song

This is a list of songs about murderers. ... The teenage tragedy song, also known as a splatter platter, was a style of ballad popular between the late 1950s and the late 1960s that lamented the early deaths of teenagers, either sung from the viewpoint of the dead persons sweetheart, or sometimes from the viewpoint of the dead...

Further reading

• Olive W. Burt, American Murder Ballads and their Stories, Oxford University Press, New York, 1958.
• Olive W. Burt, "Murder Ballads of Mormondom", Western Folklore, 18:2, April 1959, pp.141-156.
• Olive W. Burt, "The Minstrelsy of Murder", Western Folklore, 17:4, October 1958, pp.263-272.
• Michael E. Bush, "Murder Ballads in Appalachia", (thesis) Marshal University, Huntington, West Virginia, 1977.
• Daniel A. Cohen, "The Beautiful Female Murder Victim: Literary Genres and Courtship Practices in the Origins of a Cultural Motif, 1590-1850", Journal of Social History, 31:2, Winter 1997, pp.277-306.
• Chet Flippo, "Nashville Skyline: The Subject Was Murder", CMT.com, February 5, 2004.
• Ellen L. O'Brien, "The Most Beautiful Murder: The Transgressive Aesthetics of Murder in Victorian Street Ballads", Victorian Literature and Culture, 28, 2000, pp.15-37.
• Will Robinson Sheff, "The Dark Side of Folk: Songs about Murder", Audiogalaxy.
• Kenneth D. Tunnel, "99 Years is Almost for Life: Punishment for Violent Crime in Bluegrass Music", The Journal of Popular Culture, 26:3, Winter 1992, pp.165-181.

Country Music Television, or CMT as it usually called, is an American country music oriented cable television channel. ...

Further listening (recorded compilations)

• Blood Booze 'n Bones, Sung by Ed McCurdy, banjo accompaniment by Erik Darling, Electra Records, 1956 (includes 12 page booklet).
• Bloody Ballads: Classic British and American Murder Ballads, Sung by Paul Clayton, Ed. by Kenneth S. Goldstein, Riverside Records, New York, 1956 (includes cover notes).
• Murder Ballads, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Mute Records, 1996.