NCBS Murder Ballads Project. 2. Stagger Lee pt 2

If you're not a fan of "foul" language you might want to skip today's post.

Sing a Song of Murder, has talked about the lore surrounding "Stagger Lee" before, but Nick Cave's version takes it to a different place entirely.  A forced homosexual act was probably not what the original writer of "Stagger Lee" probably had in mind.  I'm sure these lyrics never popped into his head either:

I'm a bad motherfucker don't ya know
And I'll craw over fifty good pussies 
Just to get to one fat boy's asshole

Love the Take That shirt.

From what I've read Cave took lyrical inspiration from The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler.  I'm currently trying to search out a copy that won't cost me 59.99 (used).

I think that "Stagger Lee", like "Delia's Gone" might have taken some inspiration from gangster rap, which was huge at the time of Murder Ballads.  If you don't remember the glory days of Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and uh . . .others* it involved a little of this . . .

Some of this . . .

 

And a lot of this

A lot of violence,  a lot of "motherfucker/motherfucking/motherfuckers" and the phrase "suck my dick".


Of course Eazy-E wasn't really suggesting that Dr. Dre get down on his knees and unbutton his fly.*1 It was more of an expression of dominance; "I'm the alpha male. You're a woman compared to me."*2


Lyrically, and through Cave's spoken word performance, "Stagger Lee" seems to be poking fun at rap's hyper-masculinity.  When Cave's Stagger Lee says "suck my dick" he really means "suck my dick."  


I stated in the previous post that Stagger Lee is the quintessential American song.  So does a "foreigner" have any right to sing it?  There's something to be said for being outside looking in.  Conservatives ranted and raved about gangster rap, and yet violence is so much at the heart of America, and American music.   It seems that only Americans have yet to accept that.

* Sorry, I'm hopelessly white.

*1 I'm really white.

*2 Lilly White

It's Nick Cave's Birthday!

I was pretty busy last week due to my brother's wedding, but I'm back.  Back in time to celebrate the birthday of one of my favorite singers.  Nick Cave was born today in 1957, in Warracknabeal Australia. 

I'm sure some of you are saying "who in the hell is Nick Cave?" He's a singer, songwriter, composer, novelist, screenwriter and a all around badass dude.  He's fronted The Bad Seeds for about 27 years, and his latest protect Grinderman has blown musicians more than half his age out of the water.

Because it is my blog. I figured I'd post some of my favorite Nick Cave songs.

Deanna (damn you "embedding disabled by request")


Brompton Oratory . . .

Tupelo.  This one is from Denver, where yours truly was in the audience.

How cool is Nick Cave?  So cool that Johnny Cash covered one of his songs.

Because of this date, I decided it was time to make my special announcement.

Read on . . .

Day of Rest: Johnny Cash, February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003

Ain't No Grave






Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight
-  Johnny Cash
  

Quote of the Day - 08/24/10

I love songs about horses, railroads, land, Judgment Day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtship, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak and love. And Mother. And God.
                                                                                  - Johnny Cash

Delia's Gone

In high school my friend and I developed this theory: if you sing it slowly and with an acoustic guitar, you can pretty much get away with anything. One example we always provided, was Johnny Cash's Delia's Gone. It's your age old tale of a cheatin' lying woman getting her comeuppance from a vengeful lover. But it's how he does it that makes it so unerrving: he ties her to a chair, and shoots her. With a submachine gun.

I don't think it's a conicidence, that this song came out during the height of gangster rap. But unlike Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre and other of their ilk, their were no hysterical polticians and no complaints from NOW.

Like so many of my generation, this was the song that taught me that country could be cool. This dark, violent, "love song" with the coolest dude on the planet. I still get chills.

Here's an earlier version of the song, with slightly different lyrics. I think it proves that Cash was well aware of popular culture when he updated it for American Recordings:

Death (Row) in Texas

"Oh, woe is me, the state has put a date on me"

- Puerto Muerto w/ The Pine Valley Cosmonauts, The Hangman's Song

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has a page about their death row. It's a fascinating read, complete with statistics and a list of executed prisoners, and soon to be executed prisoners. What's really interesting is that the list of executions from 1983 onwards has info about their crimes and their last statements:

Tucker, Karla

TDCJ #: 777

Race: White

Age: 38

Offender Information

Last Statement

Pinkerton, Jay

TDCJ #: 686

Race: White

Age: 24

Offender Information

Last Statement

Fuller, Justin

TDCJ# 999266

Race: Black

Age: 27

Offender Information

Last Statement

For their last statement some ask for forgiveness from the families of their victims, some proclaim their innocence, some speak to their own families, and some say absolutely nothing.

There are currently three people with scheduled executions. Peter Cantu, a hispanic male from Harris county is due to be executed on August 17th. So remember, on August 17th, in Texas and possibly another state, justice will be served, or they'll be killing a human to prove that killing is wrong. It's up to you to make the decision.