The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Louis Collins took a trip out west
When he returned, little Delia had gone to rest
The angels laid her away
Louis said to Delia
"That's the sad thing with life,
There's people always leavin' just as other folks arrive"
The angels laid her away
When the people heard Delia was dead
All of them gentlemen they dressed in red
The angels laid her away
Angels laid her away
Laid her six feet under the clay
The angels laid her away
Louis went downtown for a new suit of clothes
He's gonna dress up for Delia like a fine red rose
The angels laid him away
He brought a ten-gallon Stetson
It was ox blood red
Stacker Lee shot Louis in the back of the head
The angels laid him away
Oh Stacker Lee said to Louis,
'Oh now don't you grieve. I'm sending you to Delia, you won't ever have to leave.'
The angels laid him away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well the judge was a mean one
His name was Hangin' Billy Lyons
He said "You've always been a bad man, Stack, you gonna hang this time.
The angels lay you away."
And the jailer said to Stacker Lee 'What's the problem with you?"
'Aw jailer, Louis Collins' ghost brought Delia's with him, too."
The angels laid them away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well they buried little Delia
In the church yard deep
With Louis Collins at her head
Stacker Lee at her feet
The angels laid them away
And out of Delia's bed came briars
Out of Louis's bed a rose
Out of Stacker Lee's came Stacker Lee's cold lonely little ghost
Angels laid them away
And I'm looking over rooftops
And I'm hoping that it ain't true
That the same God looks out for them Looks out for me and you
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
When he returned, little Delia had gone to rest
The angels laid her away
Louis said to Delia
"That's the sad thing with life,
There's people always leavin' just as other folks arrive"
The angels laid her away
When the people heard Delia was dead
All of them gentlemen they dressed in red
The angels laid her away
Angels laid her away
Laid her six feet under the clay
The angels laid her away
Louis went downtown for a new suit of clothes
He's gonna dress up for Delia like a fine red rose
The angels laid him away
He brought a ten-gallon Stetson
It was ox blood red
Stacker Lee shot Louis in the back of the head
The angels laid him away
Oh Stacker Lee said to Louis,
'Oh now don't you grieve. I'm sending you to Delia, you won't ever have to leave.'
The angels laid him away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well the judge was a mean one
His name was Hangin' Billy Lyons
He said "You've always been a bad man, Stack, you gonna hang this time.
The angels lay you away."
And the jailer said to Stacker Lee 'What's the problem with you?"
'Aw jailer, Louis Collins' ghost brought Delia's with him, too."
The angels laid them away
Angels laid him away
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away
Well they buried little Delia
In the church yard deep
With Louis Collins at her head
Stacker Lee at her feet
The angels laid them away
And out of Delia's bed came briars
Out of Louis's bed a rose
Out of Stacker Lee's came Stacker Lee's cold lonely little ghost
Angels laid them away
And I'm looking over rooftops
And I'm hoping that it ain't true
That the same God looks out for them Looks out for me and you
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Angels laid them away
Lyrics submitted by SkylinePigeon
Folk Bloodbath Lyrics as written by Joshua Ritter
Lyrics © DUCHAMP, INC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is a mashup of numerous old songs. I didn't know about "peter and the dragon", apparently it is also a mishmash of his own stuff too. Here are the songs I've picked out of it.
Louis Collins - Old blues song about the murder of, who guessed it, Louis Collins. This is main song Josh used to build Folk Bloodbath.
Delia (aka Delia's Gone) - Old blues song about the real murder of Delia Green in Savannah GA.
Stag O'Lee (aka Staggerlee, Stackalee) - This is a very old blues song. The legend of Stack Lee might be older even than the actual murder he committed when he killed Billy Lyon's over a Stetson hat.
Barbara Allen - This is a REALLY old song. It's from Ireland/Scotland/England but noone knows exactly were. The verse about being buried together and a rose and brair growing from thier graves is from this song.
Oh, and for good measure "Hanging" Billy Lyon's is a reference to the "Hanging Judge" Isaac Parker who was famous in the West for his willingness to give out the death sentence as a Federal Judge in the late 1800's.
I pointedly remember the part about the briar and the rose, because Barbara Allen is one of my favorite folk songs. There are many old folk songs mentioning "Sweet William," so when I heard Josh reference that song, I thought perhaps he might have made made mention of other songs as well. I was both elated and disappointed to discover I was right. On one hand, the way he put together the mash of lyrics and set it to music was brilliant. But on the flip side, hardly any of his actual lyrics were original, just the order it was in was new. I love Josh Ritter, and I adore his music, but I'm not sure whether to view this song as i'm sure he most likely meant it, (as a tribute) or as blatant plagiarism.
Just been to see Mr Ritter at the Barbican. He said that this song is a comedy. He explained that American folk music originated in Great Britain, and traditional folk music from Britain told a story that generally went along the lines of "here's a guy, and then he dies". Josh said that you never got a reason as to why he died, but somewhere as this music came across the pond American folk singers started to tag a moral onto the end.
Josh said that he always found it funny that American folk singers felt the need to attach some sort of moral or meaning to the song, so decided to go back to basics and just make a song in which people die and that's that, hence the title. So the song, it seems, is a nod to American folk's roots and a lighthearted dig at old folk and blues songs.
Bambini, I was there too last night. What an amazing gig! This song was brilliant and it's great to hear folk songs without the moral!
This is a song he's only done live, so I did my best with the lyrics. :) There's performance videos on youtube if you haven't heard it!
I've never heard this song but I've read over these lyrics a bunch of times and I really like it. I hope the music is as good as the lyrics
the line "i'm looking over rooftops and i'm hoping that it ain't true" is from peter killed the dragon.
"Stacker Lee" is usually written as "Stack O'Lee", though I've seen it with different spellings (e.g. "Stagger Lee") so perhaps it's just as well the way you have it. In the old blues song about Stack O'Lee, it's Billy Lyons (sometimes Billy De Lyon) who buys the stetson hat and who gets shot by Stack O'Lee, ostensibly over the hat. I like how Billy Lyons gets him back this time :)
Anyone know the presumably pre-existing story about Louis Collins and Delia?
tpeverett, what is "peter killed the dragon"? Is it a Josh Ritter song?
nsteinme: Yep, "Peter Killed the Dragon" is a song off Josh's 2007 EP: "Live at the Record Exchange" and that same line references doubt about God on both songs. <br /> <br /> Delia was the name of Billy's wife; while Louis Collins is from another folk song's murder victim - where the women all 'dress in red'. Ritter loves finding parallels - check out his references to Casey at the Bat & Casey Jones in "To the Dogs or Whomever".<br /> <br /> "Louis Collins" and "Stack O'Lee" were both recorded (and I believe written) by Mississippi John Hurt (who coincidentally recorded a "Best of" album at Ritter's alma mater, Oberln College - but about a decade before Ritter's birth).
Louis Collins and Delia are also old folk songs about real murders. I was able to find information about these on Wikipedia. Apparently all three of these murders take place in the African American community.
A great version of Louis Collins was recorded by Mississippi John Hurt...
Some other songs telling the stories of Delia, Stack O'Lee, and Louis Collins:
Blind Willie McTell, "Delia" Bob Dylan, "Delia" Mississippi John Hurt, "Angels Laid Him Away" Mississippi John Hurt, "Stack O Lee" Mississippi John Hurt, "Louis Collins" Johnny Cash, "Delia's Gone"
I've loved this since the first time I witnessed Josh do it live; in a big club here. I thought I got it and what he was going for - what with all the folk song references; and he did allude in his introduction to everyone dying. I wanted to mention, on the same multiple-reference tip, that Bob Dylan's "Tryin' to Get to Heaven" also refers to several traditional songs, from "Miss Mary Jane" to "Goin' Down the Road"; and really works as a very deep meditation on life and mortality as Dylan faced his own, being then a man with a fungus around his heart. It's on "Time Out of Mind" (1997), and was covered by Robyn Hitchcock (with slight lyric changes) by Robyn Hitchcock with Gillian Welch & David Rawlings on the album 'Spooked' (2004). Robyn of course has done and released a great many Dylan songs. Thanks for your other thoughts on Josh's song. == Rev. Dan