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.
It was as open-and-shut as anything I have seen
He was a pillar of town, his reputation was clean
It was right before Easter in the first week of spring
He didn't show up for service that Wednesday night
The congregation knew something weren't right
Blood on the bed when they opened the door
The preacher was dead on the bedroom floor
Everyone knew there had to be some outside thing that made this happen
Because they seemed like the perfect family
He'd been shot in the back a day before he was found
His wife and three kids were nowhere around
An Amber Alert was issued in town
Everyone was shocked at the scene of the crime
She'd taken the kids across two state lines
Found her in Orange Beach with the kids in the car
Sent back to Selma to await her trial for first-degree murder
Was she crazy or just plain old mean to have gone and done it?
She said she heard the bang and was afraid he'd be mad, and made a run for it
Said, they were having a fight and the gun was a bluff
She didn't pull the trigger, it just went off
Said that he berated her about everything
Make her do things that made her feel so ashamed
Nobody at church would ever suspect
Made her dress up slutty before they had sex
In the courtroom that day there was an audible gasp
What they put up on display the locals couldn't quite grasp
There was an audible gasp in the courtroom that day
When the defense pulled out and displayed
Them high-heeled shoes and that wig he made her wear
Reduced her charge to voluntary manslaughter
And I ain't judging either way, but she's already out of jail
And it was them high-heeled shoes and that wig he made her wear
He was a pillar of town, his reputation was clean
It was right before Easter in the first week of spring
He didn't show up for service that Wednesday night
The congregation knew something weren't right
Blood on the bed when they opened the door
The preacher was dead on the bedroom floor
Everyone knew there had to be some outside thing that made this happen
Because they seemed like the perfect family
He'd been shot in the back a day before he was found
His wife and three kids were nowhere around
An Amber Alert was issued in town
Everyone was shocked at the scene of the crime
She'd taken the kids across two state lines
Found her in Orange Beach with the kids in the car
Sent back to Selma to await her trial for first-degree murder
Was she crazy or just plain old mean to have gone and done it?
She said she heard the bang and was afraid he'd be mad, and made a run for it
Said, they were having a fight and the gun was a bluff
She didn't pull the trigger, it just went off
Said that he berated her about everything
Make her do things that made her feel so ashamed
Nobody at church would ever suspect
Made her dress up slutty before they had sex
In the courtroom that day there was an audible gasp
What they put up on display the locals couldn't quite grasp
There was an audible gasp in the courtroom that day
When the defense pulled out and displayed
Them high-heeled shoes and that wig he made her wear
Reduced her charge to voluntary manslaughter
And I ain't judging either way, but she's already out of jail
And it was them high-heeled shoes and that wig he made her wear
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The lyrics of this song tell a story based on the real trial of Mary Winkler for the murder of her husband, Matthew Winkler, the preacher of a church in Tennessee. Brilliantly handled. The lyrics seemed kind of ironic or mocking to me at first (which would have been funny in itself) but now I think it's more subtle than that. Really great song.
Brilliant storytelling