Country Death Song Lyrics
I tried so hard, I never knew still waters.
Nothing to eat and nothing to drink.
Nothing for a man to do but sit around and think.
Nothing for a man to do but sit around and think.
Breathing in the stink, till finally I stunk.
It was at that time, I swear I lost my mind.
I started making plans to kill my own kind.
I started making plans to kill my own kind.
"Put your coat on, we'll have some fun.
We'll go out to the mountains, the one to explore."
Her face, it lit up, I was standing by the door.
Her face, it lit up, I was standing by the door.
We'll go out tonight, we'll go to the caverns.
We'll go out tonight, we'll go to the caves.
Kiss your mother goodnight and remember that God saves.
Kiss your mother goodnight and remember that God saves."
I said "make a wish, make sure and not tell
And close your eyes dear, and count to seven.
Know your papa loves you, good children go to heaven.
Know your papa loves you, good children go to heaven."
I pushed with all my might, I pushed with all my love.
I threw my child into a bottomless pit.
She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit.
She was screaming as she fell, but I never heard her hit.
You wanna know how to take a short trip to hell?
It's guaranteed to get your own place in hell.
Just take your lovely daughter and push her in the well.
Take your lovely daughter and throw her in the well.
You wanna know what will really tear you apart?
I'm going out to the barn, with a never-stoppin' pain...
I'm going out to the barn, to hang myself in shame.
This is about a backwater redneck who goes insane and kills his daughter by throwing her down a well. Later, he hangs himself in a barn. Originally written when Femmes frontman Gordon Gano was a sophomore in high school in study hall.
Song is morbid. However the father isn't really crazy. Faced with starvation the father decides to do what many poor families have done in many cultures throughout history-namely kill the youngest child to save the rest of the family. It was common practice in situations like that to kill the youngest child since many children died in childhood anyway and were the least overall help to the family. In some cases the child would be eaten by the rest of the family.
Hence "pushed with all my love" indicates that he loves her but feels he has no choice. After killing her he can't live with himself and commits suicide.
@aczinke It's the basis for the Hansel & Gretel fable.
@aczinke It's the basis for the Hansel & Gretel fable.
Next to a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter who had come upon such hard times that he could scarcely provide daily bread for his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. Finally he could no longer even manage this, and he did not know where to turn for help.
Next to a great forest there lived a poor woodcutter who had come upon such hard times that he could scarcely provide daily bread for his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. Finally he could no longer even manage this, and he did not know where to turn for help.
One evening as he was lying in bed worrying about his problems, his wife said to him, "Listen, man, early tomorrow take the two children, give each of them a little piece of bread, then lead them into...
One evening as he was lying in bed worrying about his problems, his wife said to him, "Listen, man, early tomorrow take the two children, give each of them a little piece of bread, then lead them into the middle of thickest part of the woods, make a fire for them, and leave them there, for we can no longer feed them."
"No, woman," said the man, "I cannot bring myself to abandon my own children to wild animals that would quickly tear them to pieces."
"If you don't do it," said the woman, "all of us will starve together," and she gave him no peace until he said yes.
This song is a close cousin of 'The Ballad of Hollis Brown' by Bob Dylan thematically, but may or may not have been inspired by it.
This isnt a Black comedy song. Its based on actual events that Gordon Gano read about in the newspaper. The protagonist realy did kill his daughter and hang himself.... Awesome tune tho
Love the song, but boy - having 3 kids, 2 that are daughters - about makes me cry every time I listen to it. I can't help but think of one of them when she is excited to go out with her dad and he does that. Anyone saying it's funny is sick....
This song is creepy, but it's still great.
^ that's awesome, we do crazy shit like that in my studies....well, you know, life gets so boring sometimes.
This song is a great black comedy.
It is also a shining example if the muscial versatility that is the Femmes.
If this song is about killing the youngest for food then why would he push her down a well...where she is unatainable, and would eventually contaminate the water? I totally see where you are goin' with this and seems very logical, but pushing her down a well doesn't seem logical.
@jermstead I always just assumed from the lines "nothing to eat and noting to drink." that he was killing her so there'd be one less mouth to feed.
@jermstead I always just assumed from the lines "nothing to eat and noting to drink." that he was killing her so there'd be one less mouth to feed.
jermstead, aczinke, didnt say the family in the song did that, he just said that in old times families would. he meant the part about just killing off the youngest, or weakest, child bcuz they were just another mouth to feed for the family in the song.