9 of the Most Disturbing Country Songs

A expected setting for The Cold Hard Facts of Life. Photo as well as underline photo: jitze

Murder, paralysis, cheating, celebration as well as assault: the world of nation music is rife with tales of loss, yet these songs pierce something additional to the table, namely the gun or the will to die.

This list is to the single side comparison country, as well as by which you meant pre 80s, the reason being which you can hardly give up from ripping my own ears off when stuck in an conveyor or grocery listening to the likes of Christmas Shoes or any array of sappy, new, drama-queeny nation songs.

They dont write em similar to they used to. Country music used to be about counting your blessings or crying in your beer, so crack the Schlitz, corkscrew down to the fool around list as well as glow it up, as well as review about 9 of the many unfortunate nation songs of all time (that dont have you feel similar to throwing up).

Teddy Bear

The initial time you listened this strain you was certain it was the joke.* This the single is about the crippled small boy upon the CB air wave talking to truckers since he misses his passed trucker daddy. Its told from the point of the long-hauler as he listens to Teddy Bears depressing story, reproduced by Red Sovine in the cracking, teary drawl.

Teddy Bear says, Mom has to work right divided to have ends meet / And Im not many help with my two crippled feet, as well as But you know right divided Ill never get the ride upon 18-wheeler again. After several mins of this, the trucker is overcome with emotion:

Well you came back as well as you said, Before you go 10-10,
Whats your home 20 small CB friend?
He gave me his residence as well as you didnt once hesitate,
Cause this hot bucket of burden would usually have to wait.

It was the simpler time, when small crippled boys could give their addresses out by CB ! as well as the lone trucker could be repelled by 18-wheelerslined up for 3 city blocks as the gaggle of like-minded highway warriors took the child out for the spin, the single after another.

Nice grip, Teddy Bear.

The trucker says, Well you improved hold you took my spin ridin Teddy Bear, as well as relates how all the truckers threw together the small income for him prior to they went upon their ways.

The genuine shocker is the end when Mama Teddy Bear gets home to the pile of income as well as her childs account of being taken out upon the open highway by the array of bizarre men. Instead of calling the police, she gets upon the CB herself as well as thanks the truckers for their generosity.

I know Ive already pronounced enough about this song, yet feel its additionally value observant which due to its popularity, the spinoff was born. Teddy Bears Last Ride was sung by Capitol Records Diana Williams as well as never reached the recognition of the original song.

* you thought this the initial time you listened The Black Eyed Peas My Humps, too, as well as Im not certain you can be assured otherwise to this day.The Banks of the Ohio

The story is simple. Boy meets girl. Boy proposes matrimony to girl. Girl declines. Boy drowns lady in the stream as well as watches her float away.

This strain has been available by many together with Johnny Cash, who adds the stabbing to the mix, which seems to hang around for subsequent recordings by the likes of Joan Baez as well as Pete Seger.

The many tedious chronicle (and the usually the single to ever chart) was Olivia Newton-Johns soulless cover which seems to borrow heavily from Joan Baezs more absolute rendition.

Delias Gone

According to the full of fine words as well as bizarrely speculative account by Sean Wiletnz in the Princeton Alumni Weekly, the strain was traced by contributor John Garst to the genui! ne incid ent . On Christmas day, 1900, Delia Green, 14, died of the gunshot wound to the groin after calling her boyfriend the son of the bitch after he admitted to her loudly as well as in mixed company, You know you have had you as many times as you have fingers as well as toes. Both attacker as well as victim were 14 years old.

One of the earliest available (blues) versions is by Blind Willie McTell, which you can listen to here during Murder by Gaslight. The strain changed greatly as it trafficked to the Caribbean, came back to the US, as well as in the future moved in to the nation world. The the single youre many expected to listen to is the Johnny Cash version, included in the playlist, which ends charmingly enough:

So if your womans devilish
You can let her run,
Or you can pierce her down and
Do her similar to Delia got done.The Blizzard

A PETA anthem if there ever was one, Jim Reeves The Blizzard follows the thoughts of the male as he freezes to genocide perplexing to awaken his lame pony, Dan, home.

Poor Dan. Photo: Carrot Mama

Starting from seven miles away, the anecdotist describes his fingers as well as toes going numb as he fantasizes about Mary Annes biscuits as well as talks to Dan about his nice, comfortable barn.

One hundred yards from the house, he loses steam. They find him there upon the plains, his hands frozen to the reins since he couldnt leave ol Dan. Im certain which made for the nice surprise for Mary Anne.

The strain was released 3 years prior to Reeves own genocide as he crashed the craft he piloted in the Tennessee thunderstorm. To my knowledge, no the single has created the strain about that.

Ruby, Dont Take Your Love to Town

Made famous by Kenny Rogers in 1969, Ruby is an additional story about adore gone horribly wrong. This time the anecdotist is the Vietnam veteran whose legs are bent as well as paralyzed. He watches, ca! ptive, a s Ruby dolls herself up to take her adore to town. Parallels can be drawn between this as well as Cashs Dont Take Your Guns to Town, the womans sexuality the terminal weapon.

The last hymn is when the story gets really ugly:

Shes leavin right divided cause you listened the slammin of the door
The way you know Ive listened it slam the single hundred times before.
And if you could pierce Id get my gun as well as put her in the ground.
Oh Ruby, dont take your adore to town.
Oh Ruby, God sakes, spin around.Fist City

Loretta Lynns Fist City was array the single upon Billboard Hot Country Singles in Apr of 1968. Among Lynns songs about infidelity, alcoholism as well as poverty, this the single stands out for rhyming violent threats as well as put-downs. A womans father is intrigue as well as in true nation form, its the alternative lady rsther than than the intrigue father who is blamed.

It opens strong:

Youve been makin your brags around locale which youve been the lovin with my man.
But the male you adore when he picks up trash he puts it in the rubbish can.
And thats what you look similar to to me as well as what you see is the pity.
Youd improved tighten your face as well as stay out of my way
If you dont wanta go to Fist City.

And the chorus is priceless. Its tough to suppose petite Lynn grabbing anyone by the hair of the head as well as lifting her off of the ground, yet thats what she threatens to do.

Cold Hard Facts of Life

From the beginning of this song, you know somethings gone wrong, due to the refrain, you didnt know the cold tough contribution of life, yet you dont know how horribly wrong until the end.

A male comes home early from the outing out of town, imagines startling his mother with champagne as well as candle light, stops during the wine store, as well as sees the bizarre male during the counter bragging about the celebration with the lady whose father is out of town. They leave during about the same time as well as he notices whic! h they a re receiving the same track divided from the store, yet its not until the foreigner pulls up in front of his own residence which he realizes whats going on.

He drinks the fifth of courage as well as things go downhill quickly. We can usually assume the mother as well as the alternative male were killed after They screamed as well as cried, Please put divided which knife, since the last 3 lines of the strain are:

I theory Ill go to ruin or Ill rot here in this cell.
But who taught who the cold tough contribution of life?
Who taught who the cold tough contribution of life?Long Black Veil

Long Black Veil was popularized by Lefty Frizzell in 1959 as well as has become the nation classical performed as well as released by the Kingston Trio, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Band, as well as many recently as well as unfortunately by The Dave Matthews Band.

She wanders these mountainous nation in the prolonged
veil. Photo: prudencebrown121

Its told by the dead, yet apparently still observant categorical character, who is indicted of murder as well as hanged to genocide for it. In the second verse, you find out because he keeps wordless as to his whereabouts during the time of the killing when asked by the judge. you spoke not the word yet it meant my hold up / For you had been in the arms of my many appropriate friends wife.

The chorus goes:

She walks these mountainous nation in the prolonged black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows, nobody sees
Nobody knows yet me.

And really, this doesnt have clarity if you consider about it. The usually the single who knows isnt the lady who walks the mountainous nation in the prolonged black veil, yet the passed male lead who can still conduct to sing? And doesnt her father consider somethings the small bizarre when she goes out after the hanging of his many appropriate f! riend to wander the mountainous nation in the prolonged black veil?

In the playlist, Ive included the honeyed chronicle with Joni Mitchell as well as Johnny Cash whose chilling harmonies might help you forget which the strain creates small sense.

Coward of the County

A still from the made for TV movie Coward of the County.

Told from the point of perspective of the male lead Tommys uncle, Coward of the County is the single of the many involved tales of nation suspense Ive ever heard. In the initial verse, you see which Tommy is well known in the county as yellow for his cowardly ways. Then you find out why. You see, Tommys father died in prison, as well as his dying instruct is repeated via the strain as the chorus:

Promise me, son, not to do the things Ive done.
Walk divided from difficulty if you can.
It wont meant youre weak if you spin the alternative cheek.
I goal youre old enough to understand.
Son, you dont have to quarrel to be the man!

Despite his mild reputation, Tommy finds adore in Becky as well as the single day whilst hes during work, 3 brothers force their way in to Tommy as well as Beckys home as well as squad rape her. Tommy comes home to find his honey pie the wreck as well as hunts down the Gatlin brothers where theyre celebration in the bar, locks them in as well as (probably) murders them all. The moral of the story?

Sometimes you have to quarrel when youre the man.

This strain was incited in to the TV movie featuring Kenny Rogers himself as Uncle Matthew as well as set in WWII which aired in 1981. It hit array 3 upon the Billboard top 100 in 1979.

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