Sunday Song Lyric:
What's the top "law" song? According to ATL, it's "I Fought the Law" as performed by The Clash. The song was originally recorded by Sonny Curtis and the Crickets, but was popularized by Bobby Fuller before being immortalized by The Clash. The lyrics are incredibly simple — the title is repeated again and again — but the song is still quite catchy. Here's a taste:
Breakin' rocks in the hot sun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I needed money 'cause I had none
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I left my baby and it feels so bad
Guess my race is run
She's the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
also
I Shot the Sheriff (But I Could Not Shoot the Deputy)
Hartsfield-JacksonAbove The Law listed "I Fought the Law" twice in their top ten, instead of leaving a slot open for another law song. Say, the classic metal song that explains why we have lawyers to begin with: "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest!Arguably, Styx's "Renegade" is a law-related song, although "Hallowed Be Thy Name" by Iron Maiden is a way more rockin' song about a guy going to the gallows.
I want two dinosaur eggs over easy
fried Duke of Perch not too greasy
mosquito meat, black eyed peas
and a little bit of butter and a be bop bee.
A sabertooth tiger steak, a whole hippopotumus well baked...
I'm going to beat Randy R. to the "every story has a gay angle" punch, and note that the singer for Judas Priest at the time of the album "British Steel" is gay.
Ha! I win, Randy!
Robbin' people with a six gun
(sfx from drum: bang, bang, bang bang bang, bang)
I fought, etc.
But I must disagree when you say "the clash immortalized it." Bobby Fuller certainly immortalized it--when I first started listening to r n r seriously, (mid 70's, as a break from my law school classes) the son was regarded as a classic,and that's before teh clash existed. Magnificent song, though. One of these days, look up Fuller's life--or rather, death. Supposedly suicide by drinking gasoline--not the most usual way, non?
And supposedly before he committed suicide,he beat himself around the head and shoulders, producing severe bruising.
I'd say foul play was involved, and there are many who think the same thing.
I fought the law and the law won"
Another happy ending.
And let's not forget Moby Grape's Murder in My Heart for the Judge. Yes it's esoteric, but the lyrics are stark:
I Walked into the courtroom,
Know this was gonna bring me down.
And that big fat bald representative of justice
And the prosecutor began to frown.
I'm sorry, sorry for the things I've done
I sure want to change my evil ways.
And the judge looked down at me and said
For getting smart boy, gonna give you
More years than a lifetime.
That failing, I think "Riot Van" by the Arctic Monkeys offers a well-sketched portrait that might be fittingly subtitled "I Goofed around with The Law and The Law Won":
"i shot a man in reno. just to watch him die"
simple. to the point.
cop killer by Ice-T ? :)
with all seriousness, i gotta go with breakin' the law by judas priest, as a great song. one that got beavis and butthead a head-bangin. as much as i like "i fought the law"...
also, "secret agent man" is good. i like the spanish version best.
rage against the machine, in all their marxist glory, also have several really good songs that fit the bill for great law songs.
"In Jail In Jacksonville"- Root Boy Slim &The Sex Change Band
"Christmas In Jail"-The Youngsters
and a favorite twist on a country lyric cited above
"I shot Janet Reno just to watch her die"!!!
I told the Judge there was two trees and I went between em'
He said, "Ya from what I hear in your condition that's the way that you seen em"
He slammed down that hammer &he gave me 90 longs days
I had a sweet little honey just two six packs away.
"You better not gamble, there, you better not fight, at all
Or the sheriff will grab ya and the boys will bring you down.
The next thing you know, boy, Oh! You're prison bound."
or...When You're Hot, You're Hot, by Jerry Reed
"Well, now every time I rolled them dice I'd win
And I was just gettin' ready to roll 'em again
When I heard somethin' behind me
I turned around and there was a big old cop
He said "Hello, boys" and then he gave us a grin 'n' said
"Look like I'm gonna hafta haul you all in
And keep all that money for evidence"
In contrast, Johnnie Cash had never spent a night in jail when he wrote Folsom Prison Blues, nor did he know much about the criminal justice system. It's pretty hard to end up in Folsom prison (California) for shooting a man in Reno (Nevada) -- unless it's a parole violation, in which case you'd still do the Nevada time first. (Nor is it likely that there was ever a train that rolled past Folsom Prison "on down to San Anton.") It's still a great song of course.
Robbin' people with a . . . SIX gun
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
I Fought the Law and the ... law won
But my vote is for John Prine's "Christmas in Prison":
"It was Christmas in prison
and the food was real good
we had turkey
and pistols carved out of wood. . . "
It's "Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll", not "Cops, Rules and Rock'n'Roll".
Appointed foreeeever, annointed foreeeeever
If I screw up, I get reversed
But that takes foreeever
And happens almost
Neveeeeerrrr...
How about Toby Keith?
"A man had to answer for the wicked that he'd done
Take all the rope in Texas
Find a tall oak tree, round up all of them bad boys
Hang them high in the street"
i saw an interview with Aerosmith not too long ago, and it was more like "Wheatgrass, Oatbran, and Viagra"
The Clash have some other great songs related to the law:
"Know Your Rights"
"The Clampdown"
"Police on My Back"
"Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith
"DOA" by Van Halen
"Express Yourself" by NWA
"Truckin" by the Grateful Dead
"And Justice for All" by Metallica
And Creedence does a stupendous version of "The Midnight Special".
of course... as immortalized by the dead milkmen
"We went to a shopping mall and laughed at all the shoppers
And security guards trailed us to a record shop
We asked for Mojo Nixon, they said "He don't work here"
We said "If you don't have Mojo Nixon, then your store could use some fixin'"
any musician with the lyric "she put a louisiana liplock on my love pork chop" is ok with me!
Ducks Deluxe did the best version of "I Fought the Law."
Martina McBride's "My Baby Loves Me" is a clear ripoff of I Faught the Law."
Well, see ya...
The Bobby Fuller Four were originally from El Paso, Texas. My dad's friend growing up was the younger brother of the four's drummer, and sat in on some of their garage sessions in the late 50's.
Sadly, Fuller was the original one-hit wonder: shortly after he made it big with "I Fought The Law," he was found dead in LA of an apparent suicide at the age of 22, though some believe he was murdered.
(Sure, the lyrics are cheesy. But Tina's got nice legs....)
Sample lyrics at end:
Indiana wants me
Lord, I can't go back there
Indiana wants me
Lord, I can't go back there
(spoken as the last lines are sung)
This is the police. You are surrounded. Give yourself up.
This is the police. Give yourself up. You are surrounded.
(gunshots sound and song fades)
cool hand luke quote:
Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box. There's no playing grab-ass or fighting in the building. You got a grudge against another man, you fight him Saturday afternoon. Any man playing grab-ass or fighting in the building spends a night in the box. First bell's at five minutes of eight when you will get in your bunk. Last bell is at eight. Any man not in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box. There is no smoking in the prone position in bed. To smoke you must have both legs over the side of your bunk. Any man caught smoking in the prone position in bed... spends a night in the box. You get two sheets. Every Saturday, you put the clean sheet on the top... the top sheet on the bottom... and the bottom sheet you turn in to the laundry boy. Any man turns in the wrong sheet spends a night in the box. No one'll sit in the bunks with dirty pants on. Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a night in the box. Any man don't bring back his empty pop bottle spends a night in the box. Any man loud talking spends a night in the box. You got questions, you come to me. I'm Carr, the floor walker. I'm responsible for order in here. Any man don't keep order spends a night in...
That's such a great movie. The last time I watched it, though, I came away with the distinct impression that I had misinterpreted it all these years, and that rather than being a celebration of the rugged individualist, it was in fact a sharp and harsh condemnation of his ultimately selfish series of life-choices.
"Gallow's Pole" by many people but made most famous by Zeppelin
"I'm In the Jailhouse Now"
There's another famous one from the English folk rock school, but right now I can't remember the song or the band name...so.
Ironically, today's Watergate burglar is a CIPAV/Trojan horse artist who get their rocks off destroying disabled Americans disability computers prescribed by their doctors.
"The Night Chicago Died" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (or by Paper Lace, depending on where you're from).
re: Cool Hand Luke - that must have been one crowded box.
Wait, wasn't that a band name?
We went one day about a month ago (a-ha-ha)
To have a little fu-un (a-ha) Mexico
We ended up in a gambling spot (oh yeah) a-ha-ha
Where the liquor flow-owed and the dice were hot
So here we a-are in the Tijuana Jail
Ain't got no frie-ends to go our bail
So here we'll sta-ay ‘cause we can't pa-a-a-a-ay
Just send our ma-ail to the Tijuana Jail
F*ck that sh*t cuz I ain't one,
for a Punk Mother F*cker with a badge and a gun.
That just might be it. But I remembered the band name at least...Fairport Convention. It's the one that has the repeated Turn turn again line that is very common in English Folk Songs...but I think this one was written by Sandy Denny.
"Sonny Boy Williamson" had rather flexible and modern ideas as to the law. He took the moniker of another blues man, his real name being Rice Miller. You see, he had the greatest trademark attorney in the entire Blues World, Rumpole of the Way, Way, Way Down in the Alley.