songwriters frequent many wells and
sometimes they just happen to contain a
body welcome to watchmojo.com and today
we’ll be counting down our picks for the
top ten songs about murder
Oh
for this list with chosen songs ranked
by acclaim and notoriety
each one has reference a murder in a
specific way no allusions to a crime or
big ramblings from a lunatic like the
one found in the Talking Heads psycho
killer
miss Kazue we’re also featuring songs
that have a somewhat malicious tone
unlike the Beatles paradoxically upbeat
Maxwell’s silver hammer but as she’s
getting comes on number ten murder was
the case Snoop Doggy Dogg has been the
sky my mind stores tripping but gia
drops my eyes the dog father weaves
quite an uncharacteristic tale in this
song after getting gunned down in a
drive-by Snoop reveals his final
thoughts as life escapes his body
Freedman dan must retain miss deal gone
I’m Wanda Katie save me I can’t doubt my
boo boos bad to have my baby he thinks
of his pregnant wife then God and then
hears a voice that is thought to be the
devil before closing his eyes Snoop
wakes up from a coma but is soon sent to
prison for a presumed revenge murder
I’m on my way that she no Roman owned
the great Roche it ends with the
description of his incarcerated homey
getting a pencil in his neck before the
song flatlines thanks my little homie
baby please if a pencil when this neck
any probably won’t wait just c22 I’ll
put that on my mom my whole bride for
you baby full
number nine Delilah
Tom Jones on the night better passed by
who this 60s classic tells the story of
a man who discovers his lover in bed
with another man a day when that man
drove away I was late wielding a knife
he knocks on her door and she answers
with a sadistic laugh that’s enough to
drive the man to murder as he plunges
the knife into her until she dies
my
Tom Jones belts out the thoughts of the
man in the chorus as he cries despairs
the act and asks for forgiveness it is
too late of course Delilah is dead and
the police are coming but the music and
the vocals are still beautiful
number eight pumped up kicks’
foster the people it may take a few
lessons to get past that catchy bassline
but this is a surprisingly dark tune
told from the perspective of a school
shooter pumped up kicks’ became a giant
hit in spite of its subject matter
dealing with bullying gun control and
mental illness Pumped Up Kicks paints a
vivid portrait of the horrific violence
that has become common within North
American schools the shooter in question
with his aversion to Pumped Up Kicks or
fashionable shoes for the layman is
described as killing classmates before
turning the gun on his father
number seven Murder Inc dr. Dre
featuring hitman and Miss ROC murder can
be a gritty fact of life in the ghetto
and as such has long been a staple of
gangster rap Murder Inc is a perfect
example of this as dr. Dre many years
removed from his days in dangerous
Compton California still evokes the
mindset of the streets featured on his
2001 solo album the song tells of a few
instances where murder was committed
each with a clear purpose whether it be
for money drugs or revenge it’s all in
the game as Omar would say Oh in the
game yo number 6 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
while the song touches on many different
topics and is more an epic narrative
rather than a single theme to expose the
central theme is about murder
just killed a man
I gotta get my tree good night mama just
killed a man says the unknown narrator
who leaves it ambiguous as to who the
killer and the victim are
there’s as many interpretations as there
are segways in the song with some
believing that the lyrics are purely
allegorical that they reference Freddie
Mercury’s personal traumas and others
have noted its similarities to dust ax
keys novel crime and punishment
all we know is that it’s a compositional
wonder number five Folsom Prison Blues
Johnny Cash
Folsom Prison Blues is country’s darkest
anthem an ode to a prisoner a
cold-blooded killer who shot a man in
Reno just to watch him die the darkest
motive for murder Johnny Cash could
think of shot a man in Reno just to
watch him
perfectly parsed and a masterpiece and
brevity Cash’s lyrics evoke a picture of
a regretful man whose destiny lives in
Folsom Prison and the man’s untouchable
freedom in the form of a train that
whistles outside the walls well is they
freed me
roll trails my
this is among caches most famous songs
both its original recorded version and
it’s legendary live version the latter
of which was recorded in Folsom Prison
itself
number four Stan
Eminem featuring Dido swim hello – what
you still ain’t calling I left my cell
my pager and my home phone at the bottom
Eminem’s mind is a rather dark place if
his lyrics are anything to go by one of
the familiar themes is murder which is
featured prominently in the highly
controversial Kim Eminem’s hit track off
the same album titled Stan explores the
themes further through a dialogue
between the wrapper and a crazed fan who
after writing to Eminem and receiving no
response has a breakdown resulting in
the deaths of his girlfriend and their
unborn child I’m almost at the fringe
now oh I forgot my phone
the song is quite emotional and thanks
to Dido’s background vocals packs a
uniquely poignant punch
Thunder with drunk drove his car or a
bridge
and in the car I found a chain but it is
safe we would soon come to think about
it his name was Sue number three I shot
the sheriff Bob Marley Bob Marley was a
strong advocate for peace and justice
themes that can be found in the majority
of his work
I shot the sheriff maybe the most
representative of those beliefs as it
details a seemingly just man killing an
unjust sheriff but being falsely accused
of slaying the deputy Marley paints
quite the ethical problem in the song
though it may not appear that way on the
surface the man admits to murdering the
sheriff as he believes it was his right
to do so but he denies killing the
deputy as that would be barbaric in his
eyes
ah
number two Janie’s got a gun Arrowsmith
got a gun
got a gun Janie’s got a gun is notorious
for its dark subject matter despite
being a top-five billboard hit and a
radio mainstay in the 1990s
centering around a woman who was
molested as an infant and seeks fatal
revenge on her rapist father Aerosmith
really jumped out of the confines of
standard rock lyricism
some commercial backlash was feared
however with Steven Tyler opting to
self-censor and remove the word raped
from the lyrics while Janie does kill
her father the song stops short of
glorifying murder by making the listener
understand her motivation
before we unveil our number one pick
here are a few honorable mentions this
is
the gazelle
riding fast in their sleep all the 1027
be number one hey Joe the Jimi Hendrix
Experience
while not written by Jimi Hendrix and
recorded by a host of artists in the
mid-1960s hey Joe is undeniably classic
Jimi Hendrix where are you going with
that gun in your hand asks the narrator
leading Joe to lay out his entire plan
motive and method of escape
this dialogue continues throughout the
song both before and after the murder
but Joe’s answers are so sober and
convincing that it’s easy to understand
his actions
while it could be grim hey Joe is
instead a mesmerizing to a lesson in
lyrical and literary storytelling and
one of rock’s greatest entities
so do you agree with our list what’s
your favorite song with dark undertones
better all had to
for more macabre toptenz published daily
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
sometimes they just happen to contain a
body welcome to watchmojo.com and today
we’ll be counting down our picks for the
top ten songs about murder
Oh
for this list with chosen songs ranked
by acclaim and notoriety
each one has reference a murder in a
specific way no allusions to a crime or
big ramblings from a lunatic like the
one found in the Talking Heads psycho
killer
miss Kazue we’re also featuring songs
that have a somewhat malicious tone
unlike the Beatles paradoxically upbeat
Maxwell’s silver hammer but as she’s
getting comes on number ten murder was
the case Snoop Doggy Dogg has been the
sky my mind stores tripping but gia
drops my eyes the dog father weaves
quite an uncharacteristic tale in this
song after getting gunned down in a
drive-by Snoop reveals his final
thoughts as life escapes his body
Freedman dan must retain miss deal gone
I’m Wanda Katie save me I can’t doubt my
boo boos bad to have my baby he thinks
of his pregnant wife then God and then
hears a voice that is thought to be the
devil before closing his eyes Snoop
wakes up from a coma but is soon sent to
prison for a presumed revenge murder
I’m on my way that she no Roman owned
the great Roche it ends with the
description of his incarcerated homey
getting a pencil in his neck before the
song flatlines thanks my little homie
baby please if a pencil when this neck
any probably won’t wait just c22 I’ll
put that on my mom my whole bride for
you baby full
number nine Delilah
Tom Jones on the night better passed by
who this 60s classic tells the story of
a man who discovers his lover in bed
with another man a day when that man
drove away I was late wielding a knife
he knocks on her door and she answers
with a sadistic laugh that’s enough to
drive the man to murder as he plunges
the knife into her until she dies
my
Tom Jones belts out the thoughts of the
man in the chorus as he cries despairs
the act and asks for forgiveness it is
too late of course Delilah is dead and
the police are coming but the music and
the vocals are still beautiful
number eight pumped up kicks’
foster the people it may take a few
lessons to get past that catchy bassline
but this is a surprisingly dark tune
told from the perspective of a school
shooter pumped up kicks’ became a giant
hit in spite of its subject matter
dealing with bullying gun control and
mental illness Pumped Up Kicks paints a
vivid portrait of the horrific violence
that has become common within North
American schools the shooter in question
with his aversion to Pumped Up Kicks or
fashionable shoes for the layman is
described as killing classmates before
turning the gun on his father
number seven Murder Inc dr. Dre
featuring hitman and Miss ROC murder can
be a gritty fact of life in the ghetto
and as such has long been a staple of
gangster rap Murder Inc is a perfect
example of this as dr. Dre many years
removed from his days in dangerous
Compton California still evokes the
mindset of the streets featured on his
2001 solo album the song tells of a few
instances where murder was committed
each with a clear purpose whether it be
for money drugs or revenge it’s all in
the game as Omar would say Oh in the
game yo number 6 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen
while the song touches on many different
topics and is more an epic narrative
rather than a single theme to expose the
central theme is about murder
just killed a man
I gotta get my tree good night mama just
killed a man says the unknown narrator
who leaves it ambiguous as to who the
killer and the victim are
there’s as many interpretations as there
are segways in the song with some
believing that the lyrics are purely
allegorical that they reference Freddie
Mercury’s personal traumas and others
have noted its similarities to dust ax
keys novel crime and punishment
all we know is that it’s a compositional
wonder number five Folsom Prison Blues
Johnny Cash
Folsom Prison Blues is country’s darkest
anthem an ode to a prisoner a
cold-blooded killer who shot a man in
Reno just to watch him die the darkest
motive for murder Johnny Cash could
think of shot a man in Reno just to
watch him
perfectly parsed and a masterpiece and
brevity Cash’s lyrics evoke a picture of
a regretful man whose destiny lives in
Folsom Prison and the man’s untouchable
freedom in the form of a train that
whistles outside the walls well is they
freed me
roll trails my
this is among caches most famous songs
both its original recorded version and
it’s legendary live version the latter
of which was recorded in Folsom Prison
itself
number four Stan
Eminem featuring Dido swim hello – what
you still ain’t calling I left my cell
my pager and my home phone at the bottom
Eminem’s mind is a rather dark place if
his lyrics are anything to go by one of
the familiar themes is murder which is
featured prominently in the highly
controversial Kim Eminem’s hit track off
the same album titled Stan explores the
themes further through a dialogue
between the wrapper and a crazed fan who
after writing to Eminem and receiving no
response has a breakdown resulting in
the deaths of his girlfriend and their
unborn child I’m almost at the fringe
now oh I forgot my phone
the song is quite emotional and thanks
to Dido’s background vocals packs a
uniquely poignant punch
Thunder with drunk drove his car or a
bridge
and in the car I found a chain but it is
safe we would soon come to think about
it his name was Sue number three I shot
the sheriff Bob Marley Bob Marley was a
strong advocate for peace and justice
themes that can be found in the majority
of his work
I shot the sheriff maybe the most
representative of those beliefs as it
details a seemingly just man killing an
unjust sheriff but being falsely accused
of slaying the deputy Marley paints
quite the ethical problem in the song
though it may not appear that way on the
surface the man admits to murdering the
sheriff as he believes it was his right
to do so but he denies killing the
deputy as that would be barbaric in his
eyes
ah
number two Janie’s got a gun Arrowsmith
got a gun
got a gun Janie’s got a gun is notorious
for its dark subject matter despite
being a top-five billboard hit and a
radio mainstay in the 1990s
centering around a woman who was
molested as an infant and seeks fatal
revenge on her rapist father Aerosmith
really jumped out of the confines of
standard rock lyricism
some commercial backlash was feared
however with Steven Tyler opting to
self-censor and remove the word raped
from the lyrics while Janie does kill
her father the song stops short of
glorifying murder by making the listener
understand her motivation
before we unveil our number one pick
here are a few honorable mentions this
is
the gazelle
riding fast in their sleep all the 1027
be number one hey Joe the Jimi Hendrix
Experience
while not written by Jimi Hendrix and
recorded by a host of artists in the
mid-1960s hey Joe is undeniably classic
Jimi Hendrix where are you going with
that gun in your hand asks the narrator
leading Joe to lay out his entire plan
motive and method of escape
this dialogue continues throughout the
song both before and after the murder
but Joe’s answers are so sober and
convincing that it’s easy to understand
his actions
while it could be grim hey Joe is
instead a mesmerizing to a lesson in
lyrical and literary storytelling and
one of rock’s greatest entities
so do you agree with our list what’s
your favorite song with dark undertones
better all had to
for more macabre toptenz published daily
be sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
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