Tuesday, September 23, 2008

"Killing Jar", a murder ballad


This is my version of "Killing Jar", a little known Richard Thompson murder ballad. In a perfect world it would have been recorded by Johnny Cash. But the original version from the album "Invisible Means" is great too, sounds a bit like a Nick Cave song.





And someone put the original version on youtube:



"My father was a judge, a solitary man
He beat me to cry, with the back of his hand
I played with my sisters, he said I played too rough
It seems to me son, I didn't beat you enough
You're no good. He said I'm no good
You're no good. He said "son, you're no good"

I went for my schooling and I faced the wall
"Tommy Burns" said the teacher, "can you hear me at all?"
I sweep down the hall ways, and I sweep up the grounds
And the boss he tells me that I'm late on my rounds
I'm no good. Oh they say I'm no good
I'm no good. They say I'm no good

I once had a songbird with a broken wing
I cried and I cried. Oh it never would sing
I once had a songbird. The apple of my eye
I put it in the killing jar just to watch him die
I once had a sweet heart. Caught her running around
I hit her with a log chain and I put her in the ground
I once had a sweetheart, oh a pretty little thing
I knelt in her cold grave and I took back my ring
I'm no good. They say I'm no good
I'm no good. You see I'm no good
I'm no good. They say I'm no good
I'm no good. I'm no good"

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Good song, and yes, very Johnny Cash-like.

I glanced at your Youtube page and saw some of the other critical remarks that people left on your videos. I hope they haven't bothered you too much, because those stupid comments are all crap. It takes courage to create something and put it out there for the world to see, while it takes nothing at all to sit back and criticize. This is why I hate "American Idol" and Simon Cowell - I'd like to see him stand up and sing for once! All he does it sit behind and desk and tell people they suck. Who needs him or his kind? As we say in the US: "Opinions are like assholes - everybody's got one."

My Messy Blog said...

Thanks. Nice if I can help spread word about this song, it ought to be more well known.

No, it doesn't bother me too much. And actually I dont think my star ratings on youtube are that bad, considering that these are amateur recordings in bad sound quality. And I really couldnt sing when I started out, so it's quite fair to critisize.