Firearms in Song

[PaulKersey3]

Big Iron
Marty Robbins

(It was early in the morning when he rode into the town
He came riding from the south side, slowly lookin' all around
"He's an outlaw loose and runnin'", came a whisper from each lip
"And he's here to do some business with a big iron on his hip,
big iron on his hip"

In this town there lived an outlaw by the name of Texas Red
Many men had tried to take him and that many men were dead
He was vicious and a killer, though a youth of twenty four
And the notches on his pistol numbered one and nineteen more)

 

[evan price]

"He got a 32 gun in his pocket for fun. He got a razor in his shoe."
--Bad, Bad Leroy Brown Jim Croce

"Tell Sanchito that if he knows what is good for him.
He best go run and hide.
Daddy's got a new .45.
And I won't think twice to stick that barrel
straight down Sancho's throat.
Believe me when I say that I got something for his punk A**!"
--Santeria Sublime


And one nobody would expect:

"Get it together
things is jumpin'
I wanna see your
bullets pumpin'-
shotgun!
Get your finger
on the trigger
got to make the
shooter bigger-
shotgun!"

--Shotgun Duran Duran (The Wedding Album, 1993)

 

[Davek1977]

"I didn't even have to use my AK, today was a good day!"
It was a Good Day- Ice Cube

 

[303tom]

Pretty sure no one has said...........
Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner, by Warren Zevon.

 

[CornCod]

Not taking sides in the Irish/British/Ulster conflict, but the Republicans love to sing a tribute to the AR-15/AR-180 series:

My Little Armalite

"And it's up in Ballymurphy, that's where I long to be,
Lying in the dark with a Provo company,
A comrade on me left and another on me right
And a clip of ammunition for my little Armalite."

 

[Chevelle SS]

Little Armalite is my favorite but I also like American Rifle by Tommy Conners and God and Guns by Lynyrd Skynyrd

 

[gp911]

It might make you laugh because his most famous song is about his appreciation of women with large posteriors, but Sir Mixalot showed an impressive knowledge of firearms in his songs, mentioning obscure models like the Sterling Mk 6 along with the HK91, Mini 14, Leupold scopes, flash suppressors, etc. Plus this gem:

"I don't believe in gun control,
The theory is proven.
Give a criminal a gun
and your public is losin'."

 

[Jalexander]

Darlin' Corey

And the next time I saw Darlin’ Corey
She was standin’ on the banks of the sea
She had forty-fours strapped around her body
And a banjo on her knee

Pistols and Rifles by Fred Eaglesmith

Grandpa sits by the back door
And he can't see anymore
He lost his sight in '64
You can lead him like a horse to water
But in the evening when the shadows get long
I sit and I play him my favourite songs
He listens for a while but it doesn't take long
And he's a'hollerin'
He says play me a song about rifles and pistols,
Winchesters, Smiths & Wessons, 45s and Enfields,
Saddle 'em up and ride 'em down
There's a darkness out on the edge of town
Preacher at the grave site with the bible
Play me a song 'bout pistols and rifles

Lights of Cheyenne by James McMurtry

Now there's antelope grazing
in range of my gun
Come opening weekend
you won't see a one
They'll vanish like ghosts
`cause somehow they know
But now they're up to the
fence in the early dawn

 

[pearsonm]

This thread goes 3 months with no mention of the blues standard '44 Blues'?

(..heavy sigh..)

'I wore my .44 so long, it made my shoulder sore.'

Below is Howlin' Wolf's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3kK2l4on9w

 

[Snag]

Mark Knopfler - Cleaning My Gun

I keep a weather eye on the horizon, my back to the wall
I like to know who's coming through the door, that's all
It's the old army training kicking in
I'm not complaining, it's the world we live in

Blarney and Malarkey, they're a devious firm
They'll take you to the cleaners or let you burn
The help is breaking dishes in the kitchen - thanks a lot
We hired the worst dishwasher this place ever got
Come in below the radar, they want to spoil our fun
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun

Remember it got so cold ice froze up the tank
We lit a fire beneath her just so she would crank
I keep a weather eye on the horizon, tap the storm glass now and then
I've got a case of Old Damnation for when you get here, my friend
We can have ourselves a party before they come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun

We had women and a mirror ball, we had a DJ
used to eat pretty much all that came his way
Ever since the goons came in and took apart the place
I keep a tire iron in the corner, just in case

I gave you a magic bullet on a little chain
to keep you safe from the chilly winds and out of the rain
We're gonna might need bullets should we get stuck
Any which way, we're going to need a little luck
You can still get gas in Heaven, and a drink in Kingdom Come
In the meantime I'm cleaning my gun

 

[303tom]

Here is one...............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY

 

[PoserHoser]

.38 by young jeezy

 

[-eaux-]

El Paso - Marty Robbins
Pancho & Lefty - Willie and Merle
Shotgun and Pistol - Willie and Merle
Gimme Back My Bullets - Lynyrd Skynyrd

 

[hank327]

Love and a .45

I can't believe no one has mention Chris Knight's "Love and a .45" in 10 pages. :confused

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGC_2SbpcMU&feature=related

Oh, and Johnny Cash's "Cocaine Blues"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq344ks1ieg

 

[Kaeto]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IpEnsdXwFM

My Rifle, My Pony, And Me as sung by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson in the movie 'Rio Bravo'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgvxu8QY01s&feature=related

Ballad of Paladin sung by Johnny Western.

 

[fiddleharp]

"Don't Take Your Guns To Town" by Johnny Cash

 

[MrDig]

Music and Guns

I like both kinds of music Country and Western, and I like Guns what could be better............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TC2xTCb_GU

 

[provoartkaa]

Glen Campbell- cleaned his gun and dreamed of Galveston.

James Taylor- Machine Gun Kelly

 

[Kevin5098]

Robert Earl Keene - The Road Goes on Forever, and the Party Never Ends

The Cubans grabbed the goodies and Sonny grabbed the Jack
He broke a bathroom window and climbed on out the back
Sherry drove the pickup through the alley on the side
Where a lawman tackled Sonny and was reading him his rights
She stepped into the alley with a single shot .410
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

 

[Needles]

Lots of good ones so far. You might have missed:

Steely Dan--- Bookkeeper's Son
Nirvana--- Come as You Are
George Jones--- Hotter than a Two Dollar Pistol
Bob Marley--- I Shot the Sheriff
Steppenwolf--- Born to be Wild

 

[whetrock]

The Devil's right hand - Steve Earl "Momma said the pistol was the Devil's right hand"

32-20 Blues - Robert Johnson

Machine Gun - Jimi Hendrix

 

[Upstater]

How about highwayman by Johnny Cash and also by the Highwaymen, & Smuggler's blues - Glenn Frye. Because you've got to carry weapons cause you always carry cash.

 

[kyletx1911]

yes sir ray and willie made a keeper there and there is travis tritt [modern day bonnie and clyde] hey johnny dollar is your handle from the show of the same name?

 

[Dr T]

Some good threads never die--they just keep coming back to intrigue you.

I have been thinking a bit about the Marty Robbin's song "Mr. Shorty", in particular the gun he carried. I have seen all sorts of speculation.

The verse in the song on the lyric sites states that:

"I hadn't noticed but there on his hip was a short-barreled BASS 44."

I have recently been looking at some cap-and-ball revolver replicas to add to my collection. While doing this, it occurred to me that perhaps the lyric should read:

"I hadn't noticed, but there on his hip was a short-barreled BRASS 44."

Remington Model 1858 revolvers were made with brass frames during the Civil War (and the 1858 stayed in production until 1873), and it would not be unusual for a drifter to be carrying one of these on the Frontier after the war. After all, the big cattle drives started taking place in the late 1860's, well before cartridge guns were the primary firearms.

 

[deano186]

Lyle Lovett - LA County

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCOEne9eocU

This tune is pretty dark. It's a little hard to follow the meaning the first time through, but it's effective. I think I listened to it on the CD a lot of times when it first came out before I understood who the 'old friend' was at each stage of the song.