Member-only story
MUSIC | LISTICLE
Deadly Music: 8 Songs About Executions
All of these songs are about someone facing capital punishment
As I was researching a recent list about movies that dealt with the subject of capital punishment, I found a lot of songs that also were about the subject. I have linked that article at the bottom of this one.
The songs that I found spanned various eras and genres. Here is a list of eight songs in which someone is facing the executioner. Because they are so eclectic, I listed them by release date.
1. “25 Minutes to Go,” Johnny Cash (1965)
Johnny Cash first released the folk/country song “25 Minutes to Go” on his 1965 studio album, Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West. He would later include it on his prison themed concept album, At Folsom Prison.
The song was written by Shel Silverstein. In the song, a prison counts down the minutes until his execution, hoping that governor will intervene.
“Well they’re building a gallows outside my cell,
I’ve got 25 minutes to go
And the whole town’s waitin’ just to hear me yell,
I’ve got 24 minutes to go
Well they gave me some beans for my last meal,
I’ve got 23 minutes to go
But nobody asked me how I feel,
I’ve got 22…
