4 Moving Songs Written From the Perspective of Death Row Prisoners

In terms of highly charged scenarios for a songwriter to tackle, a prisoner who is about to be executed has to rank right up there. Many have tried to get on this wavelength, but not all have pulled it off.

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These four death row prisoners songs find fascinatingly different ways to approach the topic. And they all manage to locate the potent emotions behind this situation.

“I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” by Bee Gees

The Bee Gees’ early pop songs often focused on situations filled with urgency and drama. And they delivered melodies perfectly suited to accompany these stories. “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” provides the ideal example of this skill. Written by Robin and Barry Gibb, the song depicts the final request of a man on death row. The preacher comfortingly speaks to him about his final walk. But all the man wants to do is get in touch, somehow, with his beloved. Robin and Barry trade off on lead vocals throughout the song. In the refrains, those fraternal harmonies will absolutely break your heart.

“Long Black Veil” by The Band

This one plays around with time a bit, so that the moment before execution isn’t the only thing on the songwriters’ minds. Penned by Marijohn Wilkin and Danny Dill, “Long Black Veil” features a narrator who explains that he’s innocent of the murder for which he’s accused. But he has to stay silent to prevent anyone from knowing of his dalliance with his best friend’s wife. At one point, the man sings, “The scaffold was high and eternity neared.” But much of the song deals with the aftermath, as the narrator laments his fate from beyond the grave. There are many wonderful versions of this song. We’re partial to the one done by The Band on Music From Big Pink.

“Green Green Grass Of Home” by Tom Jones

This weeper written by Curly Putnam was making the rounds of top country artists in 1965. Tom Jones heard Jerry Lee Lewis’ version of it and put his own spin on it, with the “green, green grass” suddenly sounding a lot like Jones’ Welsh upbringing. A twist ending separates this song from others in the doomed prisoner genre. For most of the song, we’re not aware of the narrator’s actual circumstances. It just seems like he’s returning home. Only in the final verse are we hit with the gut punch that he is imagining the place from his perspective as someone about to be led off to his death.

“Over Yonder (Jonathan’s Song)” by Steve Earle

We’d characterize the previous three songs on this list as a bit outsized and played up for dramatic effect. What makes “Over Yonder (Jonathan’s Song)” so haunting is Steve Earle’s dedication to authenticity in writing it. Then again, unlike the others, Earle was telling the tale of an actual person. Earle actually got to know Jonathan Nobles and witnessed his death. In the first two verses, the prisoner focuses on making sure that all his effects are spoken for and that his final missives have been sent. The final verse details his reflections on his wayward life and speaks of his reactions to those who have condemned him.

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