I’m finding all sorts of interesting things in a quest to find a gun-song per week. Here is Marty Robbins song “Big Iron” (on his hip). Simple tune, clear vocals, good story. It sounds like the background guitar player is having fun trying to slip a little fast-n-fancier stuff into the short spaces left in the vocals. What’s not to like? Sort of an antidote to a Beatles take on guns.
Marty Robbins is sort of in the same genre as “Tennessee” Ernie Ford, singing gospel, country, early rock, etc. Good stuff.
If any of you have suggestions, I’d be happy to consider them. Got another seven queued up, keep us in Friday tunes until the 4th of July.
One of my pivotal musical moments was stumbling upon Marty’s “Gunfighter Ballads And Trailsongs” album in a box in a closet when I was a kid.
Robert Pratt of the Pratt on Texas radio show uses a snippet of this song as the bumper music for his ‘Anti-Wimp Update’ segments. Thanks for posting the whole thing. I’ll enjoy the sample more now that I’ve heard the whole story.
A few more for you:
Aerosmith – Janie’s Got a Gun
Johnny Cash – Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
Not mentioned in the title, but guns figure heavily – Johnny Horton – Sink the Bismarck
Had one of these already planned, out ways. I’ll get to both eventually. Bismark was already discussed 🙂 and may get used much later.
Suggestions
Powderfinger – Neil Young
Lyle Lovett – The Lights of LA County
The Rooster – Alice In Chains
If I Had A Rocket Launcher – Bruce Cockburn
Jungle Work – Warren Zevon
32-20 Blues – Govt. Mule
Interesting suggestions. Three I think I’d heard of, but wasn’t really familiar with, three totally new ones. Thanks. I’ll get’em queued up eventually.
You could go weeks on Marty Robbins gun songs! I like “Running Gun” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZr4XbE4FkY
and “The Texas Ranger” a lot too. The story of Bill Paxton told in “The Texas Ranger” requires careful listening because the story is more complex than most gun songs!. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRYo-RMaso8
Andrew, you beat me to the punch. Immediately thought of Pratt when I saw this. Met him at a cigar event one time, nice guy in meatspace.
Gringo Pistolero
By Allen Damron
I assume you already have “Gunpowder and Lead” by Miranda Lambert.
Didn’t, but I do now.
James McMutry’s Choctaw Bingo is a great song, but not really firearm-focused until 3:58 or so.
Probably not. It does mention guns, but it’s not about guns, or have guns or gun terms in the title, or primarily about people using guns or who use guns.
Fallout New Vegas players know this song very well 🙂
How about “Mr. Shorty”, also by Marty?
Not a “gun in the title” sort of song, but the subject matter sure qualifies. It’s in.
Thanks for the suggestion.
I’m late to this thread, so you probably have these already; but some of these may qualify:
“Hung My Head” – Sting, Johnny Cash
“Never Picked Cotton” – Johnny Cash
“Folsom Prison Blues” – Johnny Cash
“Hardin wouldn’t run” – Johnny Cash
“Battle of New Orleans” – Johnny Horton
“Cleaning this Gun” – Rodney Atkins
“I shot the Sheriff” – Eric Clapton
I’m mostly aiming (pun intended) at songs with “gun” or a direct reference to them in the title, or are very much about guns (not just “incidental contact”, as it were), and I’m trying to get a wide range of things. Some of those qualify, I think. Battle of New Orleans has already been used – good choice 🙂
How about Tennessee Ernie Ford singing “Shotgun Boogie”?
http://youtu.be/EaX1NkE3rmk
Good song. Used it a few weeks ago.