Best SONG involving guns

American Remains - Highwaymen

I am a shotgun rider for the San Jacinto line,
The desert is my brother, my skin is cracked and dry.
I was riding on a folk coach and everything was fine,
'Til we took a shorter road to save some time.
The bandits only fired once, they shot me in the chest.
They may have wounded me but they'll never get the best,
Of better men:
'Cos I'll ride again.

Johnny Winter: Dallas

Goin down to Dallas
Take my razor and my gun
There's so much sh&*%t in Dallas
whoo hoo, You're bound to step in some

Big & Rich - November 8th, 1965

Steve Earl - Copperhead Road

OH! Good topic...

I can think of a few favorites right off the top.

The Highwayman - The version with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings & Kris Kristofferson is the best one.

I Got the Guns - Roger Creager. That's a real good one. Makes me miss my grandpa.

Someone already mentioned Silent Running by Mike & The Mechanics.

One ya'll are missing from the list, though, is 41 Thunderer by Dave Carter. You can listen to a snip of it here:

http://daveandtracy.globalhosting.com/audio/41Thunderer.mp3

Lyrics:

41 thunderer

©2001 Dave Carter / Dave Carter Music (BMI)

in fair silver city on the blind side of fate
i grew up to manhood on the narrow and straight
but prideful i stumbeled, and foolish i fell
in the silken fine trammels of a cruel yankee belle

slender and wicked, flame in her eyes
pearl white and nickel 'round the curve of her thighs
smooth as dry whiskey, but cold to caress
she slid like a viper from her tooled leather dress

forty-one thunderer, colt repeater
she's a silver-tongued wonder and a mean mistreater
six-eyed delilah, brazen and bold
now it's stand and deliver, and fire in the hole
forty-one thunderer turn loose o' my soul

i feared not the lawman nor the thief in the night
nor angel nor devil when she went by my side
and her hunger burned blazes till it felt like my own
her wanderin' heart drove me wild and alone

forty-one thunderer...

we rode out from canaan in search of our fortune
or something' worth dyin' for, beauty or evermore
over the blackwater flats with her jackrabbits running
under a sky burnin' brimstone and reckoning
sweet for the hope of rain
and the sand in your teeth grindin' tiny white diamonds
to moments of loss that you cannot explain

so come demon lover when the long night is through
and sing me your lullaby, simple and true
for legends will tarnish and trigger will rust
and the road over glory come to ashes and dust

forty-one thunderer...

Nio

Johnny Cash ... oh yeah... Folsom Prison Blues

When I was a baby, my Mama said, "Hey son,
Always be a good boy. Don't ever play with guns."
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die.
Now when I hear that whistle blowin'
I hang my head and cry...

pax

Hall and Oates - Out of Touch

"Smoking guns hot to the touch
Would cool down if we didn't use them so much"

Okay you young guns...

We're gonna take ya' way back. I mean way back when it really counted!

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/ww1/over_there.htm

"Over There"
by George M. Cohan
Copyright © 1917 by Leo. Feist, Inc., New York

VERSE 1:
John-nie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,
Take it on the run, on the run, on the run,
Hear them call-ing you and me, ev'-ry son of lib-er-ty
Hur-ry right a-way, no de-lay, go to-day
Make your Dad-dy glad to have had such a lad,
Tell your sweet-heart not to pine, to be proud her boy's in line

CHORUS:
O-ver there, o-ver there, send the word, send the word, o-ver there,
That the Yanks are com-ing, the Yanks are com-ing,
The drums rum-tum-ming ev'-ry where
So pre-pare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to be-ware
We'll be o-ver, we're com-ing o-ver,
And we won't come back 'til it's o-ver O-ver There!

VERSE 2:
John-nie, get your gun, get your gun, get your gun,
John-nie show the Hun you're a son of a gun
Hoist the flag and let her fly, Yan-kee Doo-dle do or die
Pack your lit-tle kit, show your grit, do your bit
Yan-kees to the ranks from the towns and the tanks
Make your moth-er proud of you and the old Red White and Blue

CHORUS:
O-ver there, o-ver there, send the word, send the word, o-ver there,
That the Yanks are com-ing, the Yanks are com-ing,
The drums rum-tum-ming ev'-ry where
So pre-pare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to be-ware
We'll be o-ver, we're com-ing o-ver,
And we won't come back 'til it's o-ver O-ver There!

hank williams Jr "country boy can survive"


WE HAVE A WINNER!

Just listen to any rap song

"Any Rap Song"..So True

Outkast - Ain't No Thang

"I'd do it if I have to
bustin caps with this a heat and load it clip up after clip
I'm packin my gauge, if I feel it
The glock, the gat, the nine, the heaters
See I be bustin caps like my amp be bustin speakers
So how do you figure that Big Boi be scared to blast ya
You 'posed to be quickest draw, but man, I hail em faster
1-2-3, you need to think about the future
Before I shoot your ass and dilute your blood with lead
From my hollow tips, I'll send you to an early grave."

I can't believe it took to post 90 before someone mentioned "Bubba Shot the Jukebox"

Steve Earle sang "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" for Jerry Douglas - he added a new, explicitly anti-gun verse at the end.

Rich K said:

I am surprised noone mentioned "Bad Company" by the same."I was born,sixgun in my hand,behind a gun I take my final stand.That's why they call me Bad Company."

Click to expand...

whoa, can't believe i didn't think of that one...later he did "Layin' Down the Law" as well

Kenny Rogers
Ruby, Don't take your love to town

But, if I could move I'd get my gun and put her in the ground
Oh, Ruby, don't take your love to town

========================================
P.O.D.
Youth of the nation

Last day of the rest of my life I wish I would have known
cause i'd have kissed my momma goobye.
I didn't tell her that I loved her or how much cared
or thank my pops for all the talks and all the wisdom he shared.
Unaware I just did what I always do.
Everyday the same routine before I skate off to school
but who knew that this day wasnt like the rest,
instead of takin the test I took two to the chest.
Call me blind but I didn't see it comin and everybody was runnin
but I couldn't hear nothin, except gun blast, it happened so fast
I didn't really know this kid though I sat by him in class.
Maybe this kid was reachin out for love or maybe
for a moment he forgot who he was or maybe this kid just wanted to be hugged,
whatever it was I know its because

CHORUS
We are We are the youth of the nation (repeat)x4

Little Suzzy she was only twelve she was given the world
with every chance to excel
Hang with the boys and hear the stories they tell she might act kinda proud
but no respect for herself
She finds love in all the wrong places the same situations but different faces.
Changed up her pace since her daddy left her too bad he never told her she
deserved much better.

Johnny boy always played the fool, he broke all the rules
so you would think he was cool.
He was never really one of the guys no matter how hard he tried,
with the thought of suicide
It's kinda hard when you ain't got no friends, he put his life to an end they
might remember him then.
You cross a line and there is no turnin back he told the world how he felt with
the sound of a gat.

CHORUS x4

Whos to blame for the life that tragedies claim no matter what you say
it won't take away the pain, that I feel inside I'm tired of all the lies
don't nobody know why it's the blind leadin the blind.
Guess that's the way that the story goes,
will it ever make sense somebody's gotta know,
there's gotta be more to life than this,
there's got to be more to everything I thought exists

Not to be a trivia nut,but Marty Robbins did not do "The Man Who Shot LIberty Valance".That was recorded by Gene Pitney.

We've missed quite a few.

"I've Got Rights" - Hank Williams Jr.

I said give me one of them Smith and Wesson magnum forty fours
Cause there's a man that the law let loose and justice was not done...

I said well hoss you better get you some corks
Cause you're gonna have to plug up a few holes

"The Road Goes on Forever" - Highwaymen

Sonny met the Cubans in a house just off the route
With a briefcase full of money and a pistol in his boot


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

They left the lawman dyin' and they made their getaway

"Blow You Away" Robert Earl Keen

The matress is mildewed and lumpy
But you fall asleep where you lay
Under the lump there's a twenty guage pump
'Cause they'd just as soon blow you away

I've got a ton of OK/TX bands that have some really good gun lyrics. I didn't post them since most people won't know them. If anyone is interested I can.

Dont Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash

How bout BOOM BOOM by John Lee Hooker. And though this next pc isn't a
song nor does it have words, I've always liked the theme from
the "Rifleman". Besides the his 44-40 does all the talking in the first
part....

Boom boom boom boom.
Gonna shoot you right down.
Right off your feet.
Take you home with me.
Put you in my house.
Boom boom boom boom.

Haw haw haw haw.
Mmm hmm hmm hmm.
Mmm hmm hmm hmm.
I love to see you strut.
Up and down the floor.
When you talking to me.
That baby talk.
I like it like that.
Whoah! yeah!

when she walk that walk.
And talk that talk.
And whipser in my hear.
And tell me that you love me.
I love that talk.
when you talk like that.
It knocks me out.
Right of my feet.
Whoa! yeah!

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I was wondering why it took until page 5 to get to rap! Maybe not the best, but definately very gun heavy in the lyrics.

Some of the guns are kind of odd you would think too for a rap song. I've heard of .410 Mossberg pistol grip pump and SKS mentioned and of course Glocks all the time.

In the spirit of SMLE's IRA song, the song Boys of County Cork mentions how the IRA only had rifles and revolvers but put them to good effect.

Moonclip said:

I was wondering why it took until page 5 to get to rap!

Click to expand...

Because "song" implies "music." Rap doesn't qualify.

Pax: Thank you for the lyrics to 'Irving'.
.45Guy:After reading your post I dashed out to WallyWorld & bought 'The Best of Warren Zevon'.I remember 'Werewolves of London' but none of the others:thanks for turning me on to some good music.
GunGoBoom: I hate to nitpic but I think 'The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia' was done by Vicki Lawrence (of 'The Carol Burnette Show' fame).
Now I've just got to learn the melody to 'The Rifles of the IRA' & 'Men of Harlech' from the movie 'Zulu'.

Brother Phelps or Kentucky Headhunters (dont remember the name)

Lookout Mountain ?

"And the chaplin said boys were up so high, if you listen you'll hear Gabrials trumpet soundin..........."

"In the drivin rain, with our powder guns, we send boulders crashin down around them................"

Jungle Work

Warren Zevon's songs are full of this kinda stuff, like "Jungle Work"

Three young men
In a Russian truck
With the little M-10,
send 'em running to the huts.

A few young men
The few who dare
To battle in Hell
Le Mercenaire!

Strength and muscle and jungle work
Strength and muscle and jungle work

+1 on "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money," two of the greatest gun songs of all time.

Regards,
Dirty Bob

I Shot the Sheriff...

http://www.bobmarley.com/songs/songs.cgi?sheriff

Bob Marley

"I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead... but it's the same idea: justice." Bob, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh never blended and complemented each other better than in this timeless testimony of innocence and defiance from the Burnin album. 'If I am guilty I will pay!'. The song also provided Eric Clapton with a number one hit in America, drawing attention to Marley's extraordinary songwriting talents. The versions from Live! and Talkin' Blues were recorded from an extraordinary two night engagement in the summer of 1975 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London; the version on Talkin' Blues is taken from the first of the two concert nights.

Lyrics:

I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy
Oh, no, oh
I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy
Ooh, ooh, ooh Yeah

All around in my hometown
They're tryin' to track me down, yeah
They say they want to bring me in guilty
For the killing of a deputy, for the life of a deputy
But I say, oh, now, now...

Oh, I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self defense
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I said, I shot the sheriff, Oh Lord
And they say it is a capital offense
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Hear this

Sheriff John Brown always hated me
For what I don't know
Ev'ry time I plant a seed
He said, "Kill it before it grows."
He said, "Kill them before they grow."

And so, oh, now, now,
Read it in the news

I shot the sheriff, but I swear it was in self defense
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Where was the deputy?
I said I shot the sheriff but I swear it was in self defense

Freedom came my way one day
And I started out of town, yeah!
All of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown
Aiming to shoot me down
So I shot, I shot, I shot him down
And I say, if I am guilty I will pay

I shot the sheriff, but I say, but I didn't shoot no deputy
Ooh, no, oh
I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot no deputy
Ooo, ooo, ooh

Reflexes had the better of me
And what is to be must be
Ev'ry day the bucket a-go-a well
One day the bottom a-go drop out
One day the bottom a-go drop out
I say, I, I, ...

I, I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy, no
(Repeat)

" I got rights" by Hank Williams Jr


" I went down to the Mary Carter paint store,,,,
I said,, gimmie one of thoes Smith and Wesson magnum forty-fours,,,,,

PISTOL PACKIN' MAMA
(Al Dexter, 1943)

Lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down.

Oh, drinkin beer in a cabaret
Was I havin fun!
Until one night she caught me right
And now I'm on the run.

Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down.

Oh, I'll sing you every night Bing
And I'll woo you every day.
I'll be your regular mama
And I'll put that gun away.

Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that thing down before it goes off and hurts somebody!

Oh, she kicked out my windshield
And she hit me over the head.
She cussed and cried and said I lied
And she wished that I was dead.

Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down.

We're 3 tough gals
From deep down Texas way.
We got no pals
They don't like the way we play.
We're a rough rootin tootin shootin trio
But you ought to see my sister Cleo
She's a terror make no error
But there ain't no nicer terror
Here's what we tell her:

Lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down

Pappy made a batch of corn
The revenuers came.
The draugh was slow
So now they know
You can't do that to Mame.

Lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down

Oh, singing songs in a cabaret
Was I havin fun!
Until one night it didn't seem right
And now I'm on the run.

Oh, lay that pistol down, Babe.
Lay that pistol down.
Pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down.

Oh, pistol packin mama
Lay that pistol down.