Stagalee
Nick Cave

Three traditional versions of the song from Murder Ballads. Nick's version is also available. Further details (and the actual book Nick edited from) are also available.


Stagolee

Bad man Stagalee when he bad,

He bad wid a gun

Stagalee, Stagalee --- you must-a been a sinner

Ev'ry- Christmas eve they give Stagalee a dinner

Bad man Stagalee, when he bad

He bad wid a gun.


Don't you remember you remember

One dark stormy night

Stagalee and Bill O. Lion

Dey had dat noble fight.


Bill O. Lion tole Stagalee

Please don't take my life

I got three little children

And a dear lil' lovin'wife


Stagalee told Billy O. Lion

I don't care for your three lil' children

Or even your lovin' wife

You stole mah Stetson hat

And I'm goin to take yo'life


Stagalee pulled out his forty-four

It went boom boom boom

It wasn't long' fore Bill O. Lion

wvere layin'on de flo'


Stagalee's woman she went to her boss

Said, Please give me some change.

Dey got my baby in de station house

An'mah business mus'be'ranged.


Stagalee asked his woman

How much change has you got?

She run her han'in her stocking feet

And pulled out a hundred spot.

She had to get mo'money.


From Southern Folk Ballads, Mcneill Collected from Vera Hall, al 1947


Stagolee

Stagolee was a bad man,

Ev'rybody knows.

Spent one hundred dollars

Just to buy him a suit of dothes.


He was a bad man

That mean old Stagolee


Stagolee shot Billy de Lyons

What do you think about that?

Shot him down in cold blood

Because he stole his Stetson hat;


He was a bad man

That mean old Stagolee


Billy de Lyons said, Stagolee

Please don't take my life

I've got two little babes

And a darling, loving wife;


You are a bad man

You mean old Stagolee.


What do I care about your two little babes,

Your darling loving wife?,

You done stole my Stetson hat

I'm bound to take your life;


He was a bad man,

That mean old Stagolee.


The judge said, Stagolee,

What you doing in here?,

You done shot Mr. Billy de Lyons,

You going to die in the electric chair;


He was a bad man

That mean old Stagolee.


Twelve o'clock they killed him

Head reached up high

Last thing that poor boy said,

My six-shooter never lied.


He was a bad man,

That mean old Stagolee.


Stagolee

Chorus: Stagolee, Stagolee, he's the meanest man in town

When that boy starts gamblin', better lay your money down

Down in New Orleans where they got that Lyon's Club

Every step you step you're steppin' in Billy de Lyon's blood


I remember one September, on a cold and stormy night

Billy de Lyon and Stagolee, Lord, they had a great big fight

Billy shot a seven, and Stack he said he'd pass

Stack said to Billy de Lyon, Brother,

You done shot your last


The woman asked the sheriff, said How can this be?

You got all them bad men, but you can't get Stagolee

Deputies took their badges and they laid them on the shelf

If you want to get that bad man, you get him by yourself


Now send for the policemen, a hundred thousand come

Loaded down with rifles and a great big Gatling gun

On Friday we condemned him, the judge he lowered his head

On Saturday we hanged him, I was glad to see him dead


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Lyrics by Nick Cave

  Bloody Cheche   Far From Men 2   Farewell At Tinguit   Mountain Scramble   No Class today   Setting Out   Teacheru2019s Farewell   The Teacher   (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World   (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World   500 Miles   A Box For Black Paul   A Dead Song   Abattoir Blues   Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore   Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore   All The Pretty Little Horses   All The Pretty Little Horsies   All Tomorrow's Parties   All Tomorrow's Parties   And No More Shall We Part   Anthrocene   Are You The One I've Been Waiting For?   Are You The One I've Been Waiting For?   Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For   Are You The One That I've Been Waiting For?   As I Sat Sadly By Her Side   Avalanche   Babe, I am On Fire   Babe, I Got You Bad   Babe, I'm On Fire   Babe, I'm On Fire   Babe, You Turn Me On   Banks Of The Roses   Big Jesus - Trash Can   Big-Jesus-Trash-Can   Black Betty   Black Crow King   Black Hair   Blast Off   Bless His Ever Loving Heart   Blind Lemon Jefferson   Blood sweat and murder   Blue Bird   Blundertown   Breathless   Bring It On   Brompton Oratory   Brother, My Cup Is Empty   By The Time I Get To Phoenix   Cabin Fever   Cabin Fever!   Cannibal's Hymn   Cannibal's Hymn   Capers   Carny   Carry Me   Casino   Cassiel's Song   Cassiel's Song   Christina The Astonishing   Cindy   City Of Refuge   Comancheria   Comancheria ii   Come Into My Sleep   Crow Jane   Cry   Darker With The Day   Dead Joe   Dead Man In My Bed   Deanna   Death Is Not The End   Deep In The Woods   Disco 2000 - Pub Rock Version [Previously Unreleas...   Distant Sky   Do You Love Me   Do You Love Me (part 2)   Do You Love Me Like I Love You, Part 4   Do You Love Me?   Do You Love Me? (Part 2)   Dollar bill blues   Dull Day   Dumb Europe   Dust of the chase   Easy Money   Fable Of The Brown Ape   Far From Me   Faraway, So Close   Faraway, So Close!   Fears Of Gun   Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow   Finishing Jubilee Street   Foi Na Cruz   Foi Na Cruz Sorrows Child [DVD][Instrumental]   From Her To Eternity   From my cold dead hands   Gates To The Garden   Get Ready For Love   Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass   Girl in Amber   Give Us A Kiss   God Is In The House   God's Hotel   God's Hotel   Green Eyes   Grief Came Riding   Hallelujah   Hamlet   Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)   Happy Birthday   Hard On For Love   He Wants You   Helpless   Henry Lee   Henry Lee"(feat. PJ Harvey   Hey Joe   Hey, Joe   Hiding All Away   Higgs Boson Blues   Ho-Ho   How Long, How Long Blues   I Do Dear, I Do.   I Do Love Her So   I Do Love Her So (Lime Tree Arbour)   I Feel So Good   I Had A Dream Joe   I Had A Dream, Joe   I Just Dropped In   I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condit...   I Let Love In   I Need You   I Put A Spell On You   I Rowed A Little Boat   I'm Gonna Kill That Woman   I'm Your Man   I'm Gonna Kill That Woman   Idiot Prayer   In The Ghetto   Into My Arms   Intro   Jack The Ripper   Jack's Shadow   Jacks Shadow   Jangling Jack   Jennifer's Veil   Jennifer's Veil   Jesus Alone   Jesus Met The Woman At The Well   John Finn's Wife   John Finn's Wife   Jubilee Street   Junkyard   Just You and Me   Katy Cruel   Kewpie Doll   King Ink   King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O   Kiss Me Black   Knockin' On Joe   Knockin' On Joe   Knoxville Girl   Lament   Lay Me Low   Let It Be   Let The Bells Ring   Lime Tree Arbour   Little Empty Boat   Little Janey's Gone   Little Janey's Gone   Long Black Veil   Long Time Man   Lord of the plains   Love Henry   Love Letter   Lovely Creature   Loverman   Lucy   Mack The Knife   Magneto   Mama s room   Mama's Boy   Mama's Boy   Mars Theme   Mercy   Mermaids   Messiah Ward   Midnight Man   Mini Skirts [Instrumental]   Miss Perfect   Mister Frog Went A-Courting   Mojo   Mountain lion mean   Mr. Clarinet   Muddy Water   Mutiny In Heaven   Nature Boy   Needle Boy   New Morning   Nick The Stripper   Nobody's Baby Now   Nobody's Baby Now   O Children   O'Malley's Bar   O'malley's Bar   Oh Happy Day [DVD][Instrumental]   Oh My Lord   Oh, Happy Day   Opium Tea   Outlaw state of mind   Oxford Tragedy   Papa Won't Leave You, Henry   Papa Won't Leave You, Henry   PATRIPASSIAN   People Ain't No Good   People Ain't No Good   Plain Gold Ring   Pleasure Is The Boss   Push The Sky Away   Rainy Night In Soho   Red Right Hand   Release The Bats   Riddle House   Right Now I'm a - Roaming   Right Now I'm A Roamin'   Right Now I'm A-roaming   Right Now I'm A Roamin'   Right Out Of Your Hand   Rings of Saturn   Robbery   Rock Of Gibraltar   Running Scared   Rye Whiskey   Sad Dark Eyes   Sad Waters   Sail Away   Saint Huck   Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree   Scum   Several Sins   She Fell Away   She Passed By My Window   She's Hit   She's Leaving You   She's Hit   She's Leaving You   Shivers   Silent Scream   Six Inch Gold Blade   Skeleton Tree   Sleeping Analeah   Sleeping on the blacktop   Slowly Goes The Night   Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart   Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart   Song Of Joy   Sonny's Burning   Sorrow's Child   Sorrow's Child   Spell   Stagger Lee   Still In Love   Stow-A-Way   Straight To You   Stranger Than Kindness   Sugar Sugar Sugar   Sunday's Slave   Sunday's Slave   Supernaturally   Suzanne   Swampland   Sweetheart Come   Texas midlands   That's What Jazz Is To Me   That's What Jazz Is To Me   The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane   The Big Hurt   The Briddle Path   The Carnival Is Over   The Carny   The Curse Of Millhaven   The Dim Locator   The Friend Catcher   The Good Son   The Hammer Song   The Hammer Song (In Album Kicking Against The Pric...   The Kindness Of Strangers   The Loom Of The Land   The Lyre Of Orpheus   The Mercy Seat   The Moon Is In The Gutter   The Ship Song   The Singer   The Six Strings That Drew Blood   The Sorrowful Wife   The Train Song   The Weeping Song   The Willow Garden   The Witness Song   There Is A Kingdom   There Is A Light   There Is A Town   There She Goes   Thirsty Dog   Time Jesum Transeuntum et Non Riverentum   Time Jesum Transientum Et Non Riverentum   To Be By Your Side   Tower of Song   Train Long-suffering   Truck Love   Tupelo   Tupelo Blues   Up Jumped The Devil   Vixo   Wanted Man   Watching Alice   We Came Along This Road   Well Of Misery   West Country Girl   What a Wonderful World   What Can I Give You?   When I First Came To Town   Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere   Where The Action Is   Where The Wild Roses Grow   Where The Wild Roses Grow"(feat. Kylie Minogue   Wife   Wild Rose   Wild World   Wings Off Flies   Wonderful Life   Yard   You ask me to   Your Funeral My Trial   Your Funeral... My Trial   Zoo Music Girl

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