Knoxville Girl
The Louvin Brothers Lyrics
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And every Sunday evening, out in her home, I'd dwell
We went to take an evening walk about a mile from town
I picked a stick up off the ground and knocked that fair girl down
She fell down on her bended knees, for mercy she did cry
"Oh Willy dear, don't kill me here, I'm unprepared to die"
She never spoke another word, I only beat her more
Until the ground around me within her blood did flow
I took her by her golden curls and I drug her round and around
Throwing her into the river that flows through Knoxville town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl with the dark and rolling eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl, you can never be my bride
I started back to Knoxville, got there about midnight
My mother, she was worried and woke up in a fright
Saying "dear son, what have you done to bloody your clothes so?"
I told my anxious mother I was bleeding at my nose
I called for me a candle to light myself to bed
I called for me a handkerchief to bind my aching head
Rolled and tumbled the whole night through, as troubles was for me
Like flames of hell around my bed and in my eyes could see
They carried me down to Knoxville and put me in a cell
My friends all tried to get me out but none could go my bail
I'm here to waste my life away down in this dirty old jail
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl, the girl I loved so well
The Louvin Brothers' song Knoxville Girl tells the story of a brutal murder that takes place in Knoxville, Tennessee. The singer meets a young girl in Knoxville and spends time with her every Sunday evening. He takes her for a walk outside of town and, inexplicably, beats her to death with a stick. The girl begs for mercy, but the singer continues his attack until she is dead. He then throws her body into the river and returns home. The singer's mother notices that he is covered in blood and asks him what's wrong. He lies and says he has a nosebleed. Later, he is arrested and sent to jail for the murder.
The lyrics of the song are shocking and disturbing, but they also reveal a lot about the culture and values of the time in which they were written. The singer of the song is a violent, impulsive man who feels justified in taking the life of the woman he loves. The fact that he is sent to jail for his crime suggests that society viewed his actions as unacceptable, but there is no indication in the song that he feels any remorse for what he has done.
Overall, Knoxville Girl is a powerful and unsettling piece of music that provides a glimpse into the darker aspects of human nature. It is a reminder of the consequences of violence and the importance of justice in maintaining a safe and stable society.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a liitle girl in Knoxville, a town we all know well
I encountered a young woman in the familiar town of Knoxville.
And every Sunday evening, out in her home, I'd dwell
I would spend my Sunday evenings at her home.
We went to take an evening walk about a mile from town
We took a stroll one evening a mile outside of town.
I picked a stick up off the ground and knocked that fair girl down
I found a stick and struck the young lady, causing her to fall.
She fell down on her bended knees, for mercy she did cry
She pleaded for mercy on her knees.
"Oh Willy dear, don't kill me here, I'm unprepared to die"
"Please don't kill me, I'm not ready to die."
She never spoke another word, I only beat her more
She didn't speak another word, but I kept hitting her.
Until the ground around me within her blood did flow
There was so much blood that it pooled around me.
I took her by her golden curls and I drug her round and around
I pulled her by her hair and spun her around.
Throwing her into the river that flows through Knoxville town
I hurled her into the river in Knoxville.
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl with the dark and rolling eyes
I'm essentially cursing her, telling her to drown.
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl, you can never be my bride
I suggest she's not fit for marriage due to her situation.
I started back to Knoxville, got there about midnight
I returned to Knoxville around midnight.
My mother, she was worried and woke up in a fright
My mother was scared and woke up in a panic when I got home.
"Saying "dear son, what have you done to bloody your clothes so?"
"What have you done to get blood on your clothes?"
I told my anxious mother I was bleeding at my nose
I lied to my worried mother, telling her my nose bled.
I called for me a candle to light myself to bed
I asked for a candle to take to bed with me.
I called for me a handkerchief to bind my aching head
I requested a handkerchief to help with my headache.
Rolled and tumbled the whole night through, as troubles was for me
I had a rough night filled with trouble.
Like flames of hell around my bed and in my eyes could see
I was tormented by the guilt and shame of my actions.
They carried me down to Knoxville and put me in a cell
I was arrested and put in a jail cell in Knoxville.
My friends all tried to get me out but none could go my bail
My friends attempted to bail me out, but couldn't.
I'm here to waste my life away down in this dirty old jail
I'm stuck in this dirty old jail wasting away my life.
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl, the girl I loved so well
I'm here because I killed the girl I loved in Knoxville.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Charlie Louvin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D Okumura
I met a little girl in Knoxville
A town we all know well
And every Sunday evening
Out in her home I'd dwell
We went to take an evening walk
About a mile from town
I picked a stick up off the ground
And knocked that fair girl down;
She fell down on her bended knees
For mercy she did cry
Oh, Willie dear, don't kill me here
I'm unprepared to die
She never spoke another word
I only beat her more
Until the ground around me
Within her blood did flow.
I took her by her golden curls
And I drug her 'round and 'round
Throwing her into the river
That flows through Knoxville town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
With the dark and roving eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
You can never be my bride.
I started back to Knoxville
Got there about midnight
My mother she was worried
And woke up in a fright
Saying, ""Dear son, what have you done
To bloody your clothes so?""
I told my anxious mother
I was bleeding at my nose.
I called for me a candle
To light myself to bed
I called for me a handkerchief
To bind my aching head
Rolled and tumbled the whole night through
As troubles was for me
Like flames of hell around my bed
And in my eyes could see.
They carried me down to Knoxville
And put me in a cell
My friends all tried to get me out
But none could go my bail
I'm here to waste my life away
Down in this dirty old jail
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl
The girl I loved so well.
Note. Based on the old English Ballad of the Wexford Girl
Recorded by The Louvin Brothers - Traditional
The Modern Hermeticist
I met a liitle girl in Knoxville, a town we all know well
And every Sunday evening, out in her home, I'd dwell
We went to take an evening walk about a mile from town
I picked a stick up off the ground and knocked that fair girl down
She fell down on her bended knees, for mercy she did cry
"Oh Willy dear, don't kill me here, I'm unprepared to die"
She never spoke another word, I only beat her more
Until the ground around me within her blood did flow
I took her by her golden curls and I drug her round and around
Throwing her into the river that flows through Knoxville town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl with the dark and rolling eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl, you can never be my bride
I started back to Knoxville, got there about midnight
My mother, she was worried and woke up in a fright
Saying "dear son, what have you done to bloody your clothes so?"
I told my anxious mother I was bleeding at my nose
I called for me a candle to light myself to bed
I called for me a handkerchief to bind my aching head
Rolled and tumbled the whole night through, as troubles was for me
Like flames of hell around my bed and in my eyes could see
They carried me down to Knoxville and put me in a cell
My friends all tried to get me out but none could go my bail
I'm here to waste my life away down in this dirty old jail
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl, the girl I loved so well
Debbie Davis
Researchers contend that the murder of a young woman in 1684 inspired the popular American folk song “Knoxville Girl.” The crime was committed in the English town of Wittam, and not long after, a twenty-three stanza broadside appeared describing the murder, the confession, the trial, and the hanging of the killer. It had the following heavy-handed title: “The Berkshire Tragedy; Or, The Wittam Miller. With an Account of his Murdering his Sweetheart.” In the fashion of the day, the last verses warned others to avoid his fate.
Many derivatives followed, including “The Oxford Girl,” “The Cruel Miller,” and “The Bloody Miller.”
English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers began moving into Appalachia before 1800. The wilderness and isolation made life hard. In an era when the average life-expectancy was about 35, living could sometimes be crueler than death. In the early days, death found settlers in many ways: child-birth, war, poverty, and lack of medical care were just a few.
Then there was murder.
The new settlers of Appalachia brought the music of Europe to America, but they were quick to change the songs to accommodate their own experiences and values. Hard work, self-sufficiency, and an unshakeable faith in God ruled their lives. On the other hand, hard drinking, quick tempers, and occasional infidelities created a brew of violence. Into this backdrop, the Knoxville girl was born.
When the song morphed from “The Berkshire Tragedy” into “Knoxville Girl,” Knoxville wasn’t really a city. It was an outpost still subject to Indian attacks. It had a rowdy reputation and, according to the local newspaper, murder was common. But to the farmers and trappers and hunters who lived alone in the backwoods many miles away, Knoxville must have seemed like a dream.
Who wrote the song? I like to think the tune blew in off the wind like the hard-scrabble existence and cold anonymous deaths of the inhabitants of Appalachia. Some poet playing a dulcimer or guitar or banjo may have first thought of those lines: “I met a little girl in Knoxville...” Then he may have used the English murder ballads as the cloth through which to thread his own words. The song doesn’t have the “feel” of an English city-instead, it has the timelessness of the Appalachian mountains.
One question remains: why did the girl’s lover kill her? Infidelity? Unwanted pregnancy? Because she wouldn’t marry him? Sometimes the best stories leave the reader hanging. The nameless girl who pleads for her life with the poignant cry, “I’m not prepared for eternity,” is ageless. The cruel murderer is, too. And that’s what makes a song last for hundreds of years.
Dozens of artists have recorded this song. One of the best-known versions is by the Louvin Brothers. Charlie and Ira Loudermilk were born in Alabama but changed their last names to Louvin when they began to record music. They started out as gospel singers, but later became popular recording artists. Ira was killed in an automobile crash in 1965. The Louvin Brothers were elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Tony Jackson
My Dad use to sing this when he was drunk. We all gathered in the living room and sung together . I miss those days of love
Bubble Wrap
What the fuck
Jan Clements
🤣🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤❤ OMFG, I LOVE YOUR HEART FELT STORY, SO TOUCHING AND FULL OF MEMORIES! I actually love this stuff, I'm a New Orleans blues piano player, but I somehow discovered this stuff back in the 1970's when I found an incredible group of traditional bluegrass and old time Irish musicians to sing with. I love the visual of your drunk Daddy. How SWEEEET! 😹
Waytt
This is how easy it was and still is in the Mountains of Eastern Kentucky and Tennessee...I'm almost 70 this Song has been around close to an hundred years easy...
Greatwhiteflash
Days of love, beautiful harmonies and spousal murder. Shoot - don't we all just pine for them. Amen.
Wolfgang Wylde
As popular as this song was for my Grandfather Ira and Uncle Charlie.
It wasn't a song they had planned to perform all the time,but everywhere they went people wanted to hear them perform it,so it became a regular tune they performed all over the country.A memorial to them is being presented at the Henagar Park in their hometown of Henagar Alabama July 4th 2019 And a Louvin brother movie starring Ethan Hawke is planned to be made.Watch for it..👍
Bart Thatcher
Very cool!!! Thanks for the information!!
packingten
Colt I was going to audition for Charlie in 2004,I met him in Manchester Tennessee@Shoneys. He brought his Wife Betty,We talked about hour&half,Betty left &went shopping Charlie said he would ride with me back to his home,litterally in the mountain,I was a HUGE LOUVIN FAN,I got to visit with him the whole day!,He gave me over 10 LB CDs,I was thrilled!. I stayed in the sun room until 1:00 Am!, Theres more but I'm tired tell you more in cpl days later Bro!.
Tombstone Actual
If you were there real kin you be a loudermilk 🖒
FilePileCuratorTeam
You remember Mark Turner right Wolfgang? My father was very close friends with Charlie for a long time