Murder by Death released its first studio album (Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing) in 2002, and has since released seven more studio albums. The band's current lineup consists of two founding members, Adam Turla and Sarah Balliet. Balliet plays cello for the band, an instrument that has been present consistently throughout the band's evolution. Murder by Death's 2012 album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon reached #76 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful release.
Murder by Death was formed in 2000 in Bloomington, Indiana, by guitarist Adam Turla, cellist Sarah Balliet, percussionist Alexander Schrodt, keyboardist Vincent Edwards, and bassist Matt Armstrong. One of the group's first shows was at the Channing-Murray Foundation's cafe The Red Herring in Urbana, Illinois, with former American Football drummer Steve Lamos' solo project DMS. After the show, the head of the TEAM AV record label with which Lamos was working offered to help Turla and his bandmates secure additional shows. Around the same time the band met Thursday vocalist, Geoff Rickly, when the two bands played on the same bill at a gig in their hometown of Bloomington. Rickly introduced the band, known at the time as Little Joe Gould, to his friend Alex Saavedra (owner of Eyeball Records), who also took an interest in the band. In 2001 the band self-released the eponymous Little Joe Gould EP and early the next year contributed the song "I'm Afraid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" to the TEAM AV compilation Foreign Nationals. A short time later the group changed their name to Murder By Death, which they felt better represented their sound.
Murder by Death plays a range of music including instrumentals, rock and alt.country. The band uses cello (with an electric cello for live shows) to create a gothic sound with occasional Western references.
The band often arranges themes such as whiskey and the Devil into concept albums. For example, the band's second album, Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?, describes a story in which the Devil wages war against a small village in Mexico.
Dead Men and Sinners
Murder By Death Lyrics
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Where the wind bit like dog's teeth
And the sea swept our ship like the hand of a god who had been enraged
So we carried our dead to the shore
And that left nine more
There was violence in the air tonight
When the ship split in half
We lost two to the brine a and the seawater swilled across the floor
For he sleeps on the ocean floor
The old bastard was as big as a bear
And his coffin was made of a redwood's trunk
His appetite never thinned
His belly was as wide as two barrels of gin
Cut the engine
Tie it off to the post
Heave away at my call listen well
One and all
We'll be rid of this scourge
When his body goes overboard
He'd been in irons for seventy days
Fed just gunpowder to fuel his rage
Screamed bloody murder and tore at his chains
We made him this way
We were left on that isle with a skeleton crew
Made of dead men and sinners
Hell bound through and through
Then it was he who came to our shore and he left no more
The above lyrics from Murder by Death's song Dead Men and Sinners narrate a story of a group of sailors who set out to the sea where they encountered harsh weather conditions that claimed the lives of some of their crew members. The ones who survived the storm had to carry the dead to the shore, leaving them with just nine more. There was a sense of violence in the air when their ship split in half, and they lost two more crew members to the sea. The captain also lost his life, and they had to heave his body overboard to be rid of the scourge.
The lyrics then introduce the story of an old man who was as big as a bear and always hungry. He was fed gunpowder for seventy days, which fueled his rage and turned him into a monster. When the shipwrecked crew was left on an island with a skeleton crew made up of dead men and sinners, it was this monster who came to their shore, and he too never left. The song's dark, moody tone and vividly descriptive lyrics create a thrilling narrative of the sailors' ill-fated journey at sea and the violent events that ensued.
Line by Line Meaning
We set out for the sea with icicles in our beards
We embarked on a dangerous voyage during the cold winter months with ice hanging from our facial hair.
Where the wind bit like dog's teeth
The bitterly strong winds outside were like sharp bites from a dog.
And the sea swept our ship like the hand of a god who had been enraged
The raging sea violently tossed our ship around like a furious deity's hand.
So we carried our dead to the shore
We mournfully carried our deceased comrades to the nearest land.
And that left nine more
After burying our fallen sailors, only nine of us remained alive.
There was violence in the air tonight
A sense of impending violence and danger filled the atmosphere that night.
When the ship split in half
The vessel broke apart into two when it was struck by a powerful force.
We lost two to the brine a and the seawater swilled across the floor
Two of our crewmates were lost at sea as water flooded the ship's interior.
And the captain lives no more
Our captain perished in the accident and is no longer among the living.
For he sleeps on the ocean floor
Our captain's final resting place is at the bottom of the ocean.
The old bastard was as big as a bear
The deceased sailor was massive like a bear in size and stature.
And his coffin was made of a redwood's trunk
His casket was so huge that it was built out of a redwood tree trunk.
His appetite never thinned
Even in death, the sailor's unending hunger remained unfulfilled.
His belly was as wide as two barrels of gin
The sailor had an enormously large stomach that could fit two full barrels of gin.
Cut the engine
Stop the boat engine immediately.
Tie it off to the post
Secure the boat to the dock by tying it to a post.
Heave away at my call listen well
Listen attentively and be ready to exert effort as I give instructions.
One and all
Everyone must act as a unified group.
We'll be rid of this scourge
We will dispose of this troublemaker for good.
When his body goes overboard
Once we throw his corpse into the sea.
He'd been in irons for seventy days
He had been forcibly restrained in chains for seventy long days.
Fed just gunpowder to fuel his rage
He was given only gunpowder to consume as a way to enrage him further.
Screamed bloody murder and tore at his chains
He howled with fury and tried to break free from his shackles.
We made him this way
We caused this volatile individual to become this way through our actions.
We were left on that isle with a skeleton crew
Only a small number of us were stranded on that deserted island.
Made of dead men and sinners
The remaining crew consisted of both deceased individuals and morally corrupt ones.
Hell bound through and through
We were all destined for damnation and misery.
Then it was he who came to our shore and he left no more
He came to our island, but he never left as he met his untimely demise.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jimtalife365
I could listen to their first 3 albums cover to cover. So good!
apulanta13
Can you possibly post "Steam Rising" from this album? I can only find covers when I search for it.
BrotherBadSeed
I wonder if Adam was inspired by Tom Waits' Singapore, when he wrote this.
Bsbeatty
I dunno but either way thanks for putting me on to that Tom Waits song!
name
@yourfriendgrant1 Also the song Shavin With A Knife by MBD is similar and awesome
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@yourfriendgrant1 Check out Tom Waits! He has lots of really interesting music like this
CaptainGriles
@yourfriendgrant1 The Mariners Revenge by The Decemberists