Girl
Nick Cave ft The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A town we all know well
And every Sunday evening
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 I knocked that fair girl down
She fell down on her bended knees
For mercy she did cry
"Oh willy, dear, don't kill me yet
I'm unprepared to die"
She never spoke another word
I only beat her more
Until the ground around me
With her blood did flow
I took her by her golden curls
And I dragged her 'round and 'round
Throwing her into the river
That flows from Knoxville town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
With your 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
She woke up in a fright
Saying, "dear son, what have you done
To bloody up your clothes?"
I told my anxious mother
That I was bleeding in my nose
I called for me a candle
And I called for me a bed
And I called for me a handkerchief
To bind my aching head
I rolled and thrashed the whole night through
All horrors I did see
The devil stood at the foot of my bed
Pointing his finger at me
They carried me down to Knoxville
And put me in a cell
My friends all tried to get me out
But none could grow 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
"Knoxville Girl" is a folk song that tells the disturbing tale of a man who murders the girl he loves. The lyrics describe how the singer meets a young woman in Knoxville, Tennessee, and spends time with her in her home every Sunday evening. One evening, they go for a walk outside of town and the singer becomes violent, hitting her with a stick and beating her until she falls to the ground. The girl begs for mercy, but the singer continues to beat her until she doesn't speak anymore. He then throws her body into a nearby river and returns home late at night, where his mother discovers blood on his clothes. He lies to her, but she becomes suspicious and notifies the authorities. The singer is arrested, put in jail, and left to "waste [his] life away" for his crime.
The song is a classic example of a murder ballad, which was a popular musical form in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These songs often told gruesome stories of violence, betrayal, and revenge, and were meant to shock and titillate audiences. "Knoxville Girl" is particularly notable for its vivid and graphic descriptions of violence against women, which has led some critics to condemn the song as misogynistic and disturbing. Others argue that the song is a powerful critique of male violence, as it shows the horrific consequences of the singer's actions and portrays him as a cowardly and pitiful figure.
Line by Line Meaning
I met a little girl in Knoxville
I encountered a young lady in Knoxville
A town we all know well
A location that is familiar to many of us
And every Sunday evening
On each Sunday night
In her home I'd dwell
I would spend time in her residence
We went to take an evening walk
We proceeded on an evening stroll
About a mile from town
Approximately a mile away from the city
I picked a stick up off the ground
I retrieved a stick from the earth
And I knocked that fair girl down
And I struck the young lady down
She fell down on her bended knees
She descended to her knees
For mercy she did cry
She beseeched for clemency
"Oh willy, dear, don't kill me yet
"Oh dear Willy, please don't kill me yet
I'm unprepared to die"
I am not ready to depart from this world"
She never spoke another word
She did not utter any other expression
I only beat her more
I merely inflicted additional physical harm
Until the ground around me
The earth surrounding me
With her blood did flow
Was drenched with her blood
I took her by her golden curls
I grabbed her hair, which was blonde
And I dragged her 'round and 'round
And I pulled her in circles
Throwing her into the river
And tossed her into the river
That flows from Knoxville town
That comes from the Knoxville town
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
Descend, descend, young lady from Knoxville
With your dark and roving eyes
With your wandering, dark-colored eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
Descend, descend, young lady from Knoxville
You can never be my bride
You can never become my wife
I started back to Knoxville
I began to travel back towards Knoxville
Got there about midnight
Reached there at around the middle of the night
My mother, she was worried
My mother was concerned
She woke up in a fright
She abruptly woke up in a state of fright
Saying, "dear son, what have you done
Asking me, "Oh dear son, what have you done
To bloody up your clothes?"
To get blood all over your clothes?"
I told my anxious mother
I elated my worried mother
That I was bleeding in my nose
That blood was coming out of my nose
I called for me a candle
I summoned a light source
And I called for me a bed
Requested a spot to lay down
And I called for me a handkerchief
And called for a fabric to ease my pain
To bind my aching head
To wrap around my head, which was sore
I rolled and thrashed the whole night through
I turned and tossed the entire night
All horrors I did see
I experienced all sorts of grave fears
The devil stood at the foot of my bed
Satan was standing at the bottom of my bed
Pointing his finger at me
And pointing his finger towards me
They carried me down to Knoxville
They transported me to Knoxville
And put me in a cell
And imprisoned me
My friends all tried to get me out
My acquaintances attempted to get me released
But none could grow my bail
But none could generate enough money for my bail
I'm here to waste my life away
I am imprisoned here, with my life passing by
Down in this dirty old jail
In this old and undignified prison
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl
Because I killed that young lady from Knoxville
The girl I loved so well
The young lady that I cared for profoundly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOYLE WILBURN, TEDDY WILBURN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marvelibraheem8422
Girl in Amber
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Some go and some stay behind
Some never move at all
Girl in amber trapped forever, spinning down the hall
Let no part of her go unremembered, clothes across the floor
Girl in amber [?] slumber shuts the bathroom door
The phone, the phone, the phone it rings, it rings, it rings no more
The song, the song, the song it spins since nineteen eighty-four
The phone, the phone, the phone, it rings, the phone, it rings no more
The song, the song it's been spinning now since nineteen
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, don't breathe a word
Just step away and let the world spin
And now in turn, you turn
You kneel, lace up his shoes, your little blue-eyed boy
Take him by his hand, go move and spin him down the hall
I get lucky, I get lucky cause I tried again
I knew the world it would stop spinning now since you've been gone
I used to think that when you died you kind of wandered the world
In a slumber til your crumble were absorbed into the earth
Well, I don't think that any more the phone it rings no more
The song, the song it spins now since nineteen eighty-four
The song, the song, the song it spins, it's been a spinning now
And if you'll hold me I will tell you that you know that
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe a word
And let the world turn
The song, the song it spins, the song, it spins, it spins no more
The phone, it rings, it rings and you won't stay
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
@madrugada1007
Some go and some stay behind
Some never move at all
Girl in amber trapped forever, spinning down the hall
Let no part of her go unremembered, clothes across the floor
Girl in amber lumber slumber shuts the bathroom door
The phone, the phone, the phone it rings, it rings, it rings no more
The song, the song, the song it spins since nineteen eighty-four
The phone, the phone, the phone, it rings, the phone, it rings no more
The song, the song it's been spinning now since nineteen
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, don't breathe
A word
Just step away and let the world spin
And now in turn, you turn
You kneel, lace up his shoes, your little blue-eyed boy
Take him by his hand, go move and spin him down the hall
I get lucky, I get lucky 'cause I tried again
I knew the world it would stop spinning now since you've been gone
I used to think that when you died you kind of wandered the world
In a slumber till you crumbled, were absorbed into the earth
Well, I don't think that any more
The phone it rings no more
The song, the song it spins, it spins now since nineteen eighty-four
The song, the song, the song it spins, it's been a spinning now
And if you'll hold me I will tell you that you know that
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe a word
And let the world turn
The song, the song it spins, the song, it spins, it spins no more
The phone, it rings, it rings
And you won't stay
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
@johnarundell7951
Some go on, some stay behind, some never move at all
Girl in amber, trapped forever, spinning down the hall
Let no part of her go unremembered, clothes across the floor
Girl in amber, long to slumber, shuts the bathroom door
The phone, the phone, the phone it rings, the phone it rings no more
The song, the song, the song, it spins since nineteen eighty-four
The phone, the phone, the phone it rings, the phone it rings no more
The song, the song, it's been spinning now since nineteen
If you want to bleed, just bleed
If you want to bleed, just bleed
But if you want to leave, don't breathe a word
Just step away, and let the world turn
You turn, you kneel, lace up his boots, your little blue-eyed boy
Take him by the hand, go floating, moving down the hall
I get lucky, I get lucky 'cause I try it again
I knew the world it would stop spinning now, since you've been gone
I used to think that when you died, you kind of wandered the world
In a slumber 'til you crumbled, were absorbed into the earth
Well, I don't think that anymore, the phone it rings no more
The song, the song it spins, it spins since nineteen eighty-four
The song, the song, the song it spins, yeah it's been spinning now
And if you'll hold me, I will tell you that you'll know that
If you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe a word
Just step away, and let the world turn
The song, the song, the song it spins, the song it spins no more
The phone it rings and rings, and you won't stay
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
@MaryChrisMaryCdiliapo
Don't touch me. 🦋ヽ♡｀♪ ｀、•♪
Some go and some stay behind
Some never move at all
Girl in amber trapped forever, spinning down the hall
Let no part of her go unremembered, clothes across the floor
Girl in amber [?] slumber shuts the bathroom door
The phone, the phone, the phone it rings, it rings, it rings no more
The song, the song, the song it spins since nineteen eighty-four
The phone, the phone, the phone, it rings, the phone, it rings no more
The song, the song it's been spinning now since nineteen
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, just bleed
And if you want to bleed, don't breathe a word
Just step away and let the world spin
And now in turn, you turn
You kneel, lace up his shoes, your little blue-eyed boy
Take him by his hand, go move and spin him down the hall
I get lucky, I get lucky cause I tried again
I knew the world it would stop spinning now since you've been gone
I used to think that when you died you kind of wandered the world
In a slumber til your crumble were absorbed into the earth
Well, I don't think that any more the phone it rings no more
The song, the song it spins now since nineteen eighty-four
The song, the song, the song it spins, it's been a spinning now
And if you'll hold me I will tell you that you know that
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe
And if you want to leave, don't breathe a word
And let the world turn
The song, the song it spins, the song, it spins, it spins no more
The phone, it rings, it rings and you won't stay
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
@NitemareTheatre
I forget which famous writer said something like "if you see something and you want to talk about it afterwards that's good entertainment but if you want to talk about life afterwards that's art." This album has been breaking that art line for me. very powerful.
@lilnut2388
Listen to Jamison Faulkner - Way Back When‼️‼️
@ireneclaro5538
@Lil Nut Thank you for your kindness ☺🎶🎶🎶
@1chipchap
They are both the same thing?
@matheuszanotti3883
Nick is a real poet, this song has one of the most heartbreaking lines ever written...
"'I used to think that when you died you kind of wandered the world
In a slumber til you crumble were absorbed into the earth''
I can't even imagine how painful and personal the process of making this album was, but i'm glad he did it... now we all have an album that is a true masterpiece.
@marceladns
I watched One more time with Feeling, amazing documentary about his grieving process. He is amazingly talented.
@heroinaction6365
I ve been thinking too how much painful this song must have been for him...
@lilnut2388
Listen to Jamison Faulkner - Way Back When‼️‼️
@lilnut2388
@Hero:in Action Listen to Jamison Faulkner - Way Back When‼️‼️
@lilnut2388
@Marcela A. Tombley Listen to Jamison Faulkner - Way Back When‼️‼️