http://www.rebeccanaomijones.com/bio.html.
Murder Ballad
Rebecca Naomi Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We light the match
It starts from a spark
We let the fire catch,
Eliminate the, the dark
The singer stands to sing
Required listening from the
We hear them sing
'Someone's gonna die'
Songs of Saints and of Sinners
QUARTET
There but for the grace of God, go I
NARRATOR
In a smoky club we let the record spin
And Mack the knife delights by flaying the skin
At least while Ella sings
Or Bobby Darin swings
QUARTET
From New York to Berlin
Come stories of true love gone awry
Of devils and angels
There but for the grace of God, go I
SARA
We all want to touch the flames
MICHAEL&SARA
But not get burned
TOM&NARRATOR
The pull of petty fate
MICHAEL
But don't touch
SARA
Don't
NARRATOR
On the radio they burn up the charts
Pop songs of love gone wrong and bloody hearts
Maxwell's Silver Hammer blow
Hendrix calling out
Hey Joe, hey Joe... hey Joe
QUARTET
There's always a killer
So logically someone has to die
We sing the Murder Ballad's warning
There but for the grace of God, go I
Grace of God, go I
Grace of God, go I
NARRATOR
Listen and I'll tell a tale
A tale where good does not prevail
A King, a Queen
A Club, a Knave
One is destined for the grave...
The song "Murder Ballad" by Rebecca Naomi Jones is about the allure of dangerous situations and the warning signs that come with them. The song starts with the singer talking about lighting a match and letting the fire catch, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for allowing a potentially harmful situation to escalate. The quartet chimes in singing "There but for the grace of God, go I," a line that implies that they could easily find themselves in a dangerous situation as well. They listen to music about love gone wrong and murder, but still find themselves drawn to it.
The characters in the song struggle with their desire to touch the flames of danger but not get burned. Sara and Michael both acknowledge the pull of petty fate, recognizing that they could easily make a mistake that would lead to their downfall. The quartet reminds them that there is always a killer, and logically, someone has to die. The song ends with the singer telling a story where good does not prevail, suggesting that the warning signs were there all along.
Overall, "Murder Ballad" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting our desires get the best of us. It reminds listeners that the allure of the dangerous and unknown can quickly lead to disaster.
Line by Line Meaning
We light the match
We start the fire on our own
It starts from a spark
Even the smallest of things can lead to something big
We let the fire catch,
We let the situation grow out of control
Eliminate the, the dark
We try to get rid of the negative feelings or emotions
The singer stands to sing
The performer takes the stage
Required listening from the Blue ridge mountains
It is an essential part of the music from a specific region
We hear them sing
We listen to the song
'Someone's gonna die'
The song foreshadows a death
Songs of Saints and of Sinners
The songs are about people from all walks of life
There but for the grace of God, go I
I could easily be in their situation
In a smoky club we let the record spin
We listen to music in a bar atmosphere
And Mack the knife delights by flaying the skin
The music is violent in nature
At least while Ella sings
But the violence takes a backseat while the singer performs
Or Bobby Darin swings
The focus is on the music, not the lyrics
From New York to Berlin
The violent music is everywhere
Come stories of true love gone awry
The songs are about love gone wrong
Of devils and angels
The songs contain themes of good and evil
We all want to touch the flames
We all want to take chances, even if they come with risks
But not get burned
We still want to avoid the negative consequences
The pull of petty fate
We are drawn to our destinies, even if they are not great
But don't touch
We should avoid the dangerous situations
Don't
Don't take the risk
On the radio they burn up the charts
Popular music is often violent in nature
Pop songs of love gone wrong and bloody hearts
The songs are often about unhealthy relationships and violence
Maxwell's Silver Hammer blow
Even the Beatles had violent songs
Hendrix calling out
Even famous musicians had violent songs
Hey Joe, hey Joe... hey Joe
The music is often about murder
There's always a killer
There is always someone who commits the crime
So logically someone has to die
If there is a killer, there must be a victim
We sing the Murder Ballad's warning
The song is a warning about the consequences of violence
Listen and I'll tell a tale
The performer wants to tell a story
A tale where good does not prevail
The story does not have a happy ending
A King, a Queen
There are characters of royalty
A Club, a Knave
There are characters from a deck of cards
One is destined for the grave...
One of the characters will die
Contributed by Harper S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.