My Baby's Gone To Jail
The Doug Anthony Allstars Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

My baby's gone to jail
She won't be out for quite a while
My baby's gone to jail
Cos she set fire to my child
Do you know what she did?
She charcoal grilled the kid
Then got a butane lighter
To ignite the little shit!

All I'm saying is
I think she's a psychopath
She threw a radiator
Into my sister' bath
And I'm just praying
Must I paint a picture?
All I'm hoping is
That they don't convict her
My baby's gone to jail

She reads books to me
By the Marquis de Sade
I'd like to reprimand her
But it's always hard
And she's a sado-masochist
An anarchistic and arsonist
Manic depressive Dalinist
And she gets worse when she gets premenstrual

All I'm saying is
She needs psychiatric care
She swallowed razor blades
In truth or dare
And all I'm saying is
Hey! Give her a break!
You all know that
We've all made mistakes
So what?
So what?

If they use the noose
They'll crack her pretty neck
They'll singe her hair
If she goes to the chair.
And although she cut my Ovaltine with crack -
I want her back!

My baby's gone to jail
She may be doing life
She took a twelve gauge shotgun
And blew away my wife
I'll beg the judge to join her
In a six foot cell
Cos cruising singles bars
Is worse than hell!

All I'm saying is
She's got this jealous streak
Saw my woman and
Man, she really freaked.
Took that chainsaw of love
To say we're through
Cut off my wedding ring
And took my finger, too

My baby's gone to jail
My baby's gone
My baby's gone to jail
My baby's gone
My baby's gone to jail




My baby's gone
SO WHAT!?

Overall Meaning

The Doug Anthony Allstars's song, "My Baby's gone to Jail," is a darkly humorous song about a man's partner being imprisoned for committing various violent crimes. The song goes through several different offenses committed by the partner, highlighting the singer's despair and confusion about the situation. The lyrics reference the partner setting fire to the singer's child and throwing a radiator into the singer's sister's bath. Additionally, the partner is presented as a sadomasochist who reads Marquis de Sade books and has a penchant for arson. The singer also suggests that the partner needs psychiatric care and that their imprisonment may be justified.


The song is an example of the Doug Anthony Allstars' signature dark humor, which often pokes fun at taboo subjects. Despite the dark subject matter, the song's energetic and upbeat music creates a jarring contrast with the lyrics. This contrast highlights the absurdity of the situation and is a common element in the Doug Anthony Allstars' music.


Line by Line Meaning

My baby's gone to jail
My partner has been incarcerated


She won't be out for quite a while
She's been sentenced to a long time in jail


Cos she set fire to my child
She deliberately started a fire that harmed my child


Do you know what she did?
I want to share what she did


She charcoal grilled the kid
She cooked the child over a barbecue


Then got a butane lighter
She used a lighter fueled by butane


To ignite the little shit!
To set the child on fire


All I'm saying is
The only point I'm trying to make is


I think she's a psychopath
In my opinion, she has a severe mental disorder


She threw a radiator
She violently threw an object


Into my sister' bath
Into the bathtub my sister was in


And I'm just praying
I'm hoping dearly


Must I paint a picture?
Do I need to explain in more detail?


That they don't convict her
I hope she's not found guilty


She reads books to me
She shares literary works with me


By the Marquis de Sade
Written by the controversial Marquis de Sade


I'd like to reprimand her
I want to criticize her actions


But it's always hard
But it's difficult to do so


And she's a sado-masochist
She enjoys both receiving and giving pain


An anarchistic and arsonist
She's a believer in political disorder and enjoys setting fires


Manic depressive Dalinist
She suffers from manic depression and is influenced by Spanish artist Salvador Dali


And she gets worse when she gets premenstrual
Her behavior worsens before her menstrual cycle


She needs psychiatric care
She requires medical attention for her mental health


She swallowed razor blades
She ingested sharp metal objects


In truth or dare
As part of a game where one must choose to tell the truth or perform a dare


Hey! Give her a break!
Please have mercy on her


You all know that
I'm sure everyone understands


We've all made mistakes
We've all done things we regret


If they use the noose
If the punishment is hanging


They'll crack her pretty neck
Her attractive neck will be broken


They'll singe her hair
Her hair will be burned


If she goes to the chair.
If she's electrocuted


And although she cut my Ovaltine with crack -
Even though she added drugs to my Ovaltine


I want her back!
I still love her and want to be with her


She may be doing life
She could be serving a life sentence


She took a twelve gauge shotgun
She used a shotgun


And blew away my wife
And killed my spouse


I'll beg the judge to join her
I'll request to be imprisoned with her


In a six-foot cell
In the same cell that she's in


Cos cruising singles bars
Because going to bars to pick up people


Is worse than hell!
Is a terrible experience


My baby's gone
My partner is gone


SO WHAT!?
What difference does it make?




Contributed by Adam B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions