The group was initiated by Jon Langford (also of the Waco Brothers and The Mekons) as a covers group, with a constantly shifting repertory and cast of backing members. The name was first used for Langford's 1995 album of Johnny Cash cover songs. In 1998, Langford enlisted the help of a number of prominent alt-country musicians (including Neko Case, Alejandro Escovedo, and Robbie Fulks) for a full-length tribute album to Bob Wills. Their second LP, The Executioner's Last Songs, was released in 2002 and is a collection of songs about death. Following this record's success, the group recorded two more albums of songs about death as benefits for the Illinois Coalition Against the Death Penalty. These albums featured such guests as Steve Earle and Mark Eitzel. The group rarely performs live, though it occasionally does special performances in the Chicago area. In 2007 the group appeared as backing band on Chumbawamba member Danbert Nobacon's solo album The Library Book of the World, as well as playing live with Nobacon.
Knoxville Girl
The Pine Valley Cosmonauts 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
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 bleading 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
The song "Knoxville Girl" is a haunting ballad that tells a gruesome tale of a man who brutally murders a woman he was in a relationship with. In the opening verse, the singer tells the story of meeting a girl in Knoxville and spending Sunday evenings at her house. They go for a walk outside of town, but the singer suddenly becomes violent, hitting the girl with a stick and knocking her down. She pleads for mercy, but he continues beating her until she dies.
The singer proceeds to drag her body by her hair and throws her into the river. The remainder of the song describes the singer's reaction to the murder. He returns home with blood on his clothes, lies to his mother about the source of the blood, and spends the night tormented by nightmares. The song concludes with the singer being captured and imprisoned for the crime.
While the lyrics of "Knoxville Girl" are undoubtedly disturbing, they are delivered in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner that underscores the horrifying and tragic nature of the tale. The sparse and haunting musical accompaniment further adds to the chilling atmosphere of the song.
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 place that is well known to all of us
And every sunday evening
Regularly, every Sunday evening
In her home I'd dwell
I would spend time in her residence
We went to take an evening walk
We went out for a stroll one evening
About a mile from town
Approximately one mile away from town
I picked a stick up off the ground
I lifted a wooden branch from the soil
And I knocked that fair girl down
I knocked the attractive lady to the ground
She fell down on her bended knees
She collapsed on her knees
For mercy she did cry
She begged for mercy
"Oh Willy, dear, don't kill me yet
"Don't kill me yet, dear Willy
I'm unprepared to die"
I'm not ready to die"
She never spoke another word
She did not utter another word
I only beat her more
I continued to strike her
Until the ground around me
Until the area around me
With her blood did flow
Became covered in her blood
I took her by her golden curls
I grabbed her by her blonde hair
And I dragged her 'round and 'round
And I pulled her around in circles
Throwing her into the river
I threw her into the river
That flows from Knoxville town
Which is flowing from Knoxville
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
Sink, sink, young lady from Knoxville
With your dark and roving eyes
With your wandering and somber eyes
Go down, go down, you Knoxville girl
Sink, sink, young lady from Knoxville
You can never be my bride
You will never be my wife
I started back to Knoxville
I began my journey back to Knoxville
Got there about midnight
Arrived around midnight
My mother, she was worried
My mother was anxious
She woke up in a fright
She woke up startled
Saying, "Dear son, what have you done
"What have you done, dear son?
To bloody up your clothes?"
"To make your clothes bloody?"
I told my anxious mother
I informed my concerned mother
That I was bleading in my nose
That my nose was bleeding
I called for me a candle
I asked for a candle
And I called for me a bed
And I requested a bed
And I called for me a handkerchief
And I requested a handkerchief
To bind my aching head
To soothe my sore head
I rolled and thrashed the whole night through
I tossed and turned all night
All horrors I did see
I witnessed all kinds of frightening things
The devil stood at the foot of my bed
The Devil appeared at the foot of my bed
Pointing his finger at me
And pointed his finger at me
They carried me down to Knoxville
They took me to Knoxville
And put me in a cell
And placed me behind bars
My friends all tried to get me out
My pals all attempted to bail me out
But none could grow my bail
But none were able to meet my bail requirements
I'm here to waste my life away
I am here to spend my life in misery
Down in this dirty old jail
In this filthy, old prison
Because I murdered that Knoxville girl
Because of my murder of the young lady from Knoxville
The girl I loved so well
The woman whom I cared for deeply
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOYLE WILBURN, TEDDY WILBURN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind