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Hangman Jury | ||||||||||||||
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| Recording Artist: | Aerosmith | ||||||||||||||
| Writers: | Steven
Tyler Joe Perry Jim Vallance |
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| Date Written: | March-April 1987 / Vancouver Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Albums: | Permanent Vacation (Geffen, 1987) | ||||||||||||||
| Charts: | #14 - Billboard Album Rock Tracks Chart / 1987 (12 weeks on the chart) | ||||||||||||||
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| Audio: | |||||||||||||||
Steven Tyler: vocal Joe Perry: rhythm guitar, slide guitar Brad Whitford: rhythm guitar Tom Hamilton: bass Joey Kramer: drums |
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Produced by Bruce Fairbairn. Recorded by Mike Fraser and Bob Rock, April-May 1987, at Little Mountain Sound Studios (Vancouver). Mixed by Mike Fraser. |
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Comments:
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Steven and Joe had nearly completed "Hangman
Jury" by
the time I became involved. I helped Steven finish the lyrics
at the picnic table in my back yard. Unfortunately, about a year after the song was released we were sued for the opening section -- "oh boy dontcha line the track-a-lack-a" -- which was borrowed from the song "Line 'Em" (also called "Linin' Track"), previously recorded by Leadbelly, Taj Mahal and others. Steven believed the song was "in the public domain". In other words, he thought it was an old work-chant from the cotton fields, and nobody "owned" it. Regardless, at some point in the 1940's or 50's Leadbelly claimed authorship and the copyright was registered to Folkways Publishing, meaning they owned the song. After that, anybody who recorded the song had to pay them! Including us! |
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Steven Tyler: When we were doing 'Vacation' I went to
a music store and got a Taj Mahal album, and on it was the piece we used
for 'Hangman Jury': 'If I could I surely would ...'. I thought it was Taj Mahal's song, so I asked him for permission to use it, and I come to find out that he didn't write it. It was an old field holler, something black folks sang when they were working. Huddie Ledbetter took it and put it on his publishing." -- (from a "Sounds Magazine" interview, September '89). |
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Lyrics:
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Talkin' about the money that I ain't made Singin' o boy dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track O boy dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track If I could, I surely would Stand on the rock that Moses stood Singin' o boy dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track O boy dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track Drank so much hooch It made my eyes be gettin' blurry They say I nailed her to the wall A stitch in time don't mean a thing No hangman jury could make me crawl 'Cause I'm a poor boy Dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track a lack a O boy dontcha line the track Oh Whatcha do with a gun that's loaded Oh, shot her dead and her heart exploded Oh, tell me baby now d-dontcha worry Oh, like lying to the hangman jury Oh, I swear I didn't know that 45 was loaded In fact my memory ain't too clear That's not to say she didn't get what she deserved 'Least that's the way it looked from here boy When you line the track a lack a Here boy when you line the track a lack a Here boy when you line the track Oh - her love came tumblin' down, yeah Oh - when love come tumblin' down Oh - (let's get outta here) When love come tumblin' ... And every night she'd take her thing into the city And in the mornin' make me beg 'Cause if I'd taken all her real nitty gritty I'd smack her right upside the head boy Dontcha line the track a lack a Hey boy dontcha line the track Hey boy dontcha line the track Oh - when love came tumblin' down Oh - when love came tumblin' down Oh - when love came tumblin' ... Poor boy sweatin' in the hot summer night Hangman waitin' for the early morning light Singin' hey boy dontcha line the track a lack a Hey boy dontcha line the track Hey boy dontcha line the track a lack a Hey boy dontcha line the track If I could, I surely would Stand on the rock that Moses done stood Singin' hey boy dontcha line the track a lack a Hey boy dontcha line the track Hey boy dontcha line the track a lack a Hey boy dontcha line the track |
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