Taking a dive into the macabre. It’s no secret that country music and murder ballads go hand-in-hand. From Johnny Cash’s tales of crime to Colter Wall’s stories of cheating, you don’t have to look very far to find songs depicting dark, violent subject matter to fulfill an appetite for murder. Throughout the decades, the genre has been gifted with some of the best tracks from a plethora of legends — both old and new — ranging from the likes of Willie Nelson and Marty Robbins to alternative country heroes such as Tyler Childers and Jason Isbell. In this list of 15 of the best murder ballads across the genre in the last sixty or so years, we’ll cover a lot of ground between subject matter, subgenres and eras, so without further ado, let’s dive in. “Kate McCannon” – Colter Wall Starting off strong with the gold standard for modern murder ballads, Colter Wall’s “Kate McCannon” is one of the best tracks of the 21st century so far, in my opinion. From his haunting, raspy vocals to the sparse production, the track lets the listener bask in the darkness of the lyrics of the song as Wall kills the titular woman after catching her cheating with another man. “Cocaine Blues” – Johnny Cash Simply put, “Cocaine Blues” is the Man in Black in his wheelhouse. Cash comes out of the gates swinging, “Early one morning while making the rounds, took a shot of cocaine and shot my woman down.” There’s a certain shockingness to the blunt nature in which he recounts the murder. He’s not trying to be poetic while recounting the murder or trying to justify it; he’s simply stating how he did it. Cash’s vocal charisma while recounting the murder and the trial serves as a brilliant juxtaposition compared to his actions. “Knives of New Orleans” – Eric Church Though many point to “Lightning” as Church’s best murder ballad, “Knives of New Orleans” arguably does it better. What sets it apart from many other murder ballads is that Church never details what he did. He never explicitly states who he killed or how he did it; he simply leaves it up to the listeners’ imagination, making it even more terrifying as he wails, “I did what I did,” in the outro. “Down the River” – Chris Knight Closing out the set of four river-based murder ballads is none other than Chris Knight’s sprawling, 7-minute epic, which tells the harrowing journey of a man taking revenge for his brother’s murder. Easily one of the best and most detailed narrative songs in the genre, “Down the River” is a must-listen. “Red Headed Stranger” – Willie Nelson It would simply be criminal (no pun intended) to leave off one of the most iconic country songs from one of the most iconic country albums of all time. “Red Headed Stranger” proves why Willie Nelson has remained a country legend for well over fifty years, and it’s such a pleasant song to listen to. Sonically, the track is incredibly soothing and waltz-esque, serving as a juxtaposition to the eventual actions the titular character commits later in the song. It’s no surprise that this song has stood the test of time the way it has; it’s country gold. “Cranes of Potter” – Charles Wesley Godwin One of the greatest songs of the decade, Charles Wesley Godwin’s 2021 deep cut creates a post-Civil War world in which a promiscuous mayor’s daughter, Claire, finds herself caught up in a love triangle. Claire is preyed upon by the town’s lunatic, Jeremiah, who eventually kills Claire in a jealous rage and is hanged as punishment. However, her remains would not be found until over a century later, something that was actually inspired by real-world events as noted by Godwin. “Banded Clovis” – Tyler Childers One of Tyler Childers’ most narrative-driven songs to date comes in the form of “Banded Clovis,” a murder ballad centered around two men going out to mine for valuables on a hillside. The track quickly dives into darkness as the narrator kills the man over the titular banded clovis after a night filled with moonshine (and presumably other, harder substances). “Martha Divine” – Ashley McBryde In the severely underrated murder ballad from Ashley McBryde, the “Girl Going Nowhere” singer finds herself at odds with her father’s mistress. Taking revenge for her mother, McBryde kills her with a shovel. It’s the tangible anger in McBryde’s performance here on “Martha Divine” that really sets it apart from the pack. “Crooked Teeth” – Zach Bryan Love or hate everything Zach Bryan has gotten himself into the past year or so, there’s no denying that “Crooked Teeth” is a stellar track from the Oklahoman singer/songwriter. Instead of implying the violence like Church on “Knives of New Orleans,” here, Bryan goes into detail describing the brutality inflicted upon the man he caught his lover with, noting he blew his knees off with a presumed shotgun blast and even removed one of his eyes in the process. “River” – Jason Isbell Love or hate Jason Isbell’s politics and personality in general, there is no doubt that he’s one of the finest songwriters working in any genre over the past two decades. What immediately stands out while listening to “River” is how it is less about the murders the narrator committed and more about the consequences they have had on him, detailing how he regrets orphaning others’ children and stealing others’ fortunes. The way that Isbell refers to the river as his savior before eventually drowning himself in it in the final verse is nothing short of haunting. “If It Hadn’t Been For Love” – The SteelDrivers Before Chris Stapleton was the god-like figure in country music like he is today, he was creating some incredible music with the likes of The Steeldrivers. This beautifully haunting, bluegrass-inspired track follows the story of a man killing his lover for cheating on him with another man. Reflecting upon his action, Stapleton sits in a jail cell before blaming it all on being in love. “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” – Reba McEntire “The Nights the Lights Went Out in Georgia” is everything a murder ballad should be. The verses have a sultry sound, immediately setting the mood for murder. The verses then crescendo into the iconic chorus. Sonically, it is a delight. Lyrically, it is equally exciting. The narrator details how her brother was hanged for killing the man with whom his wife cheated. Throughout the verses, it is revealed that the narrator not only killed the man but also her brother’s wife for cheating on him. The reveal is an excellent plot twist and further proves how expertly Bobby Russell wrote this track. “Psycho” – Eddie Noack Like Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger,” Noack’s 1968 “Psycho” sounds like your standard country fair for the time. Framed as a conversation between Noack and his mother, the song quickly takes a turn to the macabre when he matter-of-factly states that he killed his ex and her lover at a dance hall. It only gets worse from there when he recounts murdering another man named Johnny and his dog with his bare hands, a little girl with a wrench and finally his own mother as the song ends. Nothing short of shocking, especially during its time of release in 1968. “Big Iron” – Marty Robbins Whether it’s the Marty Robbins original or Colter Wall’s popular 2020 cover, you can’t go wrong with either version of “Big Iron.” Immediately taking you back to the days of the wild west, the track is the perfect gunslinging murder ballad. “White River” – Kaitlin Butts A severely underrated track from Kaitlin Butts, “White River,” tells the story of a daughter finally taking revenge on her father for years of abuse to both her and her mother, making the titular White River turn red with his blood. Simple yet incredibly, Butts makes the most of using effective imagery here. The post 15 Of The Greatest Murder Ballads In Country Music History first appeared on Whiskey Riff.