I have listened to all the songs for the first chapter of this course multiple times and "Stagolee" is by far my favorite song. I love the melancholy connotation of the words. One phrase that I find to be the most poignant is "Billy Linus told Stagolee "Please don't take my life, I've got two little babes and a darling loving wife."" This line engages the listener on a deep emotional level as the reader imagines a man murdered, consequently leaving behind a widowed wife and fatherless children. Another intriguing aspect of this song is the syncopated onomatopoeia that he uses when he says "Boom boom, boom boom, with a '44," implying gunshots. It gives an amazing beat to the song that I find entrancing. I also enjoy the controversial implications of this song. John Hurt never explicitly discusses race during this song, but I personally believe that he is trying to discuss how Caucasian people were not typically punished for their crimes against African-American people. At the time many other works were being produced with similar messages such as,
To Kill a Mockingbird, which is why I believe that this is the message he is trying to delineate without being direct.
Hey Kaden, I have to say, that lyric is what hits me in this song too. It clearly expresses the sadness and helplessness of a man as a husband and father. Although the tune of the song sounds upbeat, at least I think so. For the explanation of "Boom, boom, boom", I didn't realize it was the sound of gunfire, and when I put it in, I could understand this song better!
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