Top 10 Songs About Doing Time
Top 10 Songs About Doing Time
Songs about serving time and prison culture have captured our attention for decades. Sometimes they’re serious and tough to listen to, other times they’re oddly upbeat or downright rabble rousing. Have a listen.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.
10. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
“I can hear the hound dogs on my trail. All hell breaks loose, alarm and sirens wail.”
For these working class Irish boys that had enough of the penal system, busting out of jail is the only option left.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.9. Blues Brothers - Riot in Cell Block Number Nine
"There's a riot going on Up in cell block number nine"
Leave it to the comic wit of the Blues Brothers to make this 1954 classic song about a prison riot sound like the coolest party you weren’t invited to. Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.8. Bobby Fuller - I Fought the Law
"I miss my baby and the good fun I fought the law and the law won"
The Crickets cover was popularized by the Bobby Fuller Four in 1966. In case you thought doing hard time was for seasoned criminals and social outcasts, Bobby Fuller’s all American looks and southern twang prove that no one is out of the law’s reach.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.7. John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Born in a Prison
"We work in a prison And hate in a prison And die in a prison as a rule"
Well according to John and Yoko, and the Plastic Ono Band, all of societies institutions are prisons. Just another reason why everyone should follow Yoko on Twitter (@YokoOno).
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.6. Akon featuring Styles P - Locked Up
"Can't wait to get out and move forward with my life, Got a family that loves me and wants me to do right"
A modern day Rhythm & Blues lament on growing up poor, figuring a way to survive, and looking for the reasons that motivate bad decisions.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.5. Led Zeppelin - Gallows Pole
"What did you bring me, my dear friends, to keep me from the Gallows Pole?"
Jimmy and Robert remind us that sometimes justice isn’t about fairness or the facts, but about whether you can afford freedom in a corrupt system. Not the most uplifting point, but that’s art for you. I mean, they did name their band after the Hindenburg disaster...
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.4. Nas - One Love
"So stay civilized, time flies Though incarcerated your mind (dies)"
Hip Hop’s raconteur raps this letter to a buddy that's locked up in the pen, to warn and inform him of what has transpired back home since his lock-up.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.3. Bob Dylan - Hurricane
"Put in a prison cell, but one time he could have been the champion of the world"
This may be Bobby’s greatest achievement. You’re hard pressed to find another song with as compelling a narrative of injustice as the true story of Rubin Hurricane Carter.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.2. Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
“Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all to criticize me for some crime. Nevertheless they could not understand that I'm a Black man and I could never be a veteran. On the strength, the situation's unreal, I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel.”
Chuck D’s locked up in a cell. Labeled a draft dodger for the war or, as he sees it, a conscientious objector. It’s up to Flavor Flav, Terminator X, and S1W’s to rescue Chuck. Talk about an A-Team.
Listen here.
***1990’s Bonus: Listen to Tricky’s brave and utterly original cover of PE’s hit. It turns Chuck D’s political views into a sexy mantra for a new generation.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.1. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
"I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die"
Johnny Cash is quoted as saying, "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind." There is no song from ol' Johnny that states the prisoner's lament better than this rabble rouser of a song.
Listen here.
Be sure to watch Rectify, Mondays at 10pm.
