Warning: Features explicit language and offensive content.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Stagger Lee is a take on a traditional folk song; a dark and violent tale, told from the perspective of Stagger Lee, a notorious figure in American folklore. His entire character is created from his appearance in different songs by different bands over the years. It is said that Stagger Lee is one of the most frequently written-about characters who was never originally conceived in a novel, short story, film, or other traditional narrative form. In a recent interview with UnHerd, Nick Cave explained that his version is “highly problematic” and “offensive on many, many levels.” He cited the song as an example of his earlier work that he now regrets, stating that he would not write such lyrics today.
Despite its polemic nature, I always liked Stagger Lee‘s driving rhythm and haunting melody. Nick Cave’s distinctive baritone vocals are so brash and impactful delivering the song’s dark and twisted narrative. I can’t get enough of it. Face the evil up close and get a taste of it. It’s an expose on this malevolent being that rarely is captured in Song.
Stagger Lee appears to remain a fan favourite and a standout track in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ discography. The video below is the ants pants as far as I’m concerned. There are various recordings and spellings (stackolee, stagolee, stagger lee, stack a lee) of this song going back decades. Cave’s version draws most of the lyrics from a 1967 transcription published in the 1976 book The Life: The Lore and Folk Poetry of the Black Hustler.
[Verse 1]
It was back in ’32 when times were hard
He had a Colt .45 and a deck of cards
Stagger Lee
He wore rat-drawn shoes and an old Stetson hat
Had a ’28 Ford, he had payments on that
Stagger Lee
His woman threw him out in the ice and snow
And told him, “Never ever come back no more
Stagger Lee”
So he walked through the rain and he walked through the mud
Till he came to a place called The Bucket Of Blood
Stagger Lee
He said “Mr Motherfucker, you know who I am”
The barkeeper said, “No, and I don’t give a good goddamn”
To Stagger Lee
He said, “Well bartender, it’s so plain to see
I’m the bad motherfucker called Stagger Lee
Mr. Stagger Lee”
Barkeep said, “Yeah, I’ve heard your name down the way
And I kick motherfucking asses like you every day
Mr Stagger Lee”
Well ah, those were the last words that the barkeep said
Cause Stag put four holes in his motherfucking head
[Verse 2]
Just then in came a broad called Nellie Brown
Known to make more money than any bitch in town
She struts across the bar, hitching up her skirt
Over to Stagger Lee, she startin’ to flirt
Oh, Stagger Lee
She saw the barkeep, said, “O God, he can’t be dead!”
Stag said, “Well, just count the holes in the motherfucker’s head!”
She said, “You ain’t look like you scored in quite a time
Why not come to my pad? It won’t cost you a dime
Mr. Stagger Lee!”
“But there’s something I have to say before you begin
You’ll have to be gone before my man Billy Dilly comes in
Mr. Stagger Lee”
“I’ll stay here till Billy Dilly comes in, till time comes to pass
And furthermore I’ll fuck Billy Dilly in his motherfucking ass”
Said Stagger Lee
“I’m a bad motherfucker, don’t you know
And I’ll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get to one fat boy’s asshole!”
Said Stagger Lee
Just then Billy Dilly rolls in and he says, “You must be
The mad motherfucker called Stagger Lee”
“I’m Stagger Lee
Yeah, I’m Stagger Lee and you better get down on your knees
And suck my dick, because If you don’t you’re gonna be dead”
Said Stagger Lee
Well, Billy Dilly dropped down and slobbered on his head
And Stag filled him full of lead
*gunshots*
Oh yeah
[Outro]
*screaming*
The following was extracted from the Wikipedia reference below:
The track was released on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 1996 album Murder Ballads. As the name suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details (and often consequences) of crimes of passion. Murder Ballads was the band’s biggest commercial success to date, most likely helped by the unexpected repeated airplay of the “Where the Wild Roses Grow” video on MTV. Cave later said: “I was kind of aware that people would go and buy the Murder Ballads album and listen to it and wonder ‘What the fuck have I bought this for?’ because the Kylie song wasn’t any true indication of what the record was actually like.”
In December 2021, the album was ranked at no. 13 in Rolling Stone Australia’s “200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time” list.
References:
1. Nick Cave admits ‘Stagger Lee’ is “a highly problematic song” – Far Out Magazine
2. Stagger Lee – Wikipedia
3. Murder Ballads – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I still don’t know much about Nick Cave. That’s a pretty dark song. I agree Cave’s delivery is powerful. I think the fact he himself felt compelled to denounce it is telling.
I wore out his ‘Good Son’ album in my adolescence and still consider ‘The Ship Song’ my Desert Is. Australian song. His recent record ‘Ghosteen’ which contains the stunning track – ‘Bright Horses’ remains one of my most viewed articles.
‘Stagger Lee’ is so ‘dark’ as you wrote and contain some of the most offensive lyrics I have read, but by golly I understand why it remains one of his fan favourites.
After listening to Grinderman this morning. I tune in here and more Cave. A good music day.
I’ll admit I love this song. Who is Grinderman? This is about as bad arse as it gets, but artistically it’s just a potent as the lyrics. It just all feels right.
Another Cave offshoot. A heavy dose.