Country music loves to sing story songs about love, lost love, trucks, lost trucks, dogs, and well, murder. From “Long Black Veil,” which Johnny Cash recorded and released in 1965, to Ashley McBryde’s 2020 single “Martha Drive,” sometimes bodies have to drop.

We dug deep and found what we believe are country music’s creepiest and most haunting songs about murder.

  • "Two Black Cadillacs" - Carrie Underwood - 2013

    Carrie is the current queen of country music revenge songs, and this one takes it one step further to murder. The song’s video was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee, and draws inspiration from Stephen King’s novel Christine, which tells the story of a vintage automobile apparently possessed by supernatural forces. The video ends with the car running over the cheating man and repairing itself afterward.

    The murder appears in the song lyrics here, “Two months ago, his wife called the number on his phone / Turns out he’d been lying to both of them for oh so long / They decided then, he’d never get away with doing this to them / Two black Cadillacs waiting for the right time, right time.”

  • "Better Dig Two" - The Band Perry - 2013

    This trio of siblings had a significant hold on country music in 2013 when they released this song, their third number one. The trio got Best New Artist at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

    The song’s lyrics are “Well, it won’t be whiskey, won’t be meth / It’ll be your name on my last breath / If divorce or death ever do us part / The coroner will call it a broken heart.”

  • "Goodbye Earl" - The Chicks - 1999

    The 1999 video starred some Hollywood actors, including Dennis Franz as Earl, Jane Krakowski as Wanda, and Lauren Holly as Mary Ann. The song tells the story about Wanda, who had had it with Earl; she and her pal Mary Anne decided to take matters into their own hands.

    The lyrics include, “And it didn’t take ’em long to decide / That Earl had to die / Goodbye, Earl / Those black-eyed peas / They tasted alright to me, Earl / You feelin’ weak? / Why don’t you lay down and sleep, Earl / Ain’t it dark wrapped up in that tarp, Earl.”

  • "Papa Loved Mama" - Garth Brooks - 1991

    This top five song on the country charts was one that Garth co-wrote, and he said at the time it came out, “This song is just total fun at a chaotic pace.”

    The murderous lyrics are in part, “Well it was bound to happen, and one night it did / Papa came home, and it was just us kids / He had a dozen roses and a bottle of wine / If he was lookin’ to surprise us he was doin’ fine / I heard him cry for Mama up and down the hall / Then I heard a bottle break against the bedroom wall / That old diesel engine made an eerie sound / When Papa fired it up and headed into town / Well the picture in the paper showed the scene real well / Papa’s rig was buried in the local motel / The desk clerk said he saw it all real clear / He never hit the brakes and he was shifting gears.”

  • "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" - Reba - 1991

    A song that Reba remade from a classic from 1972 that actress Vicky Lawrence had a hit with. Reba told us it is one of her top five all-time favorite songs to sing.

    The lyrical story goes, “Well, they hung my brother before I could say / The tracks he saw while on his way / To Andy’s house and back that night were mine /, And his cheating wife had never left town / That’s one body that’ll never be found / You see, little sister, don’t miss when she aims her gun.”

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