There’s a Spark of Magic in Your Eyes
July 15, 2019
When Everything’s a Little Clearer in the Light of Day
July 17, 2019
Been two weeks gone and he’d thought he’d stop
What’s That Song?
If you guessed The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence, you are correct!
Today’s Bill Campbell What’s That Song, written by Bobby Russell and released in November 1972, is a murder ballad-Southern Gothic song that topped the 1973 charts. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia was neither considered pop or country at the time and was offered to several artists, including Liza Minelli and Cher, before Vicki Lawrence recorded it professionally with the famous L.A. Wrecking Crew session musicians.
Did you know…
- In 1973, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia hit the top of Billboard’s Hot 100.
- In 1991, The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia peaked at #12 on the Hot Country Songs with Reba McEntire.
- RIAA certified The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia as gold in 1973 and as a surprise during the final episode of the Carol Burnette show that season, Carol presented Vicki, a regular on Carol’s show, with the RIAA Gold Record.
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
He was on his way home from Candletop
Been two weeks gone and he’d thought he’d stop at Webb’s
And have him a drink before he went home to her
Andy Wolloe said hello
And he said, “Hi, what’s doing, Wo?”
Said, “Sit down, I got some bad news, it’s gonna hurt.”
He said, “I’m your best friend and you know that’s right
But your young bride ain’t home tonight
Since you been gone, she’s been seeing that Amos boy, Seth.”
Well, he got mad and he saw red
And Andy said, “Boy, don’t you lose your head
Cause to tell you the truth, I’ve been with her myself.”
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
Well, Andy got scared and left the bar
Walking on home, cause he didn’t live far
See, Andy didn’t have many friends
And he just lost him one
Brother thought his wife musta left town
So he went home and finally found
The only thing Papa had left him and that was a gun
Then he went off to Andy’s house
Slippin’ through the backwoods, quiet as a mouse
Came upon some tracks too small for Andy to make
He looked through the screen at the back porch door
And he saw Andy lying on the floor
In a puddle of blood and he started to shake
Well, the Georgia patrol was making their rounds
So he fired a shot just to flag them down
And a big-bellied sheriff grabbed his gun
And said “Why’d you do it?”
Well, the judge said guilty in a make-believe trial
Slapped the sheriff on the back with a smile
Said, “Supper’s waitin’ at home and I gotta get to it.”
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
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
And that’s one body that’ll never be found
See, little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun
That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia, whoa-oh
That’s the night that they hung an innocent man, uh-huh
Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer
Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands
Oh, that’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia
(The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia lyrics © Pix Russ Music Ltd., Pix-russ Music, Pixrus Music)
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What do you think about today’s What’s That Song? Tell us in the comment section.
