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Quiz about Tragedy in Songs Part 2 Hangings

Tragedy in Songs, Part 2: Hangings Quiz

Grandpa used to say there's nothing like a song about a hangin'. Can you identify these songs about gallows, lynchings, and executions?

A multiple-choice quiz by czolgolz. Estimated time: 6 mins.

Author
czolgolz

Time
6 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
187,211

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
755

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Reba McEntire sings how her brother is hanged for a murder she committed. What is the name of the song? Hint

Southern Justice

The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia

Long, Black Veil

Midnight Confession

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What song tells the story of a condemned prisoner who dreams of his old town, his parents, and the girl he left behind, the day before his execution? Hint

Folsom Prison Blues

The Last Mile

Green, Green Grass of Home

Mamma Tried

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Johnny Cash sings this humorous(!) song about the last few minutes before his hanging. What is it called? Hint

Man in Black

Long, Long Trail a-Winding

25 Minutes to Go

Swing Low (Sweet Gallows)

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. In this song, a man goes to the gallows for a murder he didn't commit, rather than admit where he really was on that cold dark night. Can you name it? Hint

Ten Years Ago

Long, Black Train

Long, Black Veil

Secrets of the Night

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What is the name of the song in which a man tells of his past lives, including one as a bandit hung for his crimes? Hint

The Bandit of Coventry Cross

I Remain

Highwayman

Heroes and Outlaws

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. In a weird folk song, Nelly's father is to be executed when curfew rings. How does she save him? Hint

Seduces the warden

Dynamites the prison wall

Dies in her father's place

Sabotages the bell

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The song 'Tom Dooley' is about a sensational 19th century murder. What was the real name of the man hanged for the crime? Hint

Tomas C. Dula

Thomas J. Doolie

Thom Dool

Timothy Dooley

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Woody Guthrie sang this song about a bad man who is executed for killing a man over the theft of his Stetson hat. What is this song named? Hint

Bulldog McGoon

Dan Blood

Stagolee

Heartless McCoy

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In elementary school we loved to sing a song that ends with the principal hanging from the flagpole. How does this song begin? Hint

On top of Old Smokey, all covered with blood...

Deck the halls with gasoline...

Joy to the world, the school burned down...

My eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school...

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Let's end it on a happy note. A broken-hearted prospector learns to love again after nearly being lynched by bandits. What is this song? Hint

The Hanging Tree

Long Trail and a Short Rope

Sixteen Tons

Clementine

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Reba McEntire sings how her brother is hanged for a murder she committed. What is the name of the song?

Answer: The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia

A 1992 song, Reba tells how she shot her brother's cheating wife and lover, but her brother ends up taking the fall (a ten foot fall, as it were). This song was originally recorded by Vicki Lawrence in 1973.

2. What song tells the story of a condemned prisoner who dreams of his old town, his parents, and the girl he left behind, the day before his execution?

Answer: Green, Green Grass of Home

Johnny Cash and Tom Jones have covered this depressing song.

3. Johnny Cash sings this humorous(!) song about the last few minutes before his hanging. What is it called?

Answer: 25 Minutes to Go

You just have to look at the funny side of this sort of thing.

4. In this song, a man goes to the gallows for a murder he didn't commit, rather than admit where he really was on that cold dark night. Can you name it?

Answer: Long, Black Veil

And where was he? With his best friend's wife, of course. Written by Danny Dill, it's been covered by such notables as Johnny Cash, the Greatful Dead, and Joan Baez.

5. What is the name of the song in which a man tells of his past lives, including one as a bandit hung for his crimes?

Answer: Highwayman

Written by Jimmy Webb, covered by Johnny Cash, and others.

6. In a weird folk song, Nelly's father is to be executed when curfew rings. How does she save him?

Answer: Sabotages the bell

In 'Hang on the Bell, Nelly,' Nelly hangs on the clapper of the bell so it can't ring. Luckily, her father is pardoned shortly after. The song's by Erad Connor.

7. The song 'Tom Dooley' is about a sensational 19th century murder. What was the real name of the man hanged for the crime?

Answer: Tomas C. Dula

Dula was hanged in North Carolina in 1868 for the murder of Laura Foster, though the exact circumstances were a matter of debate. ('Rise Up Singing,' 1992).

8. Woody Guthrie sang this song about a bad man who is executed for killing a man over the theft of his Stetson hat. What is this song named?

Answer: Stagolee

Subsequent artists change it to a fight over a gambling debt. In this version Stagolee goes to the electric chair. He was allegedly a real person around the turn of the century. ('Rise Up Singing, 1992)

9. In elementary school we loved to sing a song that ends with the principal hanging from the flagpole. How does this song begin?

Answer: Joy to the world, the school burned down...

'Joy to the world, the school burned down, and all the teachers died/ but where is the principal, up on the flagpole, with a rope, around her (or his) neck!' Don't worry, I'm a teacher myself now and paying for it.

10. Let's end it on a happy note. A broken-hearted prospector learns to love again after nearly being lynched by bandits. What is this song?

Answer: The Hanging Tree

By Mack David, Recorded by Marty Robbins. 'They took the gold and let me free/ and I walked away from the hangin' tree/ and my own true love, she walked with me.'

Source: Author czolgolz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ralzzz before going online.
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