Since I posted Chuck Prophet, I haven’t stopped listening. This song is probably one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a long time. All of his songs are so melodic. This one is like a sermon wrapped in a three-minute rock song. I’ve been waiting to post this since I posted my first song by him in August.
Bobby Fuller had a giant hit with I Fought the Law before dying under suspicious circumstances. Fuller was found dead in the front seat of his mother’s car shortly after I Fought The Law became a huge hit. His death was ruled a suicide, but there were signs of foul play. The investigation was tainted, leaving the circumstances of his death a mystery, and rumors continue to this day.
Prophet uses Fuller as a symbol for anyone hurt by the music industry or just random bad luck. He made a mixture of homage and a warning. When he recorded this song, he wanted nothing too polished. He and co-producer Brad Jones focused on capturing energy instead of perfection.
Prophet said he wrote it in a stream-of-consciousness style, from his own frustration with the American culture eating its young. He kept coming back to the idea that stories like Fuller’s get swept under the rug. They have been filed away as a kind of trivia instead of a tragedy.
The song was the title track to his 2017 album. The album peaked at #24 on the US Top Alternative Album Sales Charts, #6 on the Heatseekers Album Charts, and #2 on the UK Americana Album Charts.
Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins
Cruising through El Paso, carrying a heavy load
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
And a cop shoots a kid on a hot summer morn
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
I could be anywhere when I hear that sound
Take me back, pretty baby
Oh your daddy, he’s so alone
I hear the record crackle, the needle skips and jumps
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
And I ain’t never seen a movie that moved me half as much
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
I could be anywhere when I hear that sound
Take me back, pretty baby
Oh your daddy, he’s so alone
Together we stand, divided we fall
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
And I wish my little sister she could be here now
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
They say that someone’s gonna have to pay the price of love
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
I don’t know why they gotta pay it or who they gotta pay it to, but
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
I could be anywhere when I hear that sound
Take me back, pretty baby
Oh your daddy, he’s so alone
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
Bobby Fuller died for your sins
