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"Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee"
and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton, in St. Louis, Missouri at Christmas, 1895. The song was first
published in 1911 and first recorded in 1923, by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot
100 in 1959. |
Stagger Lee
Lloyd Price,
Loyd Price The night was clear I was standing on
the corner It was Stagger Lee
and Billy Stagger Lee (oh
Stagger Lee) went home (oh Stagger Lee) Stagger Lee went to
the barroom Stagger Lee, (oh
Stagger Lee) cried Billy (oh Stagger Lee) Stagger Lee (oh
Stagger Lee) shot Billy (oh Stagger Lee) Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Harold
Logan / Lloyd Price Stagger Lee lyrics
© Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, BMG Rights
Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC The historical
Stagger Lee was Lee
Shelton, a black pimp living in St.
Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed
Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was
given the nickname because he "went stag", meaning he was without
friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called
Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan
Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called
the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[2] Shelton was
well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded
attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[3] In addition
to these activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social
club with a dubious reputation.[4] On Christmas night
in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were
drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis'
underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton.
Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton's Stetson hat.[5] Subsequently,
Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left.[6] Lyons died of
his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried, and convicted of the murder in
1897. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and
robbery. He died in incarceration in 1912.[7] The crime quickly
entered into American folklore and became the subject of song, as well as
folktales and toasts. The song's title comes from Shelton's nickname—Stag Lee
or Stack Lee.[8] The name was
quickly corrupted in the folk tradition; early versions were called
"Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee"; "Stagolee" and
"Stagger Lee" also became common. Other recorded variants include
"Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stackolee",
"Stackalee", "Stagerlee", and "Stagalee".[9] |
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