Hallowed Ground (Violent Femmes album)
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Hallowed Ground is the second album by the Violent Femmes. It was released in June 1984. Like the first album, these songs were mostly written when singer/guitarist/lyricist Gordon Gano was in high school. "Country Death Song," for example, was based a true story from an 1862 news article about a man who intentionally threw his daughter into a well and then hanged himself in his barn. It was written by Gano during his 10th grade study hall. The Christian-related lyrics on Hallowed Ground were thought by many[who?] to be sarcastic, but Gano is a devout Christian. The other two Femmes were atheists,[citation needed] and initially refused to perform those songs, but after their debut had been recorded, they relented and several of Gano's religion-themed songs were recorded for Hallowed Ground.[citation needed]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gordon Gano
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Country Death Song" | 5:02 |
| 2. | "I Hear the Rain" | 1:32 |
| 3. | "Never Tell" | 7:10 |
| 4. | "Jesus Walking on the Water" | 3:07 |
| 5. | "I Know It’s True but I’m Sorry to Say" | 5:05 |
| 6. | "Hallowed Ground" | 4:18 |
| 7. | "Sweet Misery Blues" | 2:51 |
| 8. | "Black Girls" | 5:41 |
| 9. | "It’s Gonna Rain" | 4:11 |
Personnel
- Gordon Gano – vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle
- Brian Ritchie – acoustic and electric bass guitar, celesta, marimba, jew's harp, vocals
- Victor DeLorenzo – drums, percussion vocals
- Mark Van Hecke - piano, organ
- Tony Trischka - banjo
- Christina Houghton - autoharp
- Peter Balistrieri - vocals
- Cynthia Gano Lewis - vocals
- Drake Scott - cornett, sackbut
- John Zorn - alto saxophone, game calls
- John Tanner - clarinet
- Producer - Mark Van Hecke
- Engineers - John Tanner, Warren Bruleigh