Elvis Costello - Let Him Dangle Lyrics






Bentley said to Craig "Let him have it Chris"
They still don't know today just what he meant
by this
Craig fired the pistol, but was too young to swing
So the police took Bentley and the very next thing
Let him dangle
Let him dangle
Bentley had surrendered, he was under arrest,
when he gave Chris Craig that fatal request
Craig shot Sidney Miles, he took Bentley's word
The prosecution claimed as they charged them
with murder
Let him dangle
Let him dangle

They say Derek Bentley was easily led
Well what's that to the woman that Sidney
Miles wed
Though guilty was the verdict, and Craig had
shot him dead
The gallows were for Bentley and still she
never said
Let him dangle
Let him dangle

Well it's hard to imagine it's the times that
have changed
When there's a murder in the kitchen that is
brutal and strange
If killing anybody is a terrible crime
Why does this bloodthirsty chorus come round
from time to time
Let him dangle

Not many people thought that Bentley would
hang
But the word never came, the phone never rang
Outside Wandsworth Prison there was horror
and hate
As the hangman shook Bentley's hand to
calculate his weight
Let him dangle

From a welfare state to society murder
Bring "back the noose" is always heard
Whenever those swine are under attack
But it won't make you even
It won't bring him back

Let him dangle
Let him dangle (String him up)





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Elvis Costello Let Him Dangle Comments
  1. L.... g....

    We are learning about this in philosophy and ethics

  2. j.... i....

    Beskrivende spørgsmål:


    (undersøgelse)


    Videns- og


    Dataspørgsmål


    Hvem, Hvad, hvilke, hvor


    Hvilke dyr går det urene drikkevand mest udover?


    Analyserende


    Spørgsmål:


    (modellering)


    Forklarings- og


    Forståelsesspørgsmål


    Hvorfor, hvordan


    Hvordan kan man rense vand på en bæredygtig måde ved brug af naturen?

  3. f.... ....

    who took this shit in drama class

  4. r.... e....

    highly emotional, when you realize craig is your uncle

  5. Z.... C....

    Anyone here in 2019?

  6. M.... H....

    A raw, guttural performance from Costello, a master at exposing state lead brutality by embodying the hatred driving it in order to expose that hatred.

  7. M.... W....

    Silly history teacher

  8. *.... ....

    We had to watch this in complete silence in for gcse history and we made a heart meme for elvis costello 🤘🤘

  9. K.... ....

    Imagine not listening to this in History 😂

  10. B.... ....

    This song slaps g

  11. a.... d....

    Elvis is the King.

  12. I.... G....

    My history teacher played this and for the next 3 weeks I was just humming it in every lesson

  13. K.... ....

    History teacher played it because we were learning about Derek Bentley

  14. I.... ....

    Only history dons will know this tume

  15. A.... H....

    The good old Police Federation. A real force for justice and honest to their rotten cores.

  16. C.... T....

    This Is good

  17. i.... ....

    Apparently Bentley never said anything on the roof.

  18. M.... ....

    we just had a school drama gcse play over this

  19. K.... B....

    The song of our history class

  20. w.... h....

    Shook his hand to calculate his weight. How angry elvis was re this. Bentley's sister fought til she died to have him pardoned

  21. D.... B....

    Spike is one of my favorite albums of all time. Such a masterpiece!

  22. D.... R....

    Ear rape

  23. m.... c....

    my mum played this alot when i was young

  24. B.... V....

    A little like "Pills and Soap" but amazing performance.

  25. B.... V....

    I remember when Spike came out, but wow. What a performance.

  26. J.... I....

    This is sick

  27. E.... T....

    String em up...favorite part.
    Very emotionally invested.

    E.... T....

    Mr Dave so harrowing

  28. l.... ....

    I jumped at 4:22 😂😂😂

    l.... ....

    Alissia Law me too

    l.... ....

    This performance is extreme.

  29. H.... ....

    Let the Elvis Army grow !

  30. D.... ....

    Wow, such wrenching emotion. Thanks for this...amazing

  31. C.... ....

    idubbez?

  32. R.... H....

    elvis , what about some concert with billy bragg en the whole crew maybe , miss o' conner could do tea and coffee for the pope ? Ha Ha only joking , but come on , support , make movement , we are waiting , support the man for god's sake , he's on our side ! This man is NOT Greedy ! He is not relidgious , he well educated , support this man . our man , the man aa socialist Person , a caring person/ Elvis , i will even make the bloody tea , got to get the ball moving . Best wishes r.w.higgingson .

    R.... H....

    https://youtu.be/NJ2QOwQdHL8

  33. G.... ....

    My drama teacher played this when we studied it

    G.... ....

    yep same here

  34. F.... M....

    such a sad song based on the true life of derek bentley who was hung for telling chris craig to let him have it meaning either shoot him or pass the gun ! chris craig shot the policeman bently swung for it

    F.... M....

    Bentley and Craig maintained he never said it. The caliber of the round matched police pistols, not the gun Craig was carrying. Lot's of other irregularities by the police.

    F.... M....

    Fiona Mckelvie He wasn't hung, he was hanged.

    F.... M....

    Hanged for being an accessory at most, sentenced by a jury that was being led, potentially not even mentally fit to stand trial, most of the nation opposed his death. He still died. And then the one who actually pulled the trigger was just a little too young so he got 10 years. The last man to be hanged in Britain: not a miscarriage of justice, but a complete and utter mockery of a judicial system.

    F.... M....

    @truecrimson1 Derek Bentley never said 'Let him have it, Chris'. Supposedly, the policeman who claimed to have heard it admitted on his deathbed that he'd made it up so that someone would hang for PC Miles's death.

  35. P.... G....

    I am learning it now in drama in very a ignore

    P.... G....

    Panda Gaming wouldn't you learn it in history under crime and punishment for England/GB/UK year 8 near to the end or the start of year 9

  36. P.... G....

    I am learning it now in drama in very a ignore

  37. J.... ....

    Wasn't Derek Bentley a scumbag though?

    J.... ....

    @***** ♦He was a criminal. In 1948 he was arrested for theft. He attended Kingswood Training School where the staff reported that he was a _"lazy, indifferent, voluble and of the 'wise guy' type"_ of character. In 1952, he attempted to burgle the warehouse of a confectionery company. His accomplice carried a modified pistol, whilst Bentley himself was armed with a knife and spiked knuckle-duster. It was during this incident that the particular events which led to the pair being arrested and charged for murder occurred.
    ♦I know he was borderline retarded, but there are retarded people who are not criminals themselves. So I was using the term "scumbag" to describe Bentley due to this.

    J.... ....

    +JimboParadox you're an obnoxious human being

    J.... ....

    @Elliot Wilson Don't be a moron.

    J.... ....

    +JimboParadox lol...

    J.... ....

    Bentley had the mental age of around 11. He Was found guilty of incentive to murder. The jury recommend mercy, no one had ever been lawfully killed if the jury recommend mercy. Also the phrase let him have it Chris was never actually said by Bentley

  38. i.... ....

    Did not known Elvis tackled this subject. Being a Wandsworth boy of the era, the hanging stayed in my subconscious. For some reason I wrote the song 1953, and did a one-take cassette recording of it.
    See the Youtube... Derek William Bentley and Queen Elizabeth 1953 Purple reign

    i.... ....

    +indiekline Derek bently shuldnt have been hung imo i cried for days after researching this story no wonder corpral punishment was abolished

  39. B.... B....

    STRING HIM UP at 4:22. Whoa!

    B.... B....

    or 3:10

  40. M.... C....

    This acoustic version is soooo much better!

  41. C.... V....

    When was this recorded?

    C.... V....

    +Christopher Vaphiadis Probably recorded in the late 80's, whenever "Spike" was released.

  42. J.... B....

    My drama teacher played with when we acted outstretched scenes of the Chris and Derek story

    J.... B....

    +Julia Bryjka We're learning this in Drama right now

  43. M.... T....

    3:05 my favourite part to any song ever

  44. N.... S....

    Our English teacher played this song when learning about Capital punishment

    N.... S....

    @Ellie g Same

    N.... S....

    Same thing today we where all sing it

    N.... S....

    me toooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    N.... S....

    Definitelt never heard this one in my history classes...

    N.... S....

    My PE teacher played this for us before the rope climb in 5th grade gym class.

  45. b.... ....

    I had never heard this one - absolutely wonderful.  And after working for LE for 17 years I can still say there is never a happy ending in these things.

  46. T.... ....

    Drama played this song earlier in the year because David Bentley was part of our unit, it was exciting to explore and gave me an idea how unfair capital punishment is

    T.... ....

    TheArabianSolja omg same

    T.... ....

    me too!

  47. B.... A....

    learning about ballads in English and our teacher played this song

    B.... A....

    My teacher played this song in class when we had about Crimes and Let him have it Chris :D 

    B.... A....

    Benjamin Alexander same but this is in drama XD

    B.... A....

    Nashella hi

  48. F.... ....

    And the actual murderer was released after 10 years. Just watched the film. Very good

  49. s.... ....

    When their sense of morality and justice is on a par with the rest of the civilised world

  50. k.... m....

    @Robert Osborne this isn't just in the USA either, this is happening in other countries aswell

  51. H.... B....

    Very sad

  52. M.... S....

    I'm usually a fan of metal, but I love this song. It also tells one of the saddest tales about British `Judgment'

  53. R.... O....

    I can't believe that the USA still sanctions and even in some states glorifies capital punishment. When will the USA catch up with the rest of the developed world?

  54. t.... ....

    Song works so well live, much better than the album version.

  55. K.... D....

    SUPERB!