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about

"Written in August 1988, the song was an attempt to purge the anger I was feeling after watching a program on PBS about a woman who was stalked and eventually killed by her ex-husband, despite her pleas to the police for help. I knew more than one Sally Brown in my life and I guess I was hoping that they would hear the song and change the ending. Recently my aunt looked across the table at me and smiled: "Some Sally Browns do get out," she said." - Brian

lyrics

Sally Brown had lived a happy life
All she wanted was be somebody's wife
And Johnny Ray came into her life one day
And she gladly opened the door and let him in

So Sally Brown was a happy woman now
With a man who loved her by her side
And so what if he beat her every once in a while
She knew he loved her all the same.

And how many Sally Browns are in your own small town?
And how many make it out alive?

So Sally went to work with bruises on her face
And bandages on her legs and arms
"Johnny didn't mean it," she'd always say
"And I prob'ly deserved it anyway."

Johnny Ray sat around the house all day
A-smokin' his dope and chewin' the fat
"You're nothin'," he'd tell her, "Nobody but me loves you."
And then he'd give her a slap and he'd send her to her room.

And how many Sally Browns are in your own small town?
And how many make it out alive?
And how many Johnny Rays get away with murder every day?
How many do we really know about?

Well I went to Sally's funeral just the other day
"She died in night," Johnny said.
And I looked down at Sally, and I knew she was happy
She was finally free from Johnny Ray

And how many Sally Browns are in your own small town?
And how many make it out alive?
And how many Johnny Rays get away with murder every day?
How many do we really know about?
And how many Sally Browns are buried in the ground?
A bitter reward for a battered life.

credits

from Hanging On For Dear Life (The 20th Century Demos Volume 1), released October 26, 2000
All words and music by Brian McKnight (ASCAP), Tragical Mirth Music
Copyright 1990
Recording copyright 2000

Produced by Brian McKnight
Engineered by Phil Mehaffey

Brian McKnight: acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals

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The Baker Street Irregulars image

The Baker Street Irregulars Chicago, Illinois

Somewhere between Plastic Ono and Rolling Thunder, THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS bring an LGBTQ twist to the classic folk/folk rock/indie milieu. Brian McKnight – the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist at the center of this one-man-band – enlists the aid of the occasional musician (thus the irregular line-up) to record original songs that are at once deeply personal and entirely universal. ... more

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