On a rope they dang-le her
then they choke and stran-gle her
With an axe they man-gle her
Always something new...

No, this 1914 ditty is not a precursor to death metal. The poor Pauline alluded to was not so poor. At one time the actress who played her, Pearl White, was being paid $3,000 a week, an astronomical sum at a time when a brand new state of the art automobile cost less than $600.

The silent film The Perils Of Pauline was released in the US on March 23, 1914; this song, in 2/4 time has lyrics by Charles R. McCarron and music by Raymond Walker. The sheet music was copyright 1914 by Broadway Music Corporation.

The Perils Of Pauline was a classic damsel in distress serial with the heroine facing a seemingly endless series of perils in cliffhanger endings. Pearl White performed many of her own stunts in her relatively short but spectacular career, and this is believed to have led to her death at aged just 49. She suffered chronic pain from the inevitable injuries, and this led first to alcoholism and then to drug addiction. >>