Marie Laveau

Album: Lullabys, Legends And Lies (1973)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was written by Shel Silverstein and first recorded by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Silverstein's nephew Mitch Myers is an expert on Shel's work and wrote the book Silverstein Around the World. Myers explains: "Marie Laveau has been described and conjured in history books and legends of voodoo women in New Orleans for decades and decades. And all the research points to the fact that there was a Marie Laveau, and she lived at a certain time, and she was supposed to be a witch of certain powers. But beyond that, she was repeated in fable-type proportions in song and in oral storytelling for as long as I can remember. And I don't know how far back it goes, to the early 1900s or whenever, but the legend of Marie Laveau has been repeated in books, in song, in poems, every way you can. So Shel's was just one more version of this same character, putting her in a particular situation, and that was probably made most famous by the version that was recorded by Bobby Bare." (Learn more about Shel Silverstein in our interview with Mitch Myers.)

Comments: 3

  • George from Vancouver, Canada@Tonya from Sharon Grove, Ky :: Mrs? So she finally found a man to give up his outside(of the swamp) life & marry her? Or you're just using "Mrs." as an honorific?
  • George from Vancouver, CanadaShel Silverstein was a true poety -- he had meter & rhyming all working to gether to make anything a catchy song for whomever put it to music. Was listening to 1970s county & this song came on -- catchy & interesting lyrics, so I came here, as usuasl, too look st the background -- was not disapointed. Richard Pryor was speaking of the same Voodoo woman, in one of his routines, I suspect. . .
  • Tonya from Sharon Grove, KyI love this song so much. It makes me kind of sad because this woman was actually real. But my momma says that i could have been a decendant of Mrs. Marie Lavaeu.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.