The Prey

Album: Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1981)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This ominous song was released as the B-side of the Dead Kennedys single "Too Drunk To F--k." Is the man who is stalking the female victim a serial killer, or is he simply after her purse? Alas, we will never know due to its abrupt ending. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • Dead Kennedys lead singer Jello Biafra wrote this song with their guitarist, East Bay Ray. It's a rarity - they never played the song live. It can be found on their 1987 compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.

Comments: 3

  • Cliff Meister from LondonThe victim is male.
  • Lisa from Littleton, CoHey, Alexander, he isn't following a woman. He's following a man, as you can tell by the lyrics "Thinking she's just too expensive/And you know you're probably right" and "The wallet-sized bulge in your double-knit butt/has money for me and maybe credit cards."
  • Michael from Mcfarland, WiAlexander, I disagree. This is much less a 'song' than the A-side, since it has not verse or chorus, no guitar for most of the song, and no beat to speak of. That's why it's the B-side, get it?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

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.

Bible Lyrics

Bible LyricsMusic Quiz

Rockers, rappers and pop stars have been known to quote the Bible in their songs. See if you match the artist to the biblical lyric.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.