White Lies and Alibi

Album: Dizzy Heights (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song explores themes of justice, hope and incarceration and was penned by Finn after meeting Damien Echols, one of the West Memphis Three, who spent 18 years in prison falsely accused of murdering three boys.
  • Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin were convicted in the killing of eight-year-olds Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore at Robin Hood Hills, West Memphis, Arkansas, on May 5, 1993. Echols was sentenced to death whilst Misskelley, Jr. and Baldwin were jailed for life. Many believed the three were innocent and various musicians organised fund raising initiatives to raise money for their legal defence. One notable example was a benefit album, Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three, which was released in 2002.

    The trio were eventually released on August 19, 2011, following newly produced DNA evidence. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder was one of the musicians that gave the West Memphis Three significant support throughout their ordeal and his 2011 song "Satellite" was inspired by the loyalty shown to Echols by his wife Lorri Davis.

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