Bentley & Craig

Album: Water of Dreams (1982)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is not a reworking of the earlier "Ballad Of Derek Bentley," although it expresses the same sentiments with the added disadvantage of being a narrative of the tragic events set to music.

    Unlike the Karl Dallas song though, this is not a purely misplaced humanitarian rant against capital punishment. Ralph McTell was born in 1944, and grew up in Croydon where PC Sidney Miles was murdered by the sixteen year old Christopher Craig on November 2, 1952. McTell's mother knew the Bentley family, and the execution of the supposedly dimwitted teenager for a murder "he didn't commit" horrified the 9-year-old Ralph. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 1

  • Drew from MalvernSo true.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."