“Lizzie Borden” by The Chad Mitchell Trio
Jessica Wood by Amanda London· Published · Updated
The lyrics of The Chad Mitchell Trio’s “Lizzie Borden” tell the shocking story of the infamous 1892 axe murders that took place in Fall River, Massachusetts.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();A young American woman named Lizzie Borden was accused of committing the murders, which left her father and stepmother dead. Both victims were hacked dozens of times to death. Lizzie was arrested and charged with the murders.
She was subsequently arraigned before court on the charges but was acquitted because no concrete evidence was found against her. Her acquittal left the public deeply divided. Some said she did it. According to them, the only reason no solid incriminating evidence was found was because she smartly covered her tracks very well. Others believe she was just an innocent young woman caught up in a tragedy.
Facts about the song “Lizzie Borden”
This song comes from The Chad Mitchell Trio’s “Mighty Day on Campus” album of 1961. It was the second of two singles that came out from the album.
This piece is one of the trio’s most successful songs. It managed to chart within the Top 50 on America’s Hot 100. It actually made it to number 44 there. Actually the only song from this vocal group that performed better on the aforementioned chart was their 1963 song “The Marvelous Toy” (which reached number 43).
The writer of “Lizzie Borden” is the late American composer and lyricist Michael Brown. Since Brown composed this song decades ago, there has been several renditions released. However, none has so far been as popular as The Chad Mitchell Trio’s version.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Borden, full name Lizzie Andrew Borden was a woman from Massachusetts, USA, who was accused of killing her father, Andrew Borden, and her stepmother, Abby Borden.
Lizzie’s father, Andrew, was a very wealthy businessman. Although he was very rich, he was frugal in his expenses and hardly offered money to people. Lizzie and her sister Emma quarreled with him and their stepmother over finances on several occasions.
On August 4, 1892, Mr. Andrew Borden left for his usual business meetings, leaving behind his wife, Lizzie, and their housekeeper, Bridget Sullivan. Mr. Borden returned shortly after and settled on the entryway couch for a short nap. According to Lizzie, she walked into the lobby around 11:15 a.m. when she found her father dead and was repeatedly cut in the head.
Upstairs her stepmother’s body was also found and even had more cuts and mutilations. The autopsy report showed that she was struck and died about an hour before Mr. Borden was attacked. No weapon was found at both scenes; however, an ax was found in the basement and was believed to be the killer’s weapon. Investigators arrested Lizzie after analyzing the incidents.
In June 1893, Lizzie was tried for murdering her father and stepmother. However, she was acquitted because there was no solid evidence against her except circumstantial evidence. She spent the remainder of her life as a free woman in Fall River. She died at the age of 66 in 1927 from pneumonia. Her story has over the years inspired several songs and literary works.
