Album: Making Contact (1983)

License This Song 

• Diesel In The Dust
  My daddy told me "Boy, you only shoot to kill"
  I'm livin' just for that thrill
  Nobody hurts me ''cause the payback's twice as bad
  
  In this town you don't make a man mad
  * Ted McKinley's dying
  At the wheel of his truck
  The engine running till it seized up
  
  And nobody heard a thing
  Not a shout or gun shot ring
  Just a smell of diesel in the dust
  (Diesel in the dust)
  
  McKinley wouldn't back down from any man alive
  But you need to if you're to survive
  The folks in town want to settle their score
  By using their own kinda law
  [Repeat]
  
  No one had seen a thing when the sheriff's car pulled in
  Just the silence you get from kin to kin
  The preacher bowed his head, glad that he was dead
  And the better the least that was said
  [Repeat]
  
  In this town there was a man out on his own
  With no account of how he stood alone
  Nobody hear a thing, not a shout or gun shot ring
  Just the smell of diesel in the dust
  Diesel in the dust Writer/s: NEIL CARTER, PHIL MOGG
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

• Bleepyf from Edinburgh, ScotlandI remember an interview at the time the album came out and Phil Mogg said that it was based on a real incident. Obviously, he used a fictional name in the song, but mentioned that the guy in real life was the sort that few would miss. His name, in actual fact, had been Ken McElroy.
  
  It's known that reporters trying to write up the story at the time often complained that “didn’t see a thing” was the usual response whenever they tried to question the townsfolk about his murder.
  McElroy, from Skidmore, MO had been a petty criminal as a kid. As an adult, he did not improve, being widely considered a bully and a thief; known to have stolen grain, alcohol, gasoline, antiques, and also livestock. Worse than that, he had not only been accused of assault and arson, but also child molestation and statutory rape. However, despite being indicted twenty one times, McElroy was never convicted.
  
  Author Harry MacLean wrote a book about McElroy’s murder, called "In Broad Daylight".
  
  "McElroy was a big man with cold eyes who always carried a gun. He would intimidate anyone who got in his way, usually by repeatedly harassing them or threatening them... His attorney, Richard McFadin, said he routinely defended Ken McElroy in three or four felonies a year. “Best client I ever had... he was punctual, always said he didn’t do it, paid in cash and kept coming back. The town, on the other hand, hated him. He had been terrorising Skidmore for years and he kept getting away with it", MacLean says. "Things reached a boiling point in 1980 when Ken McElroy got into a confrontation with the town’s elderly grocer, Ernest “Bo” Bowenkamp. McElroy wound up shooting Bowenkamp in the neck, nearly killing him."
  
  McElroy was finally charged and convicted of something - this time, attempted murder. However, McElroy appealed and was released on bail. He then proceeded to harass and intimidate his victim. The townsfolk held a meeting and allegedly decided on some vigilante justice - with the town mayor apparently in attendance. Later, a crowd of three to four dozen approached McElroy as he was getting into his pick-up truck and several shots fired. McElroy was hit twice and left to die in his vehicle. No ambulance was called, no witnesses came forward and as McElroy's lawyer said “the town got away with murder.”
  
• Jim from Long Beach, CaAwesome song..Great post!!

More Songfacts:

WaterfallsTLC

Cee-Lo Green sang backup on the 1994 TLC hit "Waterfalls."

The CaveMumford & Sons

"The Cave" by Mumford & Sons is based on the philosophy of Plato and his work called "Allegory of the Cave."

Right RoundFlo Rida

An unknown Kesha (known then as Ke$ha) sang on Flo-Rida's #1 hit "Right Round," but refused to appear in the video because she wanted to make a name for herself.

Mrs. RobinsonSimon & Garfunkel

The Simon & Garfunkel song "Mrs. Robinson" was originally called "Mrs. Roosevelt," most likely after First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The title was changed when it was considered for use in the film The Graduate, where Anne Bancroft's character is Mrs. Robinson.

The Battle Hymn of the RepublicTraditional

John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath got its title from a line in "The Battle Hymn of the Republic": "He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."

FireJimi Hendrix

Thirty years after Jimi Hendrix played "Fire" at Woodstock, Red Hot Chili Peppers played it at Woodstock '99, but this time the unruly crowd actually set fires and looted.

Editor's Picks

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

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.

Sam HollanderSongwriter Interviews

The hitmaking songwriter/producer Sam Hollander with stories about songs for Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Train, Pentatonix, and Fitz And The Tantrums.