Hallowed Ground

Hallowed Ground is the second album by the Violent Femmes, released in June 1984. Like the band’s first album, the songs on Hallowed Ground were mostly written by singer/guitarist/lyricist Gordon Gano when he was in high school. “Country Death Song”, for example, was based on a true story from an 1862 news article about a man who intentionally threw his daughter into a well and then hung himself in his barn. It was written by Gano during his 10th grade study hall. The Christian-related lyrics on Hallowed Ground were thought by many to be sarcastic, but Gano is a devout Christian. The other two Femmes were atheists, and initially refused to perform those songs, but after their debut had been recorded, they relented and several of Gano’s religion-themed songs were recorded for Hallowed Ground.