John Hiatt
Lyric guide

Death By Misadventure

Read Death By Misadventure lyrics by John Hiatt on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

John Hiatt visibility1 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: John Hiatt Canonical path: /john-hiatt/death-by-misadventure Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Death By Misadventure

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

Well, Harry had a good job working' for the Secret Service

He had a wife and kids at home who made him awful nervous

He'd never done a damn thing you could call experimental

And he had this aching feeling that his life was accidental

So one day he burned his pinstripe suit and his leather shoulder holster

He snapped a Polaroid and made a giant wanted poster

He took it to a print shop and ordered up a thousand flyers

And walked next door to the laundromat and blew his brains out in the drier

And the tag on his toe read: Death by misadventure

Ain't that some way to go? Death by misadventure

Well, Harry's wife Estella took this matter rather lightly

She could have cried and cried but then her looks might come unsightly

She thought about her wardrobe and how much it was outdated

And how this trumped up family thing was vastly overrated

Her kids both turned against her and they took to drugs and stealing

Some junkie killed 'em both for two dime bags they were dealing

And sitting home alone disgusted by it all

She blew the sole survivor off with ninety Nembutals

And the tag on her toe read: Death by misadventure

Ain't that some way to go? Death by misadventure

So be careful how you choose your path and who you pick to go with

Some folks they take to living fast while some prefer a slow death

Some folks get confused and never quite know how they're going

When you're laid out on that slab we're all the worse for knowing

That the tag on your toe reads: Death by misadventure

What a silly way to go. Death by misadventure

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Death By Misadventure"?

John Hiatt performs "Death By Misadventure", and this lyric page sits inside the John Hiatt catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Death By Misadventure"?

Yes. The related section below points to 'Til I Get My Lovin' Back and (No More) Dancing In The Street with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by John Hiatt?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through John Hiatt's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Death By Misadventure yet.