The Murder of Dylan Hartsfeld

Latest


 
SPRINGFIELD, MO — When Bob Frank and John Murry released their critically acclaimed album, World Without End, in 2006, Frank told me “These are murder ballads based on true stories. They’re just songs. There are no political intentions.” Listeners would have to formulate their own conclusions.
The common thread that ran through that album (all songs written by Frank and Murry) was one of extreme violence within the borders of the United States from the 18th through the 20th century. Lynchings, workplace shootings, domestic violence, revenge, revenge on revenge—it’s all there.
Within a year after World Without End was released, Frank wrote the words to a new song at the request of Bill Hartsfeld, the father of a slain vet who had served a tour of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Frank, like Bill Hartsfeld, was a Vietnam vet. Dylan Hartsfeld was not killed on foreign ground. He was shot by a cop in his own back yard. Frank put the story to words. Murry put the words to music.
For years, “The Murder of Dylan Hartsfeld” remained a download, which you could download for free if you knew where to look. It received an official release in 2014 as a “bonus” track on Murry’s Califorlornia CD.
The song begins with a minute and a half of actual 911 recordings and police dispatches. Then Murry sings the story. No detail is left out of the tale. The original injury (a fall down a flight of steps.) The PTSD related behavior. The previous police visits to the home. The knowledge by police of assault weapons and knives on the property. When the police arrived at the home in response to an emergency call, they came with weapons drawn. Bill Hartsfeld was holding a set of keys. Dylan Hartsfeld’s “deadly weapon” was a broken hockey stick. Dylan was shot through the heart.
But this is not a story about police overreaction. It goes much deeper than that. The songs final verse?
If your looking for a moral then go look at yourself/ You killed Dylan sure as hell/ When you wave that flag and act like it’s swell/ To send them young men straight off to hell/ So your chicken shit ass can trade & sell/ It was you—You killed Dylan Hartsfeld
And thus, the tradition of American violence continues into the 21st century.
See youtube.com/watch?v=QE1WFVi9grM
Bill Glahn is a retired warehouse laborer and an unretired writer from Springfield, MO.

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

Farmworker in Critical Condition After Fall During California ICE Raid

A farmworker was critically injured during a California ICE raid after he fell from a greenhouse roof where he was hiding.

Winners and Losers in Trump’s ‘Ugly Bill’

Winners and losers: The greatest upward transfer of wealth in U.S. history cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other necessities to give massive tax breaks to billionaires.

Mamdani’s NY Campaign Electrifies Those Seeking a Better Life

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, has struck a nerve by voicing the demands of those who are struggling to survive as the cost of living continues to rise.

Another Big Beautiful Betrayal for Rural America

You slash Medicaid, you’re swinging an axe at the heart of our rural hospitals, community clinics, doctors and nurses — and every family that depends on a job for a living. It’s not too late to raise hell.

ICE Terror Campaign Threatens Us All

Several recent Facebook reels show how ICE is ramping up its campaign of terror against immigrants, citizens and protestors alike as the effort to create a police state continues and resistance grows. One creator speaks to the significance of Haitians now being targeted.

More from the People's Tribune