Released on online EP Poison To The People!, August 2023, with songs about Dutch 1880s serial killer (by arsenic) Goeie Mie. Full EP on Bandcamp https://dannyramirez.bandcamp.com/
acoustic
morbid folk
Story behind the song
'This is a song about Goeie Mie (Mary Swanenburg), a Dutch serial killer who around 1880 killed at least 22 people with arsenic. The lyrics list some of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning and tell about the fact that Mary initially started murdering people to get money from life insurance companies. Back in the 1800s you could take out a life insurance policy on anyone, as long as you paid the monthly fees. Mary paid around 10 cents a month for each person and received a life insurance pay-out of about 50 guilders for each person that died. She secured life insurance policies at different companies. The music is mid to up tempo and sounds pretty positive and upbeat for a song about what arsenic does to the human body.'
Lyrics
Mary [Dutch 1880s serial killer Goeie Mie] began her killing spree
To make easy money
She would secure life insurance policies
So ev’ry month Mary paid her fees
To life insurance companies
Her future victims weren’t aware their end was near
Chorus:
Pissing blood, stomach pain
Muscle cramps and headache
Diarrhea and vomiting
Sudden organ failure
Of kidneys, lungs and liver
Affected by arsenic poisoning
Mary bought her arsenic
At a local pharmacist
She told him it was to get rid of rats and lice
Dozens of fell victim
To the poison Mary gave them
Twenty-two* died and many barely survived
Chorus
*Depending on the source the number of deadly victims of Goeie Mie varies between 22 and 27. Because I didn’t want to accuse her of more murders than she committed I use 22 dead’ in the lyrics for this EP.