Delia, oh, Delia Delia all my life

Delia this whole time

If I hadn't have shot poor

If I didn't shoot poorly

Delia I'd have had her for my wife

Delia is my wife

Delia's gone, one more round Delia's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

I went up to Memphis

I went to Memphis.

And I met Delia there Found her in her parlor

I found Delia in her parlor.

And I tied to her chair

I tied Delia to her chair

Delia's gone, one more round Delia's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

She was low down and trifling

She was mean and unimportant.

And she was cold and mean

And she was cruel.

Kind of evil make me want to grab my sub machine

When I am around cruel, mean Delia, I want to grab my light-weight machine gun.

Delia's gone, one more round Delia's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

First time I shot her I shot her in the side

The first time I shot her was on the side of her body.

Hard to watch her suffer

It was hard for me to watch her suffer.

But with the second shot she died

When I shot her the second time, she died.

Delia's gone, one more round Delia's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

But jailer, oh, jailer Jailer,

I'm in jail.

I can't sleep 'Cause all around my bedside

I'm not able to sleep because Delia's footsteps are heard around my bed.

I hear the patter of Delia's feet

I can hear Delia's footsteps around me.

Delia's gone, one more round Delia's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

So if you woman's devilish

If woman want to be mean and cruel,

You can let her run

Let the woman be

Or you can bring her down and do her

You can bring the woman down and kill her like Delia

Like Delia got done

Like how Delia got killed.

Delia's gone, one more round Delïa's gone

Delia's life is about to end, one more shot then she is dead.

Theme: Johnny's love for Delia ended because of her cruel, hostile personality. Love ends when one is hostile.

Poetic Devices used in the ballad were simile "Or you can bring her down and do her like Delia got done" and metaphor "She was low down and trifling".

The social and cultural text about the ballad and author is that Johnny killed Delia because of her hostile personality. Then he went to jail and heard Delia's footsteps. He says that any other woman having a hostile personality should die how Delia died. The author believes death and killing someone is the correct way for punishment. Johnny Cash is known for the "Man in Black" because he would always dress in black. Few years later, he decided to create a murder ballad name "Delia's Gone". The characteristics in this ballad is horrific, malicious and evil because of the lines "And I tied her to a chair" and "Kind of evil make me want to grab my sub machine". These lines describe the pre-killing of Delia.