"Marie Laveau" is a song written by

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...

and Baxter Taylor. First recorded by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show on their 1971 album ''

Doctor Hook Dr. Hook (known as Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show until 1975) is an American rock band formed in Union City, New Jersey. The band had commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles "Sylvia's Mother" (1972), " The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (1973 ...

'', a 1974 live recording by

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City", and " 500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Earl ...

went to number one for a single week and spent a total of 18 weeks on the country charts. It was his 34th single on the charts, his only number-one and final top-10 country hit. The song is about a fictitious and ugly witch who lives in the

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

s in a hollow log with a one-eyed

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

and a three-legged

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

, having the same name as the famous New Orleans voodoo priestess, and who, armed with a magic

black cat A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...

tooth and

mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

bone, can make men disappear with a horrific screech. On the night of a new moon, "Handsome Jack" arrives and offers her a deal; if she conjures up $1,000,000 for him, he will marry her. After he receives the money, he backs out of the deal, claiming that she is too ugly for a rich man like him; in retaliation, she screeches, and Jack disappears. The song concludes with the singer cautioning any listening man that should he ever encounter Marie and receive an offer of marriage, to accept it and live with her in the swamp for the rest of his life, or run the risk of being vanished. Other recorded versions are by Girl Trouble on their album ''Thrillsphere'' (1990) and The Blue Dogs on ''Music for Dog People'' (1991).

Chart performance

References

1971 songs Bobby Bare songs Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show songs Songs written by Shel Silverstein 1974 singles RCA Records singles Songs about witches Songs about Louisiana {{1970s-country-song-stub