Noir Music | “Bang, Bang.” by Nancy Sinatra

You may remember this gloomy ballad of betrayal from the opening of Kill Bill. It’s a piece of noir music that’s born from the idea that those you love most can cause you the most pain. Originally written and performed by Cher, it wasn’t made famous until covered by Nancy Sinatra.

Here are the lyrics:

I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up, I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
“Remember when we used to play?”

Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.

Music played and people sang
Just for me the church bells rang.

Now he’s gone, I don’t know why
And ’till this day, sometimes I cry
He didn’t even say goodbye
He didn’t take the time to lie.

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down