, a 22-year-old woman, shot her 17-year-old lover, Allen (or Albert) Britt , after catching him with another woman named Alice Pryor (often called "Nellie Bly" in the song). Britt had just returned from a "cakewalk" dance contest when the fatal confrontation occurred at their residence on Targee Street.

This structure—the AABB rhyme scheme, the repetition of "he was her man"—creates a rhythmic, almost hypnotic quality. It turns a grisly crime into a sing-along, a phenomenon unique to the murder ballad genre. It allows the audience to witness a tragedy without weighing the moral burden too heavily. We aren't meant to judge Frankie; we are meant to watch the drama unfold.

So, the next time you hear that ominous bass line walking up the scale— da-dum, da-dum, da-dum —remember: He was her man. But she done him wrong.

The song has been recorded by dozens of iconic artists across genres, including: (who also starred in a film of the same name) Johnny Cash Sam Cooke Bob Dylan