25 Minutes to Go

The song is literally "gallows humor", as it is sung by a man awaiting his own execution by hanging. Each verse consists of two lines, of which the first line is anything from humorous to poignant, and the second line is a minute-by-minute countdown.

Well they're buildin' the gallows outside my cell.

I got 25 minutes to go.

And the whole town's waitin' just to hear me yell.

I got 24 minutes to go.

And so on. The song is similar in concept to Silverstein's children's song "Boa Constrictor": It presents the point of view of someone who is experiencing a calamity in real time, composing and singing as the events unfold, with a fatal conclusion. "Boa Constrictor", like "25 Minutes to Go", appeared on Silverstein's 1962 album Inside Folk Songs.^[1] Johnny Cash was the second artist to do a cover of the song where it differs most notably by having omitted lines.

• Brothers Four, on their 1963 album Cross Country Concert.
• Johnny Cash on his 1965 album Sings the Ballads of the True West and on his 1968 live album, At Folsom Prison.^[2] In the Folsom version, he mistakenly says seven minutes instead of four minutes.
• Danish singer Povl Dissing with the band The Beefeaters as "25 Minutter endnu" (1967 single).^[3]
• Flemish singer Will Tura from Belgium as "20 minuten geduld" in 1968.
• Swedish folk singer sv:Ewert Ljusberg on Goknul (1972).
• American avant-garde singer Diamanda Galás on Malediction & Prayer (1998, Asphodel Records).
• Finnish duo Eero and Jussi Raittinen perform the sing in the movie Topralli (1966)
• British cult band Tiger Lillies on 2 Penny Opera (2001).
• American country/rock band Pine Valley Cosmonauts on The Executioner's Last Songs (2002).
• German metal band Dezperadoz on their third album An Eye for an Eye.
• German singer Gunter Gabriel on his album The Tennessee-Recordings (2003).
• American rock band Pearl Jam on their 2004 album Live at Benaroya Hall.
• Canadian band Head of the Herd on their first album On the House ^[4][5]
• Berlin-based band Dangerpony (Laura Bruce, Laurent Lavolé and others)^[6]
• Lou Reed and Emily Haines performed a version in 2011 at Shelebration! A tribute to the works of Shel Silverstein ^[7]