10 Disturbing Songs You Hear Then Never Forget

9. 25 Minutes To Go - Diamanda Galás

Originally recorded by Shel Silverstein and famously covered by Johnny Cash, most versions of 25 Minutes To Go aren't too disturbing. It's a song about a prisoner counting down the minutes he has left before he's hanged for his crimes, sure, but most versions of the track revel in the gallows humour of that scenario.

The Diamanda Galás rendition, however, avoids that comedic element almost entirely.

A little like Nick Cave's The Mercy Seat, under Galás the track becomes a harrowing countdown of a man's final moments. Deserved or not, being trapped in that headspace, frantically trying to stop a ticking clock counting down your inevitable demise, is an undeniably scary headspace to put yourself in.

Combine that with the new arrangement, and this is 25 Minutes To Go like you've never heard it before.