Many songwriters and musicians have been inspired by the law – from run-ins with the police to full-blown court cases. Discover ten of the best in our blog.

The song is written from the perspective of a man sentenced to work on a chain gang because of his gun-toting ways. Worst of all, he lost his baby somewhere along the way.

Fun fact: the clanging noises at the end were created by hitting the pipes in the studio toilet with hammers.

2. Bob Marley and the Wailers: "I Shot the Sheriff"

A staple at summer barbecues everywhere, Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" was in fact inspired by police brutality.

Marley explained: "I want to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead… but it's the same idea: justice."

In the song, the narrator shoots Sheriff John Brown "in self-defence" because he was "aiming to shoot me down" – and, it's implied, not for the first time.

3. Simon and Garfunkel: "Wednesday Morning, 3AM"

This 1963 song by Simon and Garfunkel starts in the thick of things: the aftermath of a stick-up at a liquor store. But we find our hero (or antihero) not in the jailhouse but lying next to "the girl that I love". He sings softly, painfully aware that he will soon have to leave her and face justice.

Part of the tragedy is that the narrator didn't even gain much from the crime: just "twenty-five dollars and pieces of silver". And those "pieces of silver", with their allusion to Judas's betrayal of Jesus, suggest that perhaps he betrayed a friend or partner, too.

4. Bob Dylan: "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll"

In the early 1960s, Bob Dylan wrote several songs about the mistreatment of African-Americans. Many of these were torn from the headlines of the day.

"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" is a factual retelling of the murder of a 51-year-old African-American barmaid named Hattie Carroll by a young white tobacco heir named William Zantzinger.

The last verse of the song takes us to the courtroom, where the judge "spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished" and hands out a mere six-month sentence to Zantzinger.

5. The Merseybeats: "I Stand Accused"

This slice of early 60s pop compares the narrator's love for a taken woman to a "big crime". He imagines being taken to the "witness stand" and having to testify to his love. Worst of all, he's "unable to lie" and "got a love that won't die".

Randy Newman is an artist who likes to tip a wink to the audience – so we probably shouldn't take this at face value. We're probably being asked to reflect on the distance between what the child sees and the realities of modern policing.

8. Morrissey: "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"

Morrissey is someone who's had his own scrapes with the law – most notably the High Court case brought against him by his ex-bandmate, who wanted fairer royalties from the music they made together.

The judge – the marvellously named Judge Justice Weeks – famously ruled that Morrissey was "devious, truculent and unreliable when his own interests were at stake".

So it's perhaps no surprise that his song "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" contains the threatening lines: "Beware, I bear more grudges / Than lonely High Court judges".

9. Common: Testify

American rapper Common's "Testify" is a song with a twist. It describes a familiar scene – a man on trial for "murder and gun possession". His wife, in tears, sings the song's hook: "Before you lock my love away / Please let me testify".

However (spoiler alert) it turns out that the woman herself did the crime – and her tears are a cover as this mendacious "queenpin" lets her husband go down.

10. Taylor Swift: "Anti-Hero"

Taylor Swift's witty "Anti-Hero" is most famous for its line "It's me! Hi! I'm the problem, it's me". But it's also a song that features a fantasy about probate.

Taylor has a recurring dream that her "daughter-in-law kills me for the money", only to discover that she wasn't in the will. When this is discovered, another family member "screams out / 'She's laughing up at us from hell'".

The daughter-in-law may have a case against Taylor – but the act of murder could complicate things.

Milners is a trusted team of solicitors in Yorkshire. We pride ourselves on providing no-nonsense, jargon-free advice, backed up by years of legal expertise. For a free initial consultation, don't hesitate to get in touch.