1972 Murder Ballad, Written in Three Different Voices, Is Nearly 10 Minutes Long
Most of the time, when a song is sung from the perspective of more than one person, it's performed by more than one singer. One notable exception, however, is Harry Chapin's "Sniper," based on a true and tragic story.
Released on Chapin's 1972 album Sniper and Other Love Songs, "Sniper" is a semi-fictionalized retelling of the University of Texas shooting in 1966. Chapin's wife Sandy (who co-wrote "Cat's in the Cradle") told Songfacts that her husband was inspired to write "Sniper" after reading a newspaper article about the massacre, which happened when ex-Marine Charles Whitman opened fire from the observation deck of a 300-foot tower on campus.
According to History, Whitman shot 46 people, killing 14 and wounding 32; he also killed his wife and mother the night before. The shooting stopped when police officers made it to the top of the tower, where they killed Whitman.
"Sniper," which changes the names of victims and other details, begins with a verse written from the perspective of a narrator:
It is an early Monday morning.
The sun is becoming bright on the land.
No one is watching as he comes a walking.
Two bulky suitcases hang from his hands.
In the third verse, the POV shifts to acquaintances of the sniper being interviewed after the fact:
I didn't really know him.
He was kind of strange.
Always sort of sat there.
He never seemed to change.
After a few more verses switching back and forth between the narrator and the interview subjects, the sniper himself takes over:
Listen you people I've got a question
You won't pay attention but I'll ask anyhow.
I found a way that will get me an answer.
Been waiting to ask you 'till now.
Right now!
The song continues, alternating between the different voices for almost ten minutes, until the grisly conclusion.
"Sniper" was a bit of a tough sell for listeners, particularly critics; a Rolling Stone review at the time called the song "incredibly pretentious." Even Sandy Chapin admitted that it wasn't one of her favorites, saying, "I didn't like the harsh songs very well, like 'Sniper.'"
Others have argued that the song isn't all bad; in 2013, Slate's Justin Peters wrote, "Yes, the lyrics are ungainly. Yes, the song is overproduced. But Chapin's performance overcomes all these flaws through sheer force of emotion."
Chapin's lyrics suggest that Whitman's relationship with his mother was part of the reason he became a killer; since his mother was among his victims, this seems likely enough. But one thing Chapin left out was the fact that an autopsy on Whitman found a rapidly growing undiagnosed brain tumor, which some have theorized might have affected his behavior.
Even Whitman seemed to suspect something was medically wrong with him. The night before the campus shooting, he wrote a note about his struggle with violent impulses, including the line: "After my death, I wish an autopsy on me be performed to see if there's any mental disorders."
Related: 1970 Rock Anthem, Lasting 10 Minutes, Was Written Overnight
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 6:03 PM.