Scarecrow (song)

"Scarecrow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge from her sixth studio album Breakdown (1999).

This ballad tells the story of the kidnapping, torture, and homicide of 21-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, motivated by anti-gay sentiment.

[3] Etheridge was actually supposed to write a theme song for the US women's soccer team when the news about Matthew Shepard reached the headlines.

In her autobiography The Truth Is... she tells that it was "Like somebody just dropped a huge brick in her kitchen" as she realized that being a big gay rock star did not help her changing the world.

This led her to supporting some of her friends including Ellen DeGeneres who organized a trip to the Denver hospital.