I SWEAR, this really is the worst song ever recorded.

[Fridays Child]

Teddy Bear

I was on the outskirts of a little southern town,
Trying to reach my destination before the sun went down.
The old CB was blaring away on channel one-nine
When there came a little boy's voice on the radio line.
And he said, "Breaker, one-nine, is anyone there?
Come on back, truckers, and talk to Teddy Bear."
Well, I keyed the mike and I said, "Well, you got it,Teddy Bear."
And the little boy's voice came back on the air.
"'Preciate the break. Who we got on that end?"
I told him my handle, and then he began:

"Now, I'm not supposed to bother you fellas out there,
Mom says you're busy and for me to stay off the air.
But, you see, I get lonely and it helps to talk
'Cause that's about all I can do. I'm crippled and I can't walk."

I came back and told him to fire up that mike
And I'd talk to him as long as he'd like.
"This was my dad's radio," the little boy said,
"But I guess it's mine and Mom's now 'cause my daddy's dead.
Dad had a wreck about a month ago.
He was trying to get home in a blinding snow.
Mom has to work now to make ends meet
And I'm not much help with my two crippled feet.
She says not to worry, that we'll make it all right,
But I hear her crying sometimes late at night.
You know, there's one thing I want more than anything else to see.
Aw, I know you guys are too busy to bother with me,
But, you see, my dad used to take me for rides when he was home
But I guess that's all over now since my daddy's gone."

Not one breaker came on the old CB
As that little crippled boy talked with me.
I tried hard to swallow, the lump just wouldn't stay down
As I thought about my boy back in Greenville town.

"Dad was gonna take Mom and me with him later on this year.
Why, I remember him saying, 'Someday this old truck'll be yours, Teddy Bear.'
But I know I'll never get to ride an 18-wheeler again,
But this old base will keep me in touch with all my trucker friends.
Teddy Bear's gonna back on out now and leave you alone
'Cause it's about time for Mom to come home.
But you give me a shout when you're passing through
And I'll sure be happy to come back to you."

Well, I came back and I said, "Before you go ten-ten,
What's your home-twenty, little CB friend?"
Well, he gave me his address and I didn't once hesitate
'Cause this hot load of freight was just gonna have to wait.
I turned that truck around on a dime
And headed straight for Jackson Street, 229.

And as I rounded the corner, boy, I got one heck of a shock--
Eighteen-wheelers were lined up for three city blocks!
Why, I guess every driver for miles around had caught Teddy Bear's call
And that little crippled boy was having a ball.
For as fast as one driver would carry him in,
Another would carry him to his truck and take off again.
Well, you better believe I took my turn at riding Teddy Bear
And then I carried him back in and put him down in his chair.
And, buddy, if I never live to see happiness again
I want you to know I saw it that day, in the face of that little man.

We took up a collection for him before his mama got home
And each driver said goodbye and then they were all gone.
He shook my hand with a mile-long grin
And said, "So long, trucker, I'll catch you again!"
I hit that interstate with tears in my eyes
And I turned on the radio and I got another surprise.
"Breaker, one-nine," came a voice on the air,
"Just one word of thanks from Mama Teddy Bear.
We wish each and every one a special prayer for you
'Cause you just made my little boy's dream come true.
I'll sign off now before I start to cry.
May God ride with you. Ten-four, and goodbye."

[madrchsod]

1. red sovine?

i think that`s the guy who wrote and sang the song... for some reason my dad this album.

[Fridays Child]

3. Yep, and don't forget his other tearjerker of a song...

Giddy Up, Go

The highways that wind and wander
Over mountains and valleys, deserts and plains,
I guess I've drove about all of them,
Because for the past 25 years the cab of a truck has been my home.
And it'd be kind of hard for me to settle down and not be on the go.

Why, I remember the first truck I drove,
I was so proud I could hardly wait to get home and show my wife and little boy.
And my little boy was so excited, like when he saw his first snow.
He wasn't old enough to say too many words,
he just kept hollering, "Giddy up, go, Daddy! Giddy up, go!"
So that's what I named the old truck: Giddy Up, Go.

Oh, things wasn't too bad;
of course, I was gone a lot
And after about six years, I got home one day
and found my wife and little boy gone.
I couldn't find out what happened. Nobody seemed to know.
So from that day on it's been me and old Giddy Up, Go.

I've made a lot of friends at all the truck stops
and some of them would kid me about my little sign.
Of course, they knew where I got the name
because I'd told them about that little boy of mine
And how his first word about the truck was "Giddy Up, Go!"

Today I was barreling down old 66
when up beside me pulled a brand-new diesel rig, both stacks blowing black coal.
And as he pulled around and back in front of me
a big lump came in my throat
And my eyes watered like I had a bad old cold.
A little sign on the back of the truck that read Giddy Up, Go.

Well, I pushed old Giddy Up and stayed right on him
until the next truck stop where he'd pulled up.
I waited until he went in and offered to buy him a cup.
Well, we got to talking shop and I said,
"How did you come by the name on your truck, Giddy Up, Go?"
"Well," he said, "I got it from my pop."

"Dad used to drive a truck. That's what Mom talked about a lot.
You see, I lost Mom when I was just past sixteen,
and I lost all track of Pop.
Mama said he got the name from me."
I shook his hand and told him that I had something I wanted him to see.

I took him out to the old truck
and brushed off some of the dirt so the name would show,
And his eyes got big and bright as he read Giddy Up, Go.
Oh, we had a lot of things to talk about
and, buddy, I felt like a king,
And now we've just pulled back on old 66
and he handled that rig better than any gear-jammer that I'd ever seen.

Well, now the lines on the highway have got a much brighter glow,
As we go roaring down the road,
and we stare at that little sign that reads Giddy Up, Go.

[Atlas Mugged]

2. And, then there's this 'classic'

How old was I when I first seen old Rivers?
I can't remember when he weren't around
Well, that old fellow did a heap of work
Spent his whole life walking plowed ground.

He had a one-room shack not far from us
And well, we was about as poor as him
He had one old mule he called Midnight
And I'd trailed along after them.

He used to plow them rows straight and deep
And I'd come along near behind
A-bustin' up clods with my own bare feet
Old Rivers was a friend of mine.

That sun'd get high and that mule would work
Till old Rivers'd say, ''Whoa!''
He'd wipe his brow, lean back on the reins
And talk about a place he was gonna go.

Chorus:
He'd say, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.

--- Instrumental ---

I got a letter today from the folks back home and
They're all fine and crops is dry
Down at the end my mama said, ''Son
You know old Rivers died.''

Just sittin' here now on this new-plowed earth
Trying to find me a little shade
With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me.

Chorus:
Now, one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there amoung the clouds
Where the cotton's high
And the corn's a-growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow.

With the sun beating down 'cross the field I see
That mule, old Rivers and me...

[elehhhhna]

4. i sort a like this kind of crap. but what if a perv truckdriver shows up?

I put 'im on my lap and said
Boy, grab the stick...

I'll make myself barf if i continue

[auntAgonist]

7. perv truckdriver?

[elehhhhna]

10. yeah read the first song's lyrics.

[auntAgonist]

16. I doubt a 'perv' trucker is going to show up in a song

How many 'perv' truckers do you know? ... I trucked for 20 years. Don't know a single one.

[elehhhhna]

21. i'm making fun of the SONG--not the truckers: if my little kid...

home alone, invitied everybody with a cb to come give him a ride...well just think about it! I have no problem with truck drivers.

[arwalden]

5. Who Writes This Shit?!

[auntAgonist]

6. I used to love trucking across the country in the middle of the night

listening to those old songs. There were so MANY of them. Dave Dudley had a few too. There was also an answer to the Teddy Bear 'song'. I think it was done by (guessing) Minnie Pearl, it was Teddy Bear's Mother thanking the truckers .. now I'm going to have to look it up.

aA.

[WillParkinson]

8. Sorry, I love the song...

It's always made me cry.

Some people just have no feelings.

[Fridays Child]

14. Geeyah, WillBowden, I do, too.

I teared up just copying and pasting the lyrics. And, whenever I actually hear it--"Teddy Bear" and "Giddy Up Go" are both on my hard drive--it's a freaking waterfall on my face. But you have to admit that either song could take the prize for maudlin sentimentality.

[WillParkinson]

15. Can't deny that...

But isn't that what makes a good song? Something that tugs at your emotions and you're not likely to forget?

[Phillycat]

9. Nope.

Still this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2170080&mesg_id=2170080

[CO Liberal]

11. Nah - That Title Goes To "Surfin' Bird" By The Trashmen (1963)

Believe it or not, it took four people to write this....

SURFIN' BIRD
(Frazier - White - Harris - Wilson)

THE TRASHMEN (GARRETT 4002, 1963)

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a...

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody's talking about the bird!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird...

Surfin' bird
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb... ... aaah!

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-oom-oom-oom
Oom-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-a-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Well don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow


http://www.rockabilly.nl/lyrics4/s0130.htm

[AntiCoup2K4]

18. Yeah, but the Ramones remake kicked ass

When Joey sang it. nobody gave a shit how bad the lyrics were.

Maybe they should have done "Teddy Bear"?

[CO Liberal]

24. "Surfin' Bird" Was So Bad...

That when it played on WABC in New York during his show, Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) would leave the studio. You could actually hear the door slam behind him....

[LDS Jock]

12. "And I'm not much help with my two crippled feet."

That line still cracks me up. Me and my sisters have made fun of that song for years.

[Magrittes Pipe]

13. Red Sovine was a genius.

You people are sick.

[Bat Boy]

17. Stop! You're going to put me into a diabetic coma!

Jesus. That's fucking awful.

[Enraged_Ape]

19. Red Sovine is like a God to me. Remember "Phantom 309"?

PHANTOM 309 Recorded by Red Sovine
Words and music by Tommy Faile

I was out on the West Coast, tryin' to make a buck
And things didn't work out, I was down on my luck
Got tired a-roamin' and bummin' around
So I started thumbin' back East, toward my home town.

Made a lot of miles, the first two days
And I figured I'd be home in week, if my luck held out this way
But, the third night I got stranded, way out of town
At a cold, lonely crossroads, rain was pourin' down.

I was hungry and freezin', done caught a chill
When the lights of a big semi topped the hill
Lord, I sure was glad to hear them air brakes come on
And I climbed in that cab, where I knew it'd be warm.

At the wheel sit a big man, he weighed about two-ten
He stuck out his hand and said with a grin
"Big Joe's the name", I told him mine
And he said: "The name of my rig is Phantom 309."

I asked him why he called his rig such a name
He said: "Son, this old Mack can put 'em all to shame
There ain't a driver, or a rig, a-runnin' any line
Ain't seen nothin' but taillights from Phantom 309."

Well, we rode and talked the better part of the night
When the lights of a truck stop came in sight
He said: "I'm sorry son, this is as far as you go
'Cause, I gotta make a turn, just on up the road."

Well, he tossed me a dime as he pulled her in low
And said: "Have yourself a cup on old Big Joe."
When Joe and his rig roared out in the night
In nothin' flat, he was clean out of sight.

Well, I went inside and ordered me a cup
Told the waiter Big Joe was settin' me up
Aw!, you coulda heard a pin drop, it got deathly quiet
And the waiter's face turned kinda white.

Well, did I say something wrong? I said with a halfway grin
He said: "Naw, this happens every now and then
Ever' driver in here knows Big Joe
But son, let me tell you what happened about ten years ago.

At the crossroads tonight, where you flagged him down
There was a bus load of kids, comin' from town
And they were right in the middle, when Big Joe topped the hill
It could have been slaughter, but he turned his wheel.

Well, Joe lost control, went into a skid
And gave his life to save that bunch-a kids
And there at that crossroads, was the end of the line
For Big Joe and phantom 309

But, every now and then, some hiker'll come by
And like you, Big Joe'll give 'em a ride
Here, have another cup and forget about the dime
Keep it as a souvenir, from Big Joe and Phantom 309!"

[yardwork]

20. Never heard of this Red Sovine - did he only write songs about truckers?

Dolly Parton has written a number of tear-jerkers involving children and abandoned women. One memorable one is Me and Little Andy.

I kind of like Me and Little Andy. Makes me cry every time I hear it. Go ahead - call me a sucker!

[enigmatic]

23. at the end of his career...

he was mostly known for those types of songs; he was a straight country singer (and had a pretty good voice, too)for the bulk of his career. And believe it or not, his version of "Lay Down Sally" blows Clapton's version off the map; it freakin' rocks!

[enigmatic]

22. Tom Waits did an awesome version of this....

on his "Nightwaks At The Diner" album...