Best Song That Also Tells A Complete Story

[Yavin4]

My favorites are "Ode to Billy Joe", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", and "El Paso".

[Midlodemocrat]

1. My favorite is the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

and I love Alice's Restaurant.

[Hissyspit]

82. I'm not a big Gordon Lightfoot fan, but...

it really is an effective contemporary update of the narrative ballad form. It still makes me tear up.

[Hissyspit]

83. ...and "The Drowned Lovers" by Kate Rusby is pretty cool. n/t

[skygazer]

2. Same answer I gave in the "character development" thread

Dylan - Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts. From Blood on the Tracks.

[anarch]

3. "Slum Goddess from the Lower East Side" by the Fugs

Story-tellin' at its finest.

[bridgit]

4. always been partial to 2, one silly; one not...

MTA ~ Kingston Trio

Let me tell you the story
Of a man named Charlie
On a tragic and fateful day
He put ten cents in his pocket,
Kissed his wife and family
Went to ride on the MTA

Charlie handed in his dime
At the Kendall Square Station
And he changed for Jamaica Plain
When he got there the conductor told him,
"One more nickel."
Charlie could not get off that train.

Chorus:
Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd, what a pity,
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned.

Now all night long
Charlie rides through the tunnels
the station
Saying, "What will become of me?
Crying
How can I afford to see
My sister in Chelsea
Or my cousin in Roxbury?"

Charlie's wife goes down
To the Scollay Square station
Every day at quarter past two
And through the open window
She hands Charlie a sandwich
As the train comes rumblin' through.

As his train rolled on
underneath Greater Boston
Charlie looked around and sighed:
"Well, I'm sore and disgusted
And I'm absolutely busted;
I guess this is my last long ride."

Now you citizens of Boston,
Don't you think it's a scandal
That the people have to pay and pay
Vote for Walter A. O'Brien
Fight the fare increase!
And fight the fare increase
Vote for George O'Brien!
Get poor Charlie off the MTA.

Or else he'll never return,
No he'll never return
And his fate will be unlearned
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man (Who's the man)
He's the man who never returned.
He's the man (Oh, the man)
He's the man who never returned.
He's the man who never returned.

That you, Charlie...

:rofl:

and Little Omie ~ Traditional, Doc Watson

Oh, listen to my story, I'll tell you no lies,
How John Lewis did murder poor little Omie Wise.
He told her to meet him at Adams's Springs.
He promised her money and other fine things.

So, fool-like she met him at Adams's Springs.
No money he brought her nor other fine things.

"Go with me, little Omie, and away we will go.
We'll go and get married and no one will know."

She climbed up behind him and away they did go,
But off to the river where deep waters flow.

"John Lewis, John Lewis, will you tell me your mind?
Do you intend to marry me or leave me behind?"

"Little Omie, little Omie, I'll tell you my mind.
My mind is to drown you and leave you behind."

"Have mercy on my baby and spare me my life,
I'll go home as a beggar and never be your wife."

He kissed her and hugged her and turned her around,
Then pushed her in deep waters where he knew that she would drown.

He got on his pony and away he did ride,
As the screams of little Omie went down by his side.

T'was on a Thursday morning, the rain was pouring down,
When the people searched for Omie but she could not be found.

Two boys went a-fishin' one fine summer day,
And saw little Omie's body go floating away.

They threw their net around her and drew her to the bank.
Her clothes all wet and muddy, they laid her on a plank.

Then sent for John Lewis to come to that place --
And brought her out before him so that he might see her face.

He made no confession but they carried him to jail,
No friends or relations would go on his bail.

:cry:

[jpgray]

5. "We did it again" - Soft Machine

[BigMcLargehuge]

6. John Finn's Wife (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)

Well the night was deep and the night was dark
And I was at the old dance-hall on the edge of town
Some big ceremony was going down
Dancers writhed and squirmed and then,
Came apart and then writhed again
Like squirming flies on a pin
In the heat and in the din
Yes, in the heat and in the din
I fell to thinking about brand new wife of mad John Finn

Well, midnite came and the clock did strike
And in she came, did John Finn's wife
With legs like scissors and butcher's knives
A tattooed breast and flaming eyes
And a crimson carnation in her teeth
Carving her way through the dance floor
And I'm standing over by the bandstand
Every eye gaping on John Finn's wife
Yeah, every eye gaping on John Finn's wife

Now John Finn's wife was something of a mystery
In a town where to share a sworn secret was a solemn duty
I had brass knuckles and a bolo knife
Over near the bandstand with John Finn's wife
She got perfumed breasts and raven hair
Sprinkled with wedding confettis
And a gang of garrotters were all giving me stares
Armed, as they were, with machetes
Well the night through the window was full of lights
Winking and a watching at John Finns' wife
Winking and a watching at John Finns' wife

Next came the cops, roll out on the town
But it don't look like no trouble there
As they had for the bar in their lumpy suits
And I slip my hand between the thighs of John Finn's wife
They seemed to yawn awake, her thighs
It was a warm and very ferocious night
The moon full of blood and light
And my eyes grew small and my eyes grew tight
As I plotted in the ear of John Finns' wife

Enter John Finn in his shrunken suit
With his quick black eyes and black cheroot
With his filed-down teeth and a hobnail boot
And his fists full of pistols in his pockets
Aiming at me and aiming at his wife
The band fall silent fearing for their lives
And with fear in my guts like tangled twine
Cause all I got is brass knuckles and a bolo knife
And mad John Finns' wife is all
And the three of us walk out of the hall

Now the night bore down upon us all
You could hear the crickets in the thickets call
And guns did flare and guns did bawl
And I planted my bolo knife in the neck
Of mad John Finn. I took his wretched life
Now I'm over near the bandstand
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife
Every hand moving on John Finns' wife

And John Finns' wife
Took all the flowers down
From her hair
And threw them on the ground
And the flies did hum
And the flies did buzz around
Poor John Finn
Lying dead upon the ground
Lying dead upon the ground

[Orsino]

7. Eagles: "Lyin' Eyes" n/t

[WritingIsMyReligion]

9. That's good, too.

:D

[leatherfeather]

87. I like that song too. But I like The Last Resort. Eagles also.

It states stongly how we have raped the land and the people since we arrived in America.

[Blue-Jay]

8. "Drink & Fight" by The Mudmen.

Weeeee're gonnaaaa

DRINK & FIGHT & DRINK & FIGHT & DRINK & FIGHT SOME MORE!....

[Penndems]

10. W.O.L.D. by the late, great Harry Chapin

Hello honey it's me.
What did you think when you heard me back on the radio?
And what did the kids say when they knew it was their long-lost daddy-o?

Remember how we listened to the radio
And I said, "That's the place to be"
And how I got the job as an FM jock the day you married me?
It was two kids and I was into AM rock, but I just had to run around
It's been eight years since I left you babe,
Let me tell you 'bout what's gone down:

CHORUS
I am the morning DJ at W.O.L.D.
Playing all the hits for you
Wherever you may be
The bright good morning voice
Who's heard but never seen
Feeling all of 45, going on 15

The drinking I did on my last big gig
Made my voice go low
They said that they like the young sounds
When they let me go

So I drifted on down to Tulsa, Oklahoma
To do me a late night talk show
Now I've worked my way down home again
Here to Boise, Idaho, that's how this buisness goes

CHORUS

I've been making extra money doing high school sock-hops
I'm a big time guest MC
You should hear me talking to the little children
And listen to what they say to me

I got a spot on the top of my head
Just begging for a new toupe
and a tire round my gut from sitting on my ____
But it's never gonna go away

Sometimes I get this crazy dream
that I just take off in my car,
But you can travel on ten thousand miles and still stay where you are.
I been thinkin' that I should stop this jockin' and
start that record store,
Maybe I could settle down, if you'd take me back once more.
Okay, honey I see
I guess he's better than me
Sure old girl, I understand
You don't have to worry
I'm such a happy man

CHORUS

I am the morning DJ at W.O.L.D. D. D. D.

[xmas74]

15. Another one that we lost way too young.

[Texasgal]

11. I LOVE Ode to Billy Joe!!!

My fav is " The harper valley PTA" :bounce:

[AlienGirl]

12. "El Paso" is only the first half of the story!

Have you heard "El Paso City" yet? If you haven't, you need to find it and put it in your playlist, right after "El Paso." Then listen to the two of them in sequence and tell me you don't get goosebumps!

Tucker

[Initech]

13. Frank Zappa - "The Adventures Of Greggory Peckary"

[BlueJazz]

14. "The Logical Song"..Supertramp

[WritingIsMyReligion]

69. I. Love. That. Song.

:D :D

[WeRQ4U]

16. Concur on "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"....

I love how the saxophone actually makes it seem like you're taking pages off of a calander.

I would vote for Ben Folds' "Mr. Jones" and "The Hurricane" by Bob Dylan

[Lisa]

17. "Princes of the Clouds" -- Tony Kaduck

I am a flyer, one of those wind-in-the-wires boys
At the country fairs, you may have heard my name
And I have flown where only wind and wild men go
In the skies of France, or west across the plains
When war was done, I couldn't go back to the farm
There were Curtis Fours and Avros for a song
It seemed like single and free was the only way to be
I bought a good old craft and I named her Southern Star

We drew crowds; they called us "Princes of the Clouds"
In the railway towns across the Great Divide
We'd come in low, then stage a dogfight for a show
Then take the brave ones up for fifty cents a ride
Just Bob and me; we didn't need no company
And those farm girls made us welcome when we came
It seemed like single and free was the only way to be
And we swore those glory days would never end

We had it planned; we were gonna fly the Rio Grande
When I met her at a show near Calgary
Becky Ann, she could have had her any man
But I bought a ring; she said she'd marry me
Bob went on; he headed south toward the sun
I couldn't look him in the eye when the time had come
He just said, "Single and free, man, it's the only way to be
Southern Star got parked behind the old man's barn

Six years ago, Bob was flying mail in Mexico
When his plane went down; the wreck was never found
The thirties came, we went two years without the rain
Now I've a factory job, and room and board in town
Becky knew that the glory days were through
I got a letter from New Orleans the other day
And she said, "Single and free is the only way to be
Now, Southern Star, take me back and let me dream
Oh, Southern Star, I got lost along the way.

[gollygee]

18. Famous Blue Raincoat

Leonard Cohen

[bertha katzenengel]

48. Love that one. n/t

[Catchawave]

19. "Cats in the Cradle"

Every "Dad" must love this one :)

[Z_I_Peevey]

20. Harper Valley PTA.

It's got everything!

[Throd]

21. "Date Rape" by Sublime

[Debbi801]

22. I like "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Jungleland" (nt)

[khashka]

23. You Oughta Know - Alannis Morissette

Ode to Billy Joe.
Harper Valley PTA
Juarez


There are a lot of 'em.


Khash.

[ET Awful]

24. One Tin Soldier by Coven

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

[lizziegrace]

25. Harry Chapin's "Taxi" and "Cats in the Cradle" n/t

[u4ic]

78. Seconded

on both songs. :hi:

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. Poncho and Lefty...Saginaw Michigan, Tenessee Flat Top Box...

There are tons of really good ones. along with Willie and Laura Mae Jones from the other thread. :hi:


I would also say "Fancy" by Reba McEntire...even though I'm not a huge fan of hers.

[Left Is Write]

41. I love Tennessee Flattop Box...

I like Rosanne's version a little better than Johnny's, though.

Fancy, interestingly enough, was written by Bobbie Gentry - who also wrote Ode To Billie Joe.

[GumboYaYa]

53. Good call on "Pancho and Lefty"

Townes wrote lots of great songs like that.

[Catfight]

27. "Take the Money and Run," and "Take a Walk on the Wild side." nt

[GOPisEvil]

28. "The Hurricane" by Bob Dylan.

Of course, it tells the story of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter.

[DanCa]

29. Springsteen from Nebraska to Ghost of Tom Joad, to Devils and Dust

You love story telling pick up one of these cd's. Great songs man all great complete songs.

[Ramsey]

30. The Highwayman

By Loreena McKennitt, is a whole song poem about a highwayman in the time of King George (yes the British one) who loves the inn keeper's daughter. He goes off to steal some gold and the redcoats arrive at the inn, tie up his girlfriend and hold her hostage awaiting his return. Oddly they tie her up with a musket and she frees her fingers enough to reach the trigger. When she hears her lover's horse approaching she pulls the trigger, warning him away, but she dies from the wound. The highwayman finds out the next morning and in a blind rage returns to the inn with his sword blazing, only to be shot down "like a dog" in the road by the redcoats, with his "bunch of lace at his throat". He then haunts the road where he died.

I've always thought this song/poem would make a great screenplay.

[Tikki]

31. "TV Party".......Black Flag...

TV Party tonight...



Tikki

[Sacajawea]

32. "Whiskey Lullaby"......Jon Randall

Gorgeous, but sad.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

33. "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" by Eric Bogle

Link to Bogle performing it on a radio station (with a spoken introduction):
http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/bandplayed.ram

---------

Now when I was a young man I carried me pack
And I lived the free life of the rover.
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback,
Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over.
Then in 1915, my country said, "Son,
It's time you stop ramblin', there's work to be done."
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun,
And they marched me away to the war.

And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
As the ship pulled away from the quay,
And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving, and tears,
We sailed off for Gallipoli.

And how well I remember that terrible day,
How our blood stained the sand and the water;
And of how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny Turk, he was waitin', he primed himself well;
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shell --
And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell,
Nearly blew us right back to Australia.

But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
When we stopped to bury our slain,
Well, we buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
Then we started all over again.

And those that were left, well, we tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire.
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
Though around me the corpses piled higher.
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
And when I woke up in me hospital bed
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead --
Never knew there was worse things than dying.

For I'll go no more "Waltzing Matilda,"
All around the green bush far and free --
To hump tents and pegs, a man needs both legs,
No more "Waltzing Matilda" for me.

So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
And they shipped us back home to Australia.
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane,
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla.
And as our ship sailed into Circular Quay,
I looked at the place where me legs used to be,
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
To grieve, to mourn and to pity.

But the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
As they carried us down the gangway,
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
Then they turned all their faces away.

And so now every April, I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me.
And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
Reviving old dreams of past glory,
And the old men march slowly, all bones stiff and sore,
They're tired old heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
And I ask meself the same question.

But the band plays "Waltzing Matilda,"
And the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear
Someday, no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?

[HEyHEY]

34. Boy named Sue, Bud the Spud

[CatholicEdHead]

35. Christmas in the Trenches, John McCutcheon

and Cold Missouri Waters by James Keelaghan

http://www.folkmusic.com/record/r_water.htm#Christmas

http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/coldmiss.htm

[Hissyspit]

36. Atlantic City. Or Stolen Car.

[bigwillq]

37. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

Anything by Miss Chapman for that matter.

[PassingFair]

38. Just about anything by Steely Dan

especially:
Kid Charlemagne
Don't Take Me Alive
Pearl of the Quarter...

I could go on and on.
Not exactly STORIES, but pictures, freeze frames that form a complete circle. Perfect.
Like old Clive Barker short stories.

[Cocoa]

39. Big Joe and Phantom 309

Tom Waits

well you see I happened to be back on the east coast
a few years back tryin' to make me a buck
like everybody else, well you know
times get hard and well I got down on my luck
and I got tired of just roamin' and bummin'
around, so I started thumbin' my way
back to my old hometown
you know I made quite a few miles
in the first couple of days, and I
figured I'd be home in a week if my
luck held out this way
but you know it was the third night
I got stranded, it was out at a cold lonely
crossroads, and as the rain came
pouring down, I was hungry, tired
freezin', caught myself a chill, but
it was just about that time that
the lights of an old semi topped the hill
you should of seen me smile when I
heard them air brakes come on, and
I climbed up in that cab where I
knew it'd be warm at the wheel
well at the wheel sat a big man
I'd have to say he must of weighed 210
the way he stuck out a big hand and
said with a grin "Big Joe's the name
and this here rig's called Phantom 309"
well I asked him why he called his
rig such a name, but he just turned to me
and said "Why son don't you know this here
rig'll be puttin' 'em all to shame, why
there ain't a driver on this
or any other line for that matter
that's seen nothin' but the taillights of Big Joe
and Phantom 309"
So we rode and talked the better part of the night
and I told my stories and Joe told his and
I smoked up all his Viceroys as we rolled along
he pushed her ahead with 10 forward gears
man that dashboard was lit like the old
Madam La Rue pinball, a serious semi truck
until almost mysteriously, well it was the
lights of a truck stop that rolled into sight
Joe turned to me and said "I'm sorry son
but I'm afraid this is just as far as you go
You see I kinda gotta be makin' a turn
just up the road a piece," but I'll be
damned if he didn't throw me a dime as he
threw her in low and said "Go on in there
son, and get yourself a hot cup of coffee
on Big Joe"
and when Joe and his rig pulled off into
the night, man in nothing flat they was
clean outa sight
so I walked into the old stop and
ordered me up a cup of mud sayin'
"Big Joe's settin' this dude up" but
it got so deathly quiet in that
place, you could of heard a pin drop
as the waiter's face turned kinda
pale, I said "What's the matter did
I say somethin' wrong?" I kinda
said with 8a half way grin. He said
"No son, you see It'll happen every
now and then. You see every driver in
here knows Big Joe, but let me
tell you what happened just 10 years
ago, yea it was 10 years ago
out there at that cold lonely crossroads
where you flagged Joe down, and
there was a whole bus load of kids
and they were just comin' from school
and they were right in the middle when
Joe topped the hill, and could
have been slaughtered except
Joe turned his wheels, and
he jacknifed, and went
into a skid, and folks around here
say he gave his life to save that bunch
of kids, and out there at that cold
lonely crossroads, well they say it
was the end of the line for
Big Joe and Phantom 309, but it's
funny you know, cause every now and then
yea every now and then, when the
moon's holdin' water, they say old Joe
will stop and give you a ride, and
just like you, some hitchhiker will be
comin' by"
"So here son," he said to me, "get
yourself another cup of coffee, it's on the
house, you see I want you to hang on
to that dime, yea you hang on to that
dime as a kind of souvenir, a
souvenir of Big Joe and Phantom 309"

[hopein08]

40. "Fancy" or "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"

[swag]

42. "Athlete Cured" by the Fall

ATHLETE CURED

Look under
Look under


From the hotbed of creation
in dreamstate.
The cure, bulletin, zeitung
Was in no pill.
Look under.
The cure was in no pill.


The German athletic star was continually ill.
For months doctors were puzzled.
The star would complain of the smell in his room.
On visiting him this was found to be true.
An odor resembling hot-dogs permeated the whole bedroom.


A solution was only discovered by my closely
watching his brother Gert.
Gert was handsome, well-meaning, but slightly a careless type.
Not malicious, I hope you understand and grasp.
No chance.


But on returning from his clerical job, Gert
would park his Volkswagen at the end of the day
willy-nilly in the driveway, usually the wrong way round,
so that the exhaust fumes would flow upwards right through
the open windows of the athletic star's upstairs bedroom.
(carburettor)

I also discovered that Gert would turn his engine
over for up to an hour. I don't know why.
Citizens in my street are also
partial to this.


Look under.
The cure was in no pill.


Obtaining a new parking space for Gert's motor-car, athletic star soon
recovered.
Unfortunately, this being East Germany,
Gert patriotically volunteered to be sent on a labor
beautification course of the countryside north-west of Dresden.
And never seen again.
And never seen again.


Look under.
The cure was in no pill.
Had to look under the window sill.
The window sill.


Look under.
The cure was in no pill.
Had to look under the window sill.
The window sill.


From certain facts you have to go on and further
and often it is better to go around or look under.
the windowsill

etc..
etc..

[Floogeldy]

43. "Doolin-Dalton" and "Doolin-Dalton/Desperado (Reprise)"

:)

[greendog]

44. The Mary Ellen Carter...

...Stan Rogers

She went down last October in a pouring driving rain.
The skipper, he'd been drinking and the Mate, he felt no pain.
Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow,
And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low.
There were five of us aboard her when she finally was awash.
We'd worked like hell to save her, all heedless of the cost.
And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim
That the Mary Ellen Carter would rise again.

Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend.
She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end.
But insurance paid the loss to them, they let her rest below.
Then they laughed at us and said we had to go.
But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock,
For she's worth a quarter million, afloat and at the dock.
And with every jar that hit the bar, we swore we would remain
And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost
To the knowledge of men.
Those who loved her best and were with her till the end
Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again.

All spring, now, we've been with her on a barge lent by a friend.
Three dives a day in hard hat suit and twice I've had the bends.
Thank God it's only sixty feet and the currents here are slow
Or I'd never have the strength to go below.
But we've patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and
porthole down.
Put cables to her, 'fore and aft and girded her around.
Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain.
And watch the Mary Ellen Carter Rise Again.

For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale.
She'd saved our lives so many times, living through the gale
And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave
They won't be laughing in another day. . .
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.

[Hand]

61. Great song!

Like everything Stan Rogers did. :toast:

[HuskerDU]

45. I've always liked 'Uneasy Rider' by Charlie Daniels.

Too bad the guy's insane these days!

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

46. The Night Pat Murphy Died

[HEyHEY]

55. Some of the boys got loaded drunk....

and they ain't got sober yet

[LynneSin]

47. Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day

There's a good story told but then again the song is nine minutes long!

[GOPisEvil]

49. 'Guitar Man Upstairs' by Drive-By Truckers

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

50. Me and my uncle from the Grateful Dead

for that matter, most any of the ballads from them.

[Heidi]

52. Jinx!

See below. :hi:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

65. Ah, come on... I put mine there a whole minute before

yours.

GMTA.

[Heidi]

51. "Chelsea Hotel," Leonard Cohen, and

"Me and My Uncle," Grateful Dead

[malta blue]

54. Alice's Restaurant

Phew...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

56. "Two Gunslingers" by Tom Petty

[Misunderestimator]

57. Brahms' "Von Ewiger Liebe"

also Prokofiev's "The Ugly Duckling"

Oh... and I like the Dixie Chicks' "Traveling Soldier" too.

[SpeedwayDemocrat]

58. "Endless Commercial" by John Kay of Steppenwolf...

The man is a lyrical genius; check this out:
ENDLESS COMMERCIAL
From the 2004 Rainman Records release "Heretics & Privateers"
Words and music by John Kay

My name is not important, I’ve been sent to put an end To the wanking in the ranks of the disloyal opposition
You’ve been heard to complain, you don’t like your status quo And you haven’t met your quota of spending, don’t you know
Your mission is to conform and to consume You’re way behind now so get your ass started Where would we be if we all did what we wanted?
The wheels of industry would grind up to a halt Our factories in Mexico would surely feel the jolt Run though the maze and get your piece of cheese Don’t come to us if you wind up on your knees Deep down inside yes, you may be seething But we want you good and tired, just barely breathing


Modern life’s got you down? We got pills for all your ills All you gotta do is buy a lifetime supply of magic potions You won’t know what to feel, what is fake and what is real As they slowly take control of your mind and your emotions Until you finally tow the line You’re not exempt, no you won’t be forgotten Take it from me, we know how to push your buttons What you believe ain’t subject to debate We’ll let you know what to love and what to hate You’ll be confused morning noon and night We’ll keep your senses occupied till you're lobotomized We’ll entertain you till we drive you to drinking Did you believe we want you to start thinking?


We are the global merchants we have beads for all your needs To sell our way of life to the entire universe is our agenda Those who try to resist we will be targets on our list We’ll bombard ‘em with consumer goods until they finally surrender And learn to mend their frugal ways I know right now it may seem controversial But you’ll learn to love and live in the endless commercial Leave everything to us, trust me, we know best Just park the kids by the TV and we’ll do all the rest We’ll pull the strings behind the scene And let you all believe that this is really just a dream Should you wake up, screaming “how’d this come about?”
Just keep your mouth shut if you know a way out.

[meegbear]

59. Anti-procrastination Song - Stormtroopers of Death

One line: Anti-procrastination Song!
The track is about 3 seceonds long.

[Hand]

60. Sigh... no... no... no...

The correct answer is Dylan, "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts". Glad that's settled. Gad. Must I do everything around here?

[LoZoccolo]

62. "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" is pretty good. n/t

[IA_Seth]

63. I don't remember the name...

And I only heard it once..

It was a folkish type song that told a VERY long tale about a guy and his friends. Dang, I can't remember the name. Probably a 70's song..and I only heard it once.

[KFC]

64. Hot Rod Lincoln

My pappy said, 'Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin' ...
If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!'

Well, you've heard the story of the hot rod race,
When the Ford and the Mercury were settin' the pace.
That story's true I'm here to say,
Cause I was a'drivin' that Model A.

It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up;
That Model A body makes it look like a pup.
It's got 12 cylinders and uses them all;
And an overdrive that just won't stall.

It's got a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts,
4:11 gears that really get lost -
Safety tubes and I'm not scared,
The brakes are good and the tires are fair.

We left San Pedro late one night;
The moon and the stars were shinin' bright.
We were drivin' up Grapevine Hill,
Passin' cars like they were standin' still.

Then, all of a sudden, in the wink of an eye,
a Cadillac sedan passed us by.
The remark was made, "That's the car for me."
But, by then, the taillights wuz all you could see.

Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind,
So I started to make that Lincoln unwind.
Took my foot off the gas and, man alive,
I shoved it down into overdrive.

Well, I wound it up to 110;
Twisted the speedometer cable right off the end.
Had my foot glued right to the floor;
I said, "That's all there is - there ain't no more."

Now the fellas thought I'd lost all sense;
The telephone poles looked like a picket fence.
They said, "Slow down, I see spots."
The lines on the road just looked like dots.

Went around a corner and passed a truck;
I crossed my fingers just for luck -
The fenders clickin' the guard rail post;
The guy beside me was white as a ghost.

Smoke was rollin' outta the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
I knew I could catch him and hoped I could pass
But when I did I'd be short on gas.

There were flames comin' from out of the side;
You could feel the tension; man, what a ride.
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly"
And the Cadillac pulled over and let me by.

All of a sudden a rod started knockin';
Down in the depths she started a rockin'.
I looked in the mirror and a red light was blinkin';
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln.

Well they arrested me and put me in jail.
I called my pop to make my bail.
He said, "Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin',
If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln

[TheBaldyMan]

66. Deck of Cards - classic

n/t

[Inspired]

67. Timothy

[tuvor]

68. Country Death Song by the Violent Femmes

First thing that popped into my head.

[havocmom]

70. Sunrise Sunset

from Fiddler on the Roof

[KitchenWitch]

71. Brown Eyed Girl

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

72. Ever Hear Of "WILDFIRE" (name of horse)

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

73. Oh yeah, also Detroit Rock City

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

74. Devil Went Down To Georgia

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

75. Brown Eyed Women -- The Dead

And Tennessee Jed.

Shit, Actually about 20 songs from the dead come to think of it.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

76. Turn The Page

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

77. Oh Shit, DYLAN!! Positively 4th Street!

[Hissyspit]

81. "Tangled Up In Blue" n/t

[Heddi]

79. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman

i love that song

[u4ic]

80. "Operator" and "Raised on Robbery"

Raised on Robbery - Joni Mitchell

He was sitting in the lounge of the Empire Hotel
He was drinking for diversion
He was thinking for himself
A little money riding on the Maple Leafs
Along comes a lady in lacy sleeves
She says let me sit down
You know, drinkin' alone's a shame
It's a shame it's a crying shame
Look at those jokers
Glued to that damn hockey game
Hey honey - you've got lots of cash
Bring us round a bottle
And we'll have some laughs
Gin's what I'm drinking
I was raised on robbery

I'm a pretty good cook
I'm sitting on my groceries
Come up to my kitchen
I'll show you my best recipe
I try and I try but I can't save a cent
I'm up after midnight cooking
Trying to make my rent
I'm rough but I'm pleasin'
I was raised on robbery

We had a little money once
They were pushing through a four lane highway
Government gave us three thousand dollars
You should have seen it fly away
First he bought a '57 Biscayne
He put it in the ditch
He drunk up all the rest
That son of a bitch
His blood's bad whiskey
I was raised on robbery

You know you ain't bad looking
I like the way you hold your drinks
Come home with me honey
I ain't asking for no full length mink
Hey, where you going
Don't go yet
Your glass ain't empty and we just met
You're mean when your loaded
I was raised on robbery



Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels) - Jim Croce

Operator, well could you help me place this call?
See, the number on the matchbook is old and faded.
She's living in L. A. with my best old ex-friend Ray,
A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated.

Isn't that the way they say it goes? Well, let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it,
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine and to show
I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well --
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real, but that's not the way it feels.

Operator, well could you help me place this call?
Well, I can't read the number that you just gave me.
There's something in my eyes, you know it happens every time --
I think about a love that I thought would save me.

Isn't that the way they say it goes? Well, let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it,
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine and to show
I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well --
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real, but that's not the way it feels.
No, no, no, no -- that's not the way it feels.

Operator, well let's forget about this call --
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to.
Thank you for your time, ah, you've been so much more than kind.
And you can keep the dime.

Isn't that the way they say it goes? Well, let's forget all that
And give me the number if you can find it,
So I can call just to tell 'em I'm fine and to show
I've overcome the blow, I've learned to take it well --
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn't real, but that's not the way it feels.
No, no, no, no -- that's not the way it feels.

[mykpart]

84. Running Bear.

Frankie & Johnny
The Unicorn

[blue neen]

85. Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Synyrd.

"I was cuttin' the rug
Down at a place called Jud's
With a girl named Linda Lou"

"When in walked a man with a gun
In his hand
And he was looking for you know who"

"He said "Hey fat fellow
With the hair colored yellow
What you trying to prove?"

"Cause that's my woman there
And I'm a man who cares
And this might be all for you."

"I said, "Excuse me!".....

[Robeson]

86. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot....

...also "Roads to Moscow" by Al Stewart.

[Spider Jerusalem]

88. Nick Cave, "The Mercy Seat"

A song from the perspective of a man going to the electric chair. Cave's version is brilliant; Johnny Cash's cover is very good, too.

It began when they took me from my home
And put me on death row,
Of which I am nearly wholly innocent, you know.
And I’ll say it again
I..am..not..afraid..to..die.

I began to warm and chill
To objects and their fields,
A ragged cup, a twisted mop
The face of jesus in my soup
Those sinister dinner deals
The meal trolley’s wicked wheels
A hooked bone rising from my food
All things either good or ungood.

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And anyway I’m yearning
To be done with all this measuring of truth.
An eye for an eye
A tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I’m not afraid to die.

Interpret signs and catalogue
A blackened tooth, a scarlet fog.
The walls are bad black bottom kind.
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath at my hind
They are the sick breath gathering at my hind

I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And might I say it seems so fitting in it’s way
He was a carpenter by trade
Or at least that’s what I’m told

Like my good hand tattooed EVIL
Across it’s brother’s fist
That filthy five! they did nothing to challenge or resist.

In heaven his throne is made of gold
The ark of his testament is stowed
A throne from which I’m told
All history does unfold.
Down here it’s made of wood and wire
And my body is on fire
And God is never far away.

Into the mercy seat I climb
My head is shaved, my head is wired
And like a moth that tries
To enter the bright eye
I go shuffling out of life
Just to hide in death awhile
And anyway I never lied.

My kill-hand is called E.V.I.L.
Wears a wedding band that’s good.
`tis a long-suffering shackle
Collaring all that rebel blood.

And the mercy seat is burning
And I think my head is glowing
And in a way I’m hoping
To be done with all this weighing of the truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I’m not afraid to die.

And the mercy seat is glowing
And I think my head is melting
And in a way I’m hoping
To be done with all this twisting of truth.
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I saw no proof
And not a motive why.

And the mercy seat is melting
And I think my blood is boiling
And in a way I’m spoiling
All the fun with all this consequence and truth
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And I've got nothing left to lose
And I'm not afraid to die

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I’m yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
A eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway there was no proof
Nor a motive why

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I’m yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof
A lie for a lie
And a truth for a truth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die


And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I’m yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof.
A lie for a lie
And a truth for a truth
And anyway there was no proof
And I'm not afraid to die

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is smoking
And anyway I'm hoping
To be done with all these looks of disbelief
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
And I'm not afraid to die

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And anyway I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm not afraid to lie

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And anyway I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of proof
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm afraid I told a lie

[k_jerome]

89. jack straw. nt.