Best Story Told Through a Song. - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

LoganSnake · 06-07-2005, 12:25 PM

What song, in your opinion, tells the best story.

My choice is Dance With the Devil by Immortal Techniques. I am not a big fan of rap, but when I heard this song, it just struck me. Real or not, it is powerful. Keep in mind that it is told to the tune of Love Story. Listen to it if you have the chance.

Lyrics (Warning: contains explicit lyrics, racial slurs, etc.):

Quote:

Immortal Technique - Dance With the Devil

[Verse 1]
I once knew a nigga whose real name was William
his primary concern, was making a million
being the illest hustler, that the world ever seen
he used to fuckk moviestars and sniff coke in his dreams
a corrupted young mind, at the age of thirteen
nigga never had a father and his mom was a feen
she put the pipe down, but forever yeah she was sober
her sons heart simultaneously grew colder
he started hanging out selling bags in the projects
checking the young chicks, looking for hit and run prospects
he was fascinated by material objects
but he understood money never bought respect
he build a reputation cuz he could hustle and steal
but got locked once it didn't hessitate to squeal
so criminals he chilled with didn't think he was real
you see me and niggaz like this have never been equal
I dont project my insurecurity's at other people
he feeded for props like addicts with pipes and needles
so he felt he had to proof to everyone he was evil
a fever minded young man with infinite potetial
the product of a ghetto ... capatalistic mental
coincidentally dropped out of school to sell weed
dancing with the devil, smoked until his eyes would bleed
but he was sick of selling trees and gave in to his greed

[Hook]
Everyone trying to be trife never face the consequences
you propably only did a month for minor offences
ask a nigga doing life if he had another chance
but then again there's always the wicked at new and advanced
dance forever with the devil on a code cell block
but thats what happens when you rape, murder and sell rock
devils used to be gods, angels that fell from the top
there's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot

[Verse 2]
So Billy started robbing niggaz, anything he could do
he'd get his respect back, in the eyes of his crew
starting fights over little shit, up on the block
stepped up to selling mothers and brothers the crack rock
working overtime for making money for the crack spot
hit the jackpot and wanted to move up to cocaine
for filling the scarface fantasy stuck in his brain
tired of the block niggaz treating him the same
he wanted to be major like the cut throats and the thugs
but when he tried to step to 'em, niggaz showed him no love
they told him any motherfucking coward can sell drugs
any bitch nigga with a gun, can bust slugs
any nigga with a red shirt can front like a blood
even Puffy smoked the motherfckker up in a club
but only a real thug can stab someone till they die
standing in front of them, starring straight into their eyes
Billy realized that these men were well guarded
and they wanted to test him, before business started
suggested raping a bitch to proof he was cold hearted
so now he had a choice between going back to his life
or making money with made men, up in the cife
his dreams about cars and ice, made him agree
a hardcore nigga is all he ever wanted to be
and so he met them friday night at a quarter to three

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
They drove around the projects slow while it was raining
smoking blunts, drinking and joking for entertainment
untill they saw a woman on the street walking alone
three in the morning, coming back from work, on her way home
and so they quietly got out the car and followed her

walking through the projects, the darkness swallowed her
they wrapped her shirt around her head and knocked her onto the
floor
this is it kid now you got your chance to be raw
so Billy oaked her up and grapped the chick by the hair
and dragged her into a lobby that had nobody there
she struggled hard but they forced her to go up the stairs
they got to the roof and then held her down on the ground
screaming shut the fuck up and stop moving around
the shirt covered her face, but she screamed the clouts
so Billy stomped on the bitch, until he broken her jaw
the dirty bastards knew exactly what they were doing
they kicked her until they cracked her ribs and she stopped
moving
blood leaking through the corpse, she cried silently
and then they all proceeded to rape her violently
Billy was meant to go first, but they each took a turn
ripping her up, and choking her until her throat burned
a broken jaw mumbled for god but they weren't concerned
when they were done and she was lying bloody, broken and broos
one of them niggaz pulled out a brand new twenty-two
they told him that she was a witness of what she'd gone through
and if he killed her he was guaranteed a spot in the crew
he thought about it for a minute, she was practicly dead
and so he leaned over and put the gun right to her head

(Sample from 'Survival of the Fittest' by Mobb Deep)
I'm falling and I can't turn back
I'm falling and I can't turn back

[Verse 4]
Right before he pulled the trigger, and ended her life
he thought about the cold pain with the platinum and ice
and he felt strong standing along with his new brothers
cocked the gat to her head, and pulled back the shirt cover
but what he saw made him start the cringine studder
cuz he was starring into the eyes of his own mother
she looked back at him and cried, cuz he had forsaken her
she cried more painfully, than when they were raping her
his whole world stopped, he couldn't even contiplate
his corruption had succesfully changed his fate
and he remembered how his mom used to come home late
working hard for nothing, cuz now what was he worth
he turned away from the woman that had once given him birth
and crying out to the sky cuz he was lonely and scared
but only the devil responded, cuz god wasn't there
and right then he knew what it was to be empty and cold
and so he jumped off the roof and died with no soul
they say death take you to a better place but I doubt it
after that they killed his mother, and never spoke about it
and listen cuz the story that I'm telling is true
cuz I was there with Billy Jacobs and I raped his mom to
and now the devil follows me everywhere that I go
infact I'm sure he's standing among one of you at my shows
and every street cypher listening to little thugs flowe
he could be standing right next to you, and you wouldn't know
the devil grows inside the hearts of the selvish and wicked
white, brown, yellow and black colored is not restricted
you have a self destructive destiny when your inflicted
and you'll be one of gods children and fell from the top
there's no diversity because we're burning in the melting pot
so when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never
because the dance with the devil might last you forever

Coppertop · 06-07-2005, 12:32 PM

No one writes lines better than Jimmy Pop in my eyes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodhound Gang

I was lonelier than Kunta Kinte at a Merle Haggard concert that night I strolled on into Uncle Limpy's Hump Palace lookin' for love. It had been a while. In fact, three hundred and sixty-five had come and went since that midnight run haulin' hog to Shakey Town on I-10. I had picked up this hitchhiker that was sweatin' gallons through a pair of Daisy Duke cut-offs and one of those Fruit Of The Loom tank-tops. Well, that night I lost myself to ruby red lips, milky white skin, and baby blue eyes. Name was Russell.

Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Well I find it's quite a thrill When she grinds me against her will
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'

Well, faster than you can say, "shallow grave," this pretty little thing come up to me and starts kneadin' my balls like hard-boiled eggs in a tube sock. Said her name was Bambi and I said, "Well that's a coincidence darlin', 'cause I was just thinkin' about skinnin' you like a deer." Well, she smiled, had about as much teeth as a jack-o-lantern, and I went on to tell her how I would wear her face like a mask as I do my little kooky dance. And then she told me to shush. I guess she could sense my desperation. Course, it's hard to hide a hard-on when you're dressed like Minnie Pearl.

Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Well I find it's quite a thrill
When she grinds me against her will
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'

So, Bambi's goin' on about how she can make all my fantasies come true. So I says, "Even this one I have where Jesus Christ is jackhammerin' Mickey Mouse in the doo-doo hole with a lawn dart as Garth Brooks gives birth to something resemblin' a cheddar cheese log with almonds on Santa Claus' tummy-tum?" Well, ten beers, twenty minutes, and thirty dollars later I'm parkin' the beef bus in tuna town if you know what I mean. Got to nail her back at her trailer. That rhymes. I have to admit, it was even more of a turn-on when I found out she was doin' me to buy baby formula.

Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Well I find it's quite a thrill
When she grinds me against her will
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'

Day or so had passed when I popped the clutch, gave the tranny a spin, and slid on into The Stinky Pinky Gulp N' Guzzle Big Rig Snooze-A-Stop. There I was browsin' through the latest issue of Throb, when I saw Bambi starin' at me from the back of a milk carton. Well, my heart just dropped. So, I decided to do what any good Christian would. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to hold a half gallon of moo juice and polish the one-eyed gopher when you're doin' seventy-five in an eighteen-wheeler. I never thought missing children could be so sexy. Did I say that out loud?

Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'
Well I find it's quite a thrill
When she grinds me against her will
Yes a lap dance is so much better when the stripper is cryin'

Tralls · 06-07-2005, 12:42 PM

Has to be Hurricane by Bob Dylan.

"Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall.
She sees the bartender in a pool of blood,
Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!"
Here comes the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.

Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see
And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously.
"I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands
"I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand.
I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops
"One of us had better call up the cops."
And so Patty calls the cops
And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin'
In the hot New Jersey night.

Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around.
Number one contender for the middleweight crown
Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down
When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road
Just like the time before and the time before that.
In Paterson that's just the way things go.
If you're black you might as well not show up on the street
'Less you wanna draw the heat.

Alfred Bello had a partner an"d he had a rap for the cops.
Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around
He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights
They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates."
And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head.
Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead"
So they took him to the infirmary
And though this man could hardly see
They told him that he could identify the guilty men.

Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in,
Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs.
The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye
Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!"
Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane,
The man the authorities came to blame
For somethin' that he never done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world.

Four months later, the ghettos are in flame,
Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name
While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game
And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame.
"Remember that murder that happened in a bar?"
"Remember you said you saw the getaway car?"
"You think you'd like to play ball with the law?"
"Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?"
"Don't forget that you are white."

Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure."
Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break
We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello
Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow.
You'll be doin' society a favor.
That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver.
We want to put his ass in stir
We want to pin this triple murder on him
He ain't no Gentleman Jim."

Rubin could take a man out with just one punch
But he never did like to talk about it all that much.
It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay
And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way
Up to some paradise
Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice
And ride a horse along a trail.
But then they took him to the jailhouse
Where they try to turn a man into a mouse.

All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance
The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance.
The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums
To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum
And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger.
No one doubted that he pulled the trigger.
And though they could not produce the gun,
The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed
And the all-white jury agreed.

Rubin Carter was falsely tried.
The crime was murder "one," guess who testified?
Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied
And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride.
How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.

Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties
Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise
While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell
An innocent man in a living hell.
That's the story of the Hurricane,
But it won't be over till they clear his name
And give him back the time he's done.
Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been
The champion of the world."

silent_jay · 06-07-2005, 12:52 PM

I'll throw in a vote for Jeff Buckley 'Forget Her'

Quote:

While this time's busy sleeping,
All the noise has died away.
I walk the streets to stop my weeping,
She'll never change her ways.

Don't fool yourself, she was heartache from the moment that you met her.
And my heart is frozen still as I try to find the will to forget her, somehow.
She's somewhere out there now.

Her love is a rose, pale and dying.
Dropping her petals in land unknown
All full of wine, the world before her, was sober with no place to go.

Don't fool yourself, she was heartache from the moment that you met her.
My heart is frozen still as I try to find the will to forget her, somehow.
She's somewhere out there now.

(Guitar Solo)

Well my tears fall down as I try to forget,
Her love was a joke from the day that we met.
All of the words, all of her men,
all of my pain when I think back to when.

Remember her hair as it shone in the sun,
the smell of the bed when I knew what she'd done.
Tell myself over and over you won't ever need her again.

But don't fool yourself,
she was heartache from the moment that you met her.
My heart is frozen still as I try to find the will to forget her, somehow.
She's out there somewhere now.

Oh She was heartache from the day that I first met her.
My heart is frozen still as I try to find the will to forget you, somehow.
Cause I know you're somewhere out there right now.

Charlatan · 06-07-2005, 12:54 PM

Jesus was Way Cool - By King Missle

Quote:

Jesus was way cool
Everybody liked Jesus
Everybody wanted to hang out with him
Anything he wanted to do, he did
He turned water into wine
And if he wanted to
He could have turned wheat into marijuana
Or sugar into cocaine
Or vitamin pills into amphetamines

He walked on the water
And swam on the land
He would tell these stories
And people would listen
He was really cool

If you were blind or lame
You just went to Jesus
And he would put his hands on you
And you would be healed
That's so cool

He could've played guitar better than Hendrix
He could've told the future
He could've baked the most delicious cake in the world
He could've scored more goals than Wayne Gretzky
He could've danced better than Barishnikov
Jesus could have been funnier than any comedian you can think of
Jesus was way cool

He told people to eat his body and drink his blood
That's so cool
Jesus was so cool
But then some people got jealous of how cool he was
So they killed him
But then he rose from the dead
He rose from the dead, danced around
Then went up to heaven
I mean, that's so cool
Jesus was way cool

No wonder there are so many Christians

Mephisto2 · 06-07-2005, 01:43 PM

No contest in my opinion...

Quote:

Cats in the Cradle by Harry Chapin

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Mr Mephisto

Cartuni · 06-07-2005, 02:05 PM

Love Harry Chapin - my choice is Taxi:

It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before
But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken
And she didn't say anything more

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror
And she glanced at the license for my name
A smile seemed to come to her slowly
It was a sad smile, just the same

And she said, How are you Harry
I said, How are you Sue
Through the too many miles
And the too little smiles
I still remember you

It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
We learned about love in the back of a Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky

Oh, I've got something inside me
To drive a princess blind
There's a wild man, wizard
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind
Oh, I've got something inside me
Not what my life's about
'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'til my time, runs out

(Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall)
(I'll tell you why baby's crying)
('Cause she's dying, aren't we all)

There was not much more for us to talk about
Whatever we had once was gone
So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns

And she said, we must get together
But I knew it'd never be arranged
And she handed me twenty dollars
For a two fifty fare
She said, Harry, keep the change

Well, another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would've let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt

And she walked away in silence
It's strange, how you never know
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for
Such a long, long time ago

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off for the sky

And here, she's acting happy
Inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned

--Harry Chapin "Taxi"

1slOwCD8 · 06-07-2005, 03:10 PM

For me, its probably "Date Rape" by Sublime.

Quote:

Let me tell you about a girl I know,
had a drink about a hour ago.
Sitting in a corner by herself, in a bar in downtown Hell.

She heard a noise and she looked through the door.
And saw a man she'd never seen before.
Light skin, light blue eyes, a double-chin and a plastic smile.
Well, her heart raced as he walked in the door
And took an empty seat next to her at the bar.
"My brand new car is parked right outside. How'd ya like to go for a ride?"
And she said."Wait a minute I have to think."
He said, "That's fine. May I please buy you a drink"
One drink turned into 3 or 4 and they left and got into his car
and they drove away someplace real far.

Now babe the time has come.
How'd ya like to have a little fun?
And she said."If we could only please be on our way, I will not run."

That's when things got out of control.
She didn't want to, he had his way.
She said, "Let's Go"
He said, "No Way!"
Come on babe it's your lucky day.
Shut your mouth, were gonna do it my way.
Come on baby don't be afraid,
if it wasn't for date rape I'd never get laid.

He finished up and he started the car
He turned around and drove back to the bar.
He said."Now baby don't be sad, in my opinion you weren't half-bad."
She picked up a rock.,threw it at the car, hit him in the head, now he's got a big scar.
Come on party people won't you listen to me.
Date Rape Stylee.

The next day she went to her drawer, look up her local attorney at law,
went to the phone and filed the police report and then she took the guy's ass to court.
Well, the day he stood in front of the judge he screamed, "She lies that little slut!"
The judge knew that he was full of shit and he gave him 25 years
And now his heart is filled with cheers.

One night in jail it was getting late.
He was butt-raped by a large inmate, and he screamed.
But the guards paid no attention to his cries.

That's when things got out of control.
The moral of the date rape story, it does not pay to be drunk and horny.
But that's the way it had to be.
They locked him up and threw away the key.
Well, I can't take pity on men of his kind,
even though he now takes it in the behind.

But that's the way it had to be.
They locked him up and threw away the key.
Well, I can't take pity on men of his kind,
even though he now takes it in the behind.
DATE RAPE!

She didn't want to [x4]
TAKE IT!

Charlatan · 06-07-2005, 06:32 PM

Stan Ridgeway - Drive, She Said...

(I've always felt his songs were screenplays just waiting to happen... very visual)

Quote:

Sittin’ right behind me
I could smell her perfume
It was somethin’ I’d smelled before
Went through a red light
While I spilled my drink
I could feel somethin’ sticky on the floor

I said miss, you’ve gotta tell me
Where you wanna go to
I can’t keep drivin’ round the same block
So I crumpled my cup
And pulled the gum off my shoe
And then she told me just shut up
And keep your eyes on the road

Chorus:
And just drive, she said
Just drive, she said
Just drive, she said

Well, I watched her put her hands
On the bag in her lap
While I scratched the bald spot on my head
I knew then that my cab was just
A getaway car
But I shut up and drove, like she said

I took a bite of my doughnut
And I offered her one
And I said lady, are you in a fix?
Then she reached in her purse
And she pulled out a gun, and said
Now just shut up, and keep your hands on the wheel

Chorus repeat (okay, okay!)

Spoken
Then the moon disappeared, and it started to rain,
So I put the wipers on full.
And on the bag in her lap I saw the name of a big bank downtown.
And I said, you don’t have to worry about me, nope!
When I turned the headlights on¨c¨cjust for a minute¨c¨c
I thought I saw the both of us on some kinda tropical island someplace.
Walkin’ down a white sandy beach.
Eatin’ somethin’...

Chorus repeat

We pulled outta traffic
Down a dark side street
She was fixin’ her hair in the mirror
I made a left turn
At a yellow light
Drove my cab fast towards the pier

She boarded the boat
And turned and blew me a kiss
And later on, when the squad car came ’round
I ate a handful of peanuts
And I told ’em this
I don’t rememeber much, except ’just keep your hands on the wheel’

Chorus repeat until fade

Spoken:
Hey, hey, uh¨c¨c
Hey, y’all, get outta my way!¨c¨call ya sunday drivers!
Hey, you want one of these, ah, slim jims? they’re good!
What? ¨c¨cwhat? you don’t¨c¨cyou don’t want one?
Well they’re 100% meat!

Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?
I know, I know, anchorage, that’s where I seen ya, anchorage.
Well, where you goin’?
I’m sorry, I don’t go in that part of town anymore.
I don’t need my windows washed.

Rlyss · 06-08-2005, 01:38 PM

My favorites got to be Nick Cave's 'The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane'. It sounds great in your head if you read it as a poem, but when put to his music and the frenzied crecendo at the end just blows me away (pun intended)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

There was a thick set man with frog eyes
who was standing by the door
and a little bald man with wing-nut ears
was waiting in the car
Well Robert Moore passed the frog-eyed man
as he walked into the bar,
and Betty Coltrane she jumped under her table.

"What's your pleasure?" asked the barman
he had a face like boiled meat
"There's a girl called Betty Coltrane
that I have come to see"
"But I ain't seen that girl 'round here
for more than a week"
and Betty Coltrane she hid beneath the table.
Well, then in came a sailior with
mermaids tattooed on his arms,
Followed by the man with the wing-nut ears
who was waitin' in the car
Well, Robert Moore sensed trouble,
he'd seen it comin' from afar
and Betty Coltrain she gasped beneath the table.

Well, the sailor said "I'm looking for my wife,
they call her Betty Coltrain!"
The frog-eyed man said "That can't be;
that's my wife's maiden name."
And the man with the wing-nut ears said,
"Hey, I married her back in Spain!"
and Betty Coltrain crossed herself beneath the table.

Well, Robert Moore stepped up and said
"That woman is my wife."
and he drew a silver pistol
and a wicked bowie knife;
And he shot the man with the wing-nut ears
straight between the eyes
and Betty Coltrain, she moaned under the table.

The frog-eyed man jumped at Robert Moore,
who stabbed him in the chest
and as Mister Frog-eyes died he said
"Betty, your the girl that I loved best!"
The sailor pulled a razor,
Robert blasted it to bits
"And Betty, I know you're under the table."

"Well have no fear," said Robert Moore,
"I do not want to hurt you!"
"Never a woman did'na love me
half as much as you.
You are the blessed' sun, girl
and you are the sacred moon."
and Betty shot his legs out from under the table!

Well, Robert Moore went down heavy
with a crash upon the floor
and over to his trashin' body
Betty Coltrain she did crawl.
She put the gun to the back of head
and pulled the trigger once more
and blew his brains out all over the table!

Well Betty stood up and shook her head
and waved the smoke away.
Said, "I'm sorry Mr Barman
to leave your place this way."
As she emptied out their wallets she said,
"I'll collect my severence pay."
and then she winked and threw a dollar on the table.

Charlatan - Is the person writing that a taxi driver? I can't tell if he's in on it (eating the peanuts and not telling much to the cops) or didn't know what was going on (can't drive around the same block).

Daoust · 06-08-2005, 04:04 PM

I don't have the lyrics, but does anyone here know of a little ditty by Arlo Guthrie called "The Significance of the Pickle"? Now THAT is a gem!

Bacchanal · 06-08-2005, 04:30 PM

Seems a little out of place here, but the only "metal" song I've ever heard tell a western tale:

Cephalic Carnage - Piecemaker

Quote:

There's a fire in the valley. That's killing many for the few. And a funeral for the living. The dead have gathered around to view. When heaven burns to ashes. Their dreams will come crashing too. While some are more forgiving. I'll spend my life hunting you. Murdering bastards. You fucking killed her. When you burned. Could you feel her eyes staring back at you? Kill him, kill him, just fucking do it. When he is dead. This will be all over. And we can get on with things. Take this, use it. They deserve it. But in their deaths. Realize she will never. Be coming back to you. Only death behind. Focus all my energy. Prepare myself to slaughter swine. Decimate the wicked. Eliminate their worthless lives. String 'em up. Drip them motherfuckers dry. Murdering bastards. You fucking killed her. When you burned. Could you feel her eyes staring back at you? I killed him, I killed him. Just fucking did it. But in a way. I feel empty inside. And can't get on with things. I took it, and used it. They deserved it. As I sit here wracked with disbelief. That she will never be coming back to me. I'll strike you down. Six feet in the ground. A piece of steel. Lead in the crown. This ends here and now. Somehow I knew you'd be here. You took so long. Regarding your fears of treason. You've got it all wrong. I feel your rage, it's rising. Our blood is not theirs. It's all over the cleansing. I'll see you in Hell. Forgive me for I have acted. Against my own blood. I never meant for all of it. To happen this way. A man makes his choice, God willing. To live with his shame. I have so much love for you. I knew I'd die today.

From what I've read about the song, it's about a father giving a son some land, and then losing said land in a card game, but not wanting to ask for it back, he burns it. He doesn't know that the son's wife is in the house. The son decided to kill everyone involved, including his father. The part in bold is the father talking to his son after the son has killed everyone else involved.

maleficent · 06-08-2005, 04:34 PM

It's gonna be tough to top Cat's in the Cradle... but..

Meatloaf - paradise by the dashboard light

Quote:

Well I remember every little thing as if it happened only yesterday
Parkin' by the lake and there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl, lookin' any better than you did
And all the kids at school, they were wishin' they were me that night

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight, it never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowin' like the metal on the edge of a knife, glowin' like the metal on the edge of a knife
Come on - hold on tight - well come on, hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark ni-ight, I can see paradi-ise by the da-ashboar-oard light

Ain't no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed
Ain't no doubt about it, baby got to go and shout it
Ain't no doubt about it, we were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed

Baby don't ya hear my heart, you got it drownin' out the radio
I've been a-waitin' so long for you to come along and have some fu-un
Well I gotta let ya know, no you're never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes, I got a big surprise, it'll feel all right
Well I wanna make your motor run

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight, it never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowin' like the metal on the edge of a knife, glowin' like the metal on the edge of a knife
Come on - hold tight - oh come on - well hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark ni-ight, I can see paradise by the dashboard li-ight
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dar-ark night... (in the deep dar-ark night)
Paradise by-y the dashboard light

maleficent · 06-08-2005, 04:44 PM

And another of my favorites:
American Pie - Don McLean

Quote:

long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."

Some interesting interpretations of the song
http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Pie.php
http://www.don-mclean.com/americanpie.asp
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_398b.html

I just like the song and it does tell a story...

(I'd also probably add any Bruce Springsteen song into the mix, Springsteen, especially in his early days, was definitely a storyteller)

Telluride · 06-08-2005, 04:47 PM

"Hotel California" - The Eagles.

rhaevyn · 06-08-2005, 06:00 PM

I wouldn't call this the BEST, but I love "The Highwayman" by Loreena McKennitt

Quote:

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon the cloudy seas
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
And the highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding,
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door

He'd a french cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin
A coat of claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin
They fitted with never a wrinkle; his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and
barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's blackeyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by the moonlight,
Watch for me by the moonlight,
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way"

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand
But she loosened her hair I' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; and he
kissed its
Waves in the moonlight, (oh, sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
The he tugged at his rein in the moonlight,
And galloped away to the west

He did not come at the dawning; he did not come at noon,
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching,
Marching, marching
King George's men came marching, up to the old inn-door

The said no word to the landlord, the drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow
bed;
Two of them knelt at the casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every windows,
And hell at one dark window;
For bess could see, through the casement, the road that he would ride

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now keep good watch!" And they kissed her
She heard the dead man say
Look for me by the moonlight
Watch for me by the moonlight
I'll come to thee by the moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

She twisted her hands behind her, but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat of blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness and the hours crawled by
like years!
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it!
The trigger at least was hers!

Tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs were ringing clear
Tlot-tlot, in the distance!
Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming!She stood up straight and still!

Tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment!
She drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moolight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him with her death!

He turned; he spurred to the west; he did not know she stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her
Own red blood! Not till the dawn he heard it; his face grew grey to hear
How bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness
there

Back,he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier
Brandished high! - blood-red were the spurs I' the golden noon;
Wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his
throat.

Still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon, tossed upon the cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor
A highwayman comes riding,
Riding, riding,
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

SSG505 · 06-08-2005, 07:34 PM

The Hurricane by Bob Dylan gets my vote.

CandleInTheDark · 06-08-2005, 09:16 PM

Copperhead Road by Steve Earl

Quote:

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It's before my time but I've been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road

Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first,'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol' Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road

Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road

keyshawn · 06-09-2005, 04:53 AM

On a more light hearted note; Tenacious D - Tribute

BTW, Logansnake, 'dance with the devil' was the first Immortal Technique song I listened for the first time a couple days ago [before reading this thread]. Touches me just as much, since I share the same first name as the story's character.

Code:

This is the greatest and best song in the world... Tribute.

Long time ago me and my brother Kyle here, we was hitchhikin' down a long and lonesome road. All of a sudden, there shined a shiny demon... in the middle... of the road.
And he said:
[sung]
"Play the best song in the world, or I'll eat your soul." [soul]
[spoken]
Well me and Kyle, we looked at each other,
and we each said... "Okay."
[sung]
And we played the first thing that came to our heads,
Just so happened to be,
The Best Song in the World, it was The Best Song in the World.

Look into my eyes and it's easy to see
One and one make two, two and one make three,
It was destiny.
Once every hundred-thousand years or so,
When the sun doth shine and the moon doth glow
And the grass doth grow...

Needless to say, the beast was stunned.
Whip-crack went his schwumpy tail,
And the beast was done.
He asked us: "(snort) Be you angels?"
And we said, "Nay. We are but men."
Rock!
Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh-ah-ah,
Ohhh, whoah, ah-whoah-oh!

This is not The Greatest Song in the World, no.
This is just a tribute.
Couldn't remember The Greatest Song in the World, no, no.
This is a tribute, oh, to The Greatest Song in the World,
All right! It was The Greatest Song in the World,
All right! It was the best muthafuckin' song the greatest song in the world.
[2-part skat]
[spoken]
And the peculiar thing is this my friends: the song we sang on that fateful night it didn't actually sound anything like this song.
[sung]
This is just a tribute! You gotta believe me!
And I wish you were there! Just a matter of opinion.
Ah, fuck! Good God, God lovin',
So surprised to find you can't stop it.
[skat]
All right! All right!

streak_56 · 06-09-2005, 05:37 AM

Heres another one for Harry Chapman- Cats in the Cradle.

one of my all time favourite songs.

warrrreagl · 06-09-2005, 05:47 AM

The Ballad Of John And Yoko
(John Lennon)
BEATLES, dammit!

Quote:

Standing in the dock at Southampton
Trying to get to Holland or France
The man in the mac said, "You've got to go back"
You know they didn't even give us a chance

Christ you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me

Finally made the plane into Paris
Honeymooning down by the Seine
Peter Brown called to say
"You can make it OK
You can get married in Gibraltar, near Spain"

Christ you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me

Drove from Paris to the Amsterdam Hilton
Talking in our beds for a week
The newspapers said, "Say what you doing in bed?"
I said, "We're only trying to get us some peace"

Christ you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me

Saving up your money for a rainy day
Giving all your clothes to charity
Last night the wife said
"Oh boy, when you're dead
You don't take nothing with you
But your soul, think!"

Made a lightning trip to Vienna
Eating chocolate cake in a bag
The newspapers said, "She's gone to his head
They look just like two gurus in drag"

Christ you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me

Caught an early plane back to London
Fifty acorns tied in a sack
The men from the press said, "We wish you success
It's good to have the both of you back"

Christ you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me

Charlatan · 06-09-2005, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rlyss

Charlatan - Is the person writing that a taxi driver? I can't tell if he's in on it (eating the peanuts and not telling much to the cops) or didn't know what was going on (can't drive around the same block).

He was a taxi driver... good choice with Nick Cave as well...

gboz · 06-09-2005, 06:31 AM

David Bowie's Space Oddity is mentionable.
"This is ground control to Major Tom".

God of Thunder · 06-09-2005, 07:06 AM

Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Give me chills everytime I hear it.

Quote:

The legend lives on from the chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called ’gitche gumee’
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of november turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the edmund fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of november came early.

The ship was the pride of the american side
Coming back from some mill in wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for cleveland
And later that night when the ship’s bell rang
Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T’was the witch of november come stealin’.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of november came slashin’.
When afternoon came it was freezin’ rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin’.
Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.
At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, it’s been good t’know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say they’d have made whitefish bay
If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
May have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake huron rolls, superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old michigan steams like a young man’s dreams;
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below lake ontario
Takes in what lake erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of november remembered.

In a musty old hall in detroit they prayed,
In the maritime sailors’ cathedral.
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the edmund fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call ’gitche gumee’.
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of november come early!

pan6467 · 06-09-2005, 07:24 AM

Ahhhh..... The KINKS (not only my favorite song..... but my theme song) Ray Davies is a lyrical genius. GOD SAVE THE KINKS

I'm Not Like Everybody Else
Written by: R. Davies
Published by: Davray Music/Carlin Music Corp.

Lyrics:
I won't take all that they hand me down,
And make out a smile, though I wear a frown,
And I won't take it all lying down,
'Cause once I get started I go to town.

'Cause I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

And I don't want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don't want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else,
'Cause I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

But darling, you know that I love you true,
Do anything that you want me to,
Confess all my sins like you want me to,
There's one thing that I will say to you,
I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else
And I don't want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don't want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else,
'Cause I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else,
Like everybody else.

If you all want me to settle down,
Slow up and stop all my running 'round,
Do everything like you want me to,
There's one thing that I will say to you,
I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.
And I don't want to ball about like everybody else,
And I don't want to live my life like everybody else,
And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else,
'Cause I'm not like everybody else,
I'm not like everybody else.

Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else (like everybody else),
Like everybody else.

silent_jay · 06-09-2005, 11:48 AM

Just remembered this song. 'Pool Shark' by Sublime, it's said Brad was predicting his own death from heroin. Seems he knew he would never beat the drug and it would ultimately win the battle he was waging against it.

Quote:

Lying in my plasic bed,
thinkin' how things were so cool to me
My baby likes to shoot pool
I like lying naked in my bedroom

Tying on the dinosaur
tonight it used to be so cool

Now I've got the needle
and I can't bleed, but I can't breathe.
Take it away and I want more and more
One day I'm gonna lose the war

Lying in my plasic bed
thinkin' how things were so cool to me
My baby likes to shoot pool
I like lying naked in my bedroom

Tying on the dinosaur
tonight it used to be so cool

Now I've got the needle
and I can't shake
but I can't breathe

Take it away and but I want more and more
One day I'm gonna lose the war

rhaevyn · 06-09-2005, 01:11 PM

Also, I forget who wrote it, but "Riding with Private Malone"

Quote:

I was just out of the service thumbing through the classifieds
when an ad that said old chevy some how caught my eye
the lady didn't know the year or even if it ran
but I had that thousand dollars in my hand

It was way back in the corner of this old ramshackle barn
thirty years of dust and dirt on that green army tarp
when I pulled the cover off it took away my breath
what she'd called a Chevy was a sixty six corvette
I felt a little guilty as I counted out the bills
but what a thrill I got when I sat behind the wheel
I opened up the glove box and that's when I found the note
the date was nineteen sixty six and this is what he wrote

He said my name is Pvt. Andrew Malone
if you're reading this then I didn't make it home
but for every dream that's shattered another one comes true
this car was once a dream of mine now it belongs to you
and though you may take her and make her your own
you'll always be riding with Pvt. Malone

Well it didn't take me long at all I had her running good
I love to hear those horses thunder underneath her hood
I had her shining like a diamond and I'd put the rag top down
all the pretty girls would stop and stare as I drove her through town
the buttons on the radio didn't seem to work quite right
but it picked up that oldie show especially late at night
I'd get the feeling sometimes if I turned real quick I'd see
a soldier riding shotgun in the seat right next to me

(chorus) It was a young man named Pvt. Andrew Malone
who fought for his country and never made it home
but for every dream that's shattered another one comes true
this car was once a dream of his back when it was new
he told me to take her and make her my own
and I was proud to be riding with Pvt. Malone

One night it was raining hard I took the curve too fast
I still don't remember much about that fiery crash
someone said they thought they saw a soldier pull me out
they didn't get his name but I know without a doubt

(chorus) It was a young man named Pvt. Andrew Malone
who fought for his country and never made it home
but for every dream that's shattered another one comes true
this car was once a dream of his back when it was new
I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't tagged along
that night I was riding with Pvt. Malone
oh thank god I was riding with Pvt. Malone

Redlemon · 06-09-2005, 01:34 PM

Do songs from musicals count, as long as they can stand alone?

If so, my submission would be "Diary of a Homecoming Queen" from the musical Is There Life After High School?. However, I can't find the lyrics anywhere online. Although it has no reflection on my life, I can't help but cry when I hear it. It is sung by a woman whose life has gone steadily downhill through her own bad decisions, and all she can do is look back on her glory days... the refrain is something like "The marching band was playing / the kids all threw confetti / and I feel that I still have some in my hair".

ShaniFaye · 06-09-2005, 01:46 PM

Im gonna get laughed at...but I love Ode to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry

Quote:

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day.
I was out chopping cotton and my brother was baling hay.
And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat.
And Mama hollered out the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet,"
And then she said "I got some news this morning from Choctaw Ridge,"
"Today, Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the black-eyed peas:
"Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense; pass the biscuits, please."
"There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow."
And Mama said it was a shame about Billy Joe, anyhow.
Seems like nothing ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge.
And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

And brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie Joe,
Had put a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show.
And wasn't I talking to him after church last Sunday night?
"I'll have another piece of apple pie; you know it don't seem right.
"I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge,
"And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

And Mama said to me: "Child, what's happened to your appetite?
"I've been cooking all morning and you haven't touched a single bite.
"That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today.
"Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way.
"He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge.
"And she and Billy Joe was throwing something off the Tallahatchie Bridge."

A year has come and gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe,
And brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo.
There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring.
And now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything.
And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw Ridge.
And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

KWSN · 06-11-2005, 10:47 AM

bizarre, but great storytelling nonetheless

Fiery Furnaces - Chief Inspector Blancheflower

Quote:

I wanted to be a typewriter mender when I grew up,
But things didn’t work out so. Sleep
Late in the morning, climb up Mt. Olympia and replace a Return:
But I didn’t get enough good grades.
My uncle Peter had the Parthenon Business Machine Remediation outfit,
And right there, on the shop floor,
Hundreds of electric-selectrics, all messed up:
But I didn’t get enough good grades.
I had a dexadrine hyperactivity selective
Attend to relevant
Information tempo taken in told to
Mechanism coping concept
Put my head down crumple my paper.
Sent to look at the future-job folder-binders,
I got distracted by the graphs.
In the resource room Mrs. Petorsky re-enforced me:
Raisins from her zip-lock bag,
And free time after my target behavior I was positive about:
Tickets, tangibles, chips and stars.
Now playing I’m In My Own Little House:
Tickets, tangibles, chips and stars.
I had a dexadrine hyperactivity selective
Attend to relevant
Information tempo taken in told to
Mechanism coping concept
Put my head down crumple my paper.
After school I was sitting in the sitting room
Looking out at the pavers in their bright orange vests
Holding up the slow-go diamond plastic piece of wood,
And I knew that I’d never be any good
And never wear a hard-hat and do things like that,
So I joined the police force:
Damp in Dumbarton dip about the 14th of May.
The publican dropped me a line thought there had been foul play:
The farmer up the hill came in with his knife
He mumbled something darkly about his young wife.
Riding up on the postcoach I thrummed on my notebook.
The wind was up, I held on my hat. I do up my coat, look:
The farmer stumbled past holding his gun
He mumbled something darkly about his young son.
About your wife, sir.
What about her?
Pray, where is she?
Nowhere you’ll see.
Locked him up in the store room of Mrs. McVeigh’s Inn.
Take tea up in the manor Sir Robert Grayson.
The farmer through the window came in with his sword;
He mumbled out of breath Forgive me m’lord.
And after that rustic imposition I took a deposition
I shared a Woodpecker cider with a local fratricider
Who told me all this stuff and more:
Well I rode up to Springfield on my motorcycle
And I’s gonna stay with my younger brother Michael.
Mom’s oxycontoins and the Amstel Light
But I noticed I was doing most of the talking that night.
So I got both remotes and turned off the DVD
And said Michael is there something that you need to say to me?
Well I don’t know how to tell you.
You can tell me any
Thing that you want ‘cept I started seeing Jenny:
I started seeing Jenny.
My Jenny?
And he looked down at the floor.
You know damn well she ain’t your Jenny no more.
And I said Get her on the phone.
Don’t you think it’s a little late?
No I don’t think it’s a little late.
But I went out the room cause I knew I’d better wait
So I went down to her dad’s bakery and she said
I’m gonna go outside take a break smoke a cigarette.
I’m still surprised at how mad you get.
Well what’d you expec’?
That you wouldn’t try to wreck your little brother’s happiness.
And I said Listen to you!
I know what you’re trying to do.
And what whould that be?
Mess with Michael’s head as some kind of revenge back at me.
--So I drove up to Springfield in my wife’s new car
And went and had a drink at my buddy’s old bar.

KWSN · 06-11-2005, 10:48 AM

oh and also, this song (while not a complete story) sets up a great story with its mood.

Decemberists - Shanty for the Arethusa

Quote:

We set to sail on a packet full of spice, rum and tea-leaves.
We've emptied out all the bars and the bowery hotels.
Tell your daughters do not walk the streets alone tonight
Tell your daughters do not walk the streets alone tonight.

To tell the tale of the jewess and the mandarin chinese boy
He led her down from her gilded canopy of cloth.
And through her blindfold she could make out the figures there before her
And how the air was thick with incense, cardamom and myrrh.

So goodnight, boys, goodnight
Say goodnight, boys, goodnight

We set to sail on the clipper that's bound for South Australia
The weather's warm there, the natives are dark and nubile.
But if you listen, quiet, you can hear the footsteps on the cross-trees
The ghosts of sailors passed, their spectral bodies clinging to the shrouds.

So goodnight, boys, goodnight
Say goodnight, boys, goodnight

YKK · 06-11-2005, 11:48 AM

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash

My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn't leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."

Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I'd get red
And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue."

Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name.

Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry,
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
There at a table, dealing stud,
Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue."

Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye.
He was big and bent and gray and old,
And I looked at him and my blood ran cold
And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do!
Now your gonna die!!"

Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down, but to my surprise,
He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear.
But I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed through the wall and into the street
Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer.

I tell ya, I've fought tougher men
But I really can't remember when,
He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile.
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss,
He went for his gun and I pulled mine first,
He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile.

And he said: "Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's the name that helped to make you strong."

He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'"

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa, and he called me his son,
And I came away with a different point of view.
And I think about him, now and then,
Every time I try and every time I win,
And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him
Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!

sherpahigh · 06-11-2005, 11:49 AM

Hurricane
Copperhead Road
and
Cat's in the Cradle
are all great.

I'd also add:

My Sweet Annette, Tornadoes and Carl Perkins' Cadillac by the Drive-by Truckers. Great storytellers!

YKK · 06-11-2005, 11:54 AM

El Paso by Marty Robbins

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl.
Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina;
Music would play and Felina would whirl.

Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina,
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
My love was deep for this Mexican maiden;
I was in love but in vain, I could tell.

One night a wild young cowboy came in,
Wild as the West Texas wind.
Dashing and daring,
A drink he was sharing
With wicked Felina,
The girl that I loved.

So in anger I

Challenged his right for the love of this maiden.
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore.
My challenge was answered in less than a heart-beat;
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor.

Just for a moment I stood there in silence,
Shocked by the bountiful deed I had done.
Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there;
I had but one chance and that was to run.

Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran,
Out where the horses were tied.
I caught a good one.
It looked like it could run.
Up on its back
And away I did ride,

Just as fast as I

Could from the West Texas town of El Paso
Out to the bad-lands of New Mexico.

Back in El Paso my life would be worthless.
Everything's gone in life; nothing is left.
It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden
My love is stronger than my fear of death.

I saddled up and away I did go,
Riding alone in the dark.
Maybe tomorrow
A bullet may find me.
Tonight nothing's worse than this
Pain in my heart.

And at last here I

Am on the hill overlooking El Paso;
I can see Rosa's cantina below.
My love is strong and it pushes me onward.
Down off the hill to Felina I go.

Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys;
Off to my left ride a dozen or more.
Shouting and shooting I can't let them catch me.
I have to make it to Rosa's back door.

Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel
A deep burning pain in my side.
Though I am trying
To stay in the saddle,
I'm getting weary,
Unable to ride.

But my love for

Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen,
Though I am weary I can't stop to rest.
I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle.
I feel the bullet go deep in my chest.

From out of nowhere Felina has found me,
Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side.
Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for,
One little kiss and Felina, good-bye.

braindamage351 · 06-11-2005, 06:09 PM

I don't see how you can compete with opera in this field. Wagner's Ring is the best for me.

eltardo · 06-11-2005, 09:32 PM

I don't think I can say it's the best but I really do enjoy this song. If you've never listened to this guy and are into hip-hop, check him out. He's silly amounts of fresh. Word.

Quote:

Aesop Rock - No Regrets
Lucy was 7 and wore a head of blue barettes
City born, into this world with no knowledge and no regrets
Had a piece of yellow chalk with which she'd draw upon the
street
The many faces of the various locals that she would meet
There was joshua, age 10
Bully of the block
Who always took her milk money at the morning bus stop
There was Mrs. Crabtree, and her poodle
She always gave a wave and holler on her weekly trip down to the
bingo
parlor
And she drew
Men, women, kids, sunsets, clouds
And she drew
Skyscrapers, fruit stands, cities, towns
Always said hello to passers-by
They'd ask her why she passed her time
Attachin lines to concrete
But she would only smile
Now all the other children living in or near her building
Ran around like tyrants, soaking up the open fire hydrants
They would say
'Hey little Lucy, wanna come jump double dutch?'
Lucy would pause, look, grin and say
'I'm busy, thank you much'
Well, well, one year passed
And believe it or not
She covered every last inch of the entire sidewalk,
And she stopped-
'Lucy, after all this, you're just giving in today??'
She said:
'I'm not giving in, I'm finished,' and walked away

(Chorus: x2)
1 2 3
That's the speed of the seed
A B C
That's the speed of the need
You can dream a little dream
Or you can live a little dream
I'd rather live it
Cuz dreamers always chase
But never get it

Now Lucy was 37, and introverted somewhat
Basement apartment in the same building she grew up in
She traded in her blue barettes for long locks held up with a
clip
Traded in her yellow chalk for charcoal sticks
And she drew
Little bobby who would come to sweep the porch
And she drew
The mailman, delivered everyday at 4
Lucy had very little contact with the folks outside her cubicle
day
But she found it suitable, and she liked it that way
She had a man now: Rico, similar, hermit

They would only see each other once or twice a week on purpose
They appreciated space and Rico was an artist too
So they'd connect on saturdays to share the pictures that they
drew
(Look!)
Now every month or so, she'd get a knock upon the front door
Just one of the neighbors,
Actin nice, although she was a strange girl, really
Say, 'Lucy, wanna join me for some lunch??'
Lucy would smile and say 'I'm busy, thank you much'
And they would make a weird face the second the door shut
And run and tell their friends how truly crazy Lucy was
And lucy knew what people thought but didn't care
Cuz while they spread their rumors through the street
She'd paint another masterpiece

(Chorus x2)

Lucy was 87, upon her death bed
At the senior home, where she had previously checked in
Traded in the locks and clips for a head rest
Traded in the charcoal sticks for arthritis, it had to happen
And she drew no more, just sat and watched the dawn
Had a television in the room that she'd never turned on
Lucy pinned up a life worth's of pictures on the wall
And sat and smiled, looked each one over, just to laugh at it
all
No Rico, he had passed, 'bout 5 years back
So the visiting hours pulled in a big flock o' nothin
She'd never spoken once throughout the spanning of her life
Until the day she leaned forward, grinned and pulled the nurse
aside
And she said:
'Look, I've never had a dream in my life
Because a dream is what you wanna do, but still haven't pursued
I knew what I wanted and did it till it was done
So i've been the dream that I wanted to be since day one!'
Well!
The nurse jumped back,
She'd never heard Lucy even talk,
'Specially words like that
She walked over to the door, and pulled it closed behind
Then Lucy blew a kiss to each one of her pictures
And she died.

(Chorus x2)

1 2 3...
A B C...

muckluck · 06-11-2005, 10:31 PM

How about Lola by The Kinks ... it's a story about meeting a girl in SOHO

Quote:

I met her in a club down in old soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola [lp version:
Coca-cola]
C-o-l-a cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said lola
L-o-l-a lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola

Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man
Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola

Well we drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
She picked me up and sat me on her knee
And said dear boy won’t you come home with me
Well I’m not the world’s most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes well I almost fell for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola

I pushed her away
I walked to the door
I fell to the floor
I got down on my knees
Then I looked at her and she at me

Well that’s the way that I want it to stay
And I always want it to be that way for my lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Girls will be boys and boys will be girls
It’s a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola

Well I left home just a week before
And I’d never ever kissed a woman before
But lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said dear boy I’m gonna make you a man

Well I’m not the world’s most masculine man
But I know what I am and I’m glad I’m a man
And so is lola
Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola

Not too sure if that counts are not. I think it deserves an honorable mention though. Cats in the Cradel and Hotel California are probably the two best...

brinkn1 · 06-12-2005, 07:38 PM

Coppertop you rock, A Lap Dance is Always Better When the Strupper is Cryin' would have been my first choice. Second choice is Nick Cave, O'Malley's Bar:

Quote:

I am tall and I am thin
Of an enviable height
And I've been known to be quite handsome
From a certain angle and a certain light
Well I entered into O'Malley's
Said, "O'Malley I have a thirst"
O'Malley merely smiled at me
said "You wouldn't be the first"
I knocked on the bar and pointed
To a bottle on the shelf
And as O'Malley poured me out a drink
I sniffed and crossed myself
My hand decided that the time was nigh
And for a moment it slipped from view
And when it returned, it fairly burned
With confidence anew
Well the thunder from my steely fist
Made all the glasses jangle
When I shot him, I was so handsome
It was the light, it was the angle
Huh! Hmmmmm
"Neighbours!" I cried, "Friends!" I screamed
I banged my fist upon the bar
"I bear no grudge against you!"
And my dick felt long and hard
"I am the man for which no God waits
And for which the whole world yearns
I'm marked by darkness and by blood
And one thousand powder-burns"
Well, you know those fish with swollen lips
That clean the ocean floor?
When I looked at poor O'Malley's wife
That is exactly what I saw
I jammed the barrel under her chin
And her face looked raw and vicious
Her head it landed in the sink
With all the dirty dishes
Her little daughter Siobhan
Pulled beers from dusk till dawn
And amongst the townfolk, she was a bit of a joke
But she pulled the best beers in town
I swooped magnificent upon her
As she sat shivering in her grief
Like the Madonna painted on the church-house wall
In whale's blood and banana leaf
Her throat it crumbled in my fist
And I spun heroically around
To see Caffrey rising from his seat
I shot that motherf**ker down
Mmmmmmmmm Yeah Yeah Yeah
"I have no free will," I sang
As I flew about the murder
Mrs. Richard Holmes, she screamed
You really should have heard her
I sang and I laughed, I howled and I wept
I panted like a pup
I blew a hole in Mrs. Richard Holmes
And her husband he stood up
And he screamed, "You are an evil man"
And I paused a while to wonder
"If I have no free will then how could I
Be morally culpable, I wonder"
I shot Richard Holmes in the stomach
And gingerly he sat down
And he whispered weirdly, "No offense"
And lay upon the ground
"None taken," I replied to him
With which he gave a little cough
With blazing wings I neatly aimed
And blew his head completely off
I've lived in this town for thirty years
And to no-one I am a stranger
And I put new bullets in my gun
Chamber upon chamber
And when I turned my gun on the bird-like Mr. Brookes
I thought of Saint Francis and his sparrows
And as I shot down the youthful Richardson
It was Sebastian I thought of, and his arrows
Hhhhhhhhhhhh Mmmmmmmmm
I said, "I want to introduce myself
And I'm glad that you all came"
And I leapt upon the bar
And shouted out my name
Well Jerry Bellows, he hugged his stool
Closed his eyes and shrugged and laughed
And with an ashtray as big as a f**king big brick
I split his head in half
His blood spilled across the bar
Like a streaming scarlet brook
And I knelt at it's edge on the counter
Wiped the tears away and looked
Well, the light in there was blinding
Full of God and ghosts and truth
I smiled at Henry Davenport
Who made an attempt to move
Well, from the position I was standing
The strangest thing I ever saw
The bullet entered through the top of his chest
And blew his bowels out on the floor
Well I floated down the counter
Showing no remorse
I shot a hole in Kathleen Carpenter
Recently divorced
But remorse I felt and remorse I had
It clung to everything
From the raven hair upon my head
To the feathers on my wings
Then I squeezed my hand in it's fraudulent claw
With it's golden hairless chest
And I glided through the bodies
And killed the fat man Vincent West
Who sat quietly in his chair
A man become a child
And I raised the gun up to his head
Executioner-style
He made no attempt to resist
So fat and dull and lazy
"Do you know I lived in your street?" I cried
And he looked at me as though I was crazy
"O", he said, "I had no idea"
And he grew as quiet as a mouse
And the roar of the pistol when it went off
Near blew the hat right off the house
Well, I caught my eye in the mirror
And gave it a long and loving inspection
"There stands some kind of man", I roared
And there did, in the reflection
My hair combed back like a raven's wing
My muscles hard and tight
And curling from he business end of my gun
Was a query-mark of cordite
Well I spun to the left, I spun to the right
And I spun to the left again
"Fear me! Fear me!"
But no one did cause they were all dead
Huh! Hmmmmmmmm
And then there were the police sirens wailing
And a bull-horn squelched and blared
"Drop your weapons and come out
With your hands held in the air"
Well, I checked the chambers of my gun
Saw I had one final bullet left
My hand, it looked almost human
As I help it to my head
"Drop your weapon and come out!
Keep you hands above your head!"
Well, I had one long hard think about dying
And did exactly what they said
There must have been fifty cops out there
In a circle around O'Malley's bar
"Don't shoot", I cried "I'm a man unarmed!"
So they put me in their car
And they sped me away from that terrible scene
And I glanced out of the window
Saw O'Malley's bar, saw the cops and the cars
And started counting on my fingers
Aaaaaaaaah One Aaaaaaaah Two Aaaaaah Three Aaaah Four
O'Malley's bar O'Malley's bar

matthew330 · 06-13-2005, 10:46 AM

Always partial to operation ivy lyrics..

Sleep Long, Sleep Well

Sleep long, sleep well
Only to awake in hell.
[x2]

One day I saw a man asleep
In a doorway on the street
Through walls of sheltered inhibition
I perceived his condition.
Dying of hunger and exposure,
Food and shelter, two blocks over.
Within this place we breed and dwell
We've created living hell.

Sleep long, sleep well
Only to awake in hell.
[x2]

City sleeps and pigeons flutter,
Vagrant dies in the gutter
Prideless death somehow befitting
To life spent working on forgetting.
Riding on the bus, I looked outside and thought about death
Passing cars the only tribute to his gasping final breath.

Sleep long, sleep well
Only to awake in hell.
[x2]

Then I went home, to get my mind off things,
I decided to watch television.
Constant subliminal brain immersion
Subconscious death wish coercion.
Buy and consume and want and need
Never fall from the trap of greed.

I thought about the bitter pain
Of jail cells and falling rain,
I thought ahead and I looked away,
What can you do anyway ?
In sheltered youth and our pretension
Avert our eyes to divert attention
Only to see the human victims
Always there to remind us.

Sleep long, sleep well
Only to awake in hell.
[x2]

Only to awake in hell.

God of Thunder · 06-13-2005, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

Im gonna get laughed at...but I love Ode to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry

Didn't make me laugh, it made me think of this one.

The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia by Vicki Lawrence

Quote:

He was on his way home from Candletop
Been two weeks gone and he thought he'd stop
At William's and have him a drink 'fore he went home to her
Andy Wolloe said "Hello"
And he said "Hi, what's doin', Wo?"
"Seth, sit down, I got some bad news, it's gonna hurt"
He said "I'm your best friend and you know that's right"
"But your young bride ain't home tonight"
"Since you been gone she's been seein' that Amos boy, Seth "
Well, he got mad 'n' he saw red and Andy said "Boy, don'tcha lose your head"
" 'cause to tell ya the truth, I been with her myself"

That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer
'cause the judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hands

Well, Andy got scared and left the bar
Walkin' on home 'cause he didn't live far
See, Andy didn't have many friends and he'd just lost him one
Brother thought his wife musta left town
So he went home and finally found
The only thing Papa had left him, that was a gun

And he went off to Andy's house
A'skippin' through the backwoods quiet as a mouse
Came upon some tracks too small for Andy to make
He looked through the screen at the back-porch door

And he saw Andy lyin' on the floor
In a puddle of blood and he started to shake

Well, the Georgia Patrol was a'makin' their rounds
So he fired a shot just to flag 'em down
And a big-bellied sheriff got his gun and said "why'dya do it?"
And the judge said "Guilty" in a make-believe trial
And slapped the sheriff on the back with a smile
Said' supper's waitin' at home and I gotta get to it"

That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia
That's the night that they hung an innocent man
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer
'cause the judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hands

Well, they hung my brother before I could say
The tracks he saw while on his way
To Andy's house and back that night were mine
And his cheatin' wife had never left town
And that's one body that'll never be found
See, little sister don't miss when she aims her gun

That's the night that the lights went out in Georgia, oh-oh-aah
That's the night that they hung an innocent man, ah-huh-unh
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer

06-07-2005, 12:42 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tralls Crazy	Has to be Hurricane by Bob Dylan. "Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall. She sees the bartender in a pool of blood, Cries out, "My God, they killed them all!" Here comes the story of the Hurricane, The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world. Three bodies lyin' there does Patty see And another man named Bello, movin' around mysteriously. "I didn't do it," he says, and he throws up his hands "I was only robbin' the register, I hope you understand. I saw them leavin'," he says, and he stops "One of us had better call up the cops." And so Patty calls the cops And they arrive on the scene with their red lights flashin' In the hot New Jersey night. Meanwhile, far away in another part of town Rubin Carter and a couple of friends are drivin' around. Number one contender for the middleweight crown Had no idea what kinda shit was about to go down When a cop pulled him over to the side of the road Just like the time before and the time before that. In Paterson that's just the way things go. If you're black you might as well not show up on the street 'Less you wanna draw the heat. Alfred Bello had a partner an"d he had a rap for the cops. Him and Arthur Dexter Bradley were just out prowlin' around He said, "I saw two men runnin' out, they looked like middleweights They jumped into a white car with out-of-state plates." And Miss Patty Valentine just nodded her head. Cop said, "Wait a minute, boys, this one's not dead" So they took him to the infirmary And though this man could hardly see They told him that he could identify the guilty men. Four in the mornin' and they haul Rubin in, Take him to the hospital and they bring him upstairs. The wounded man looks up through his one dyin' eye Says, "Wha'd you bring him in here for? He ain't the guy!" Yes, here's the story of the Hurricane, The man the authorities came to blame For somethin' that he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world. Four months later, the ghettos are in flame, Rubin's in South America, fightin' for his name While Arthur Dexter Bradley's still in the robbery game And the cops are puttin' the screws to him, lookin' for somebody to blame. "Remember that murder that happened in a bar?" "Remember you said you saw the getaway car?" "You think you'd like to play ball with the law?" "Think it might-a been that fighter that you saw runnin' that night?" "Don't forget that you are white." Arthur Dexter Bradley said, "I'm really not sure." Cops said, "A poor boy like you could use a break We got you for the motel job and we're talkin' to your friend Bello Now you don't wanta have to go back to jail, be a nice fellow. You'll be doin' society a favor. That sonofabitch is brave and gettin' braver. We want to put his ass in stir We want to pin this triple murder on him He ain't no Gentleman Jim." Rubin could take a man out with just one punch But he never did like to talk about it all that much. It's my work, he'd say, and I do it for pay And when it's over I'd just as soon go on my way Up to some paradise Where the trout streams flow and the air is nice And ride a horse along a trail. But then they took him to the jailhouse Where they try to turn a man into a mouse. All of Rubin's cards were marked in advance The trial was a pig-circus, he never had a chance. The judge made Rubin's witnesses drunkards from the slums To the white folks who watched he was a revolutionary bum And to the black folks he was just a crazy nigger. No one doubted that he pulled the trigger. And though they could not produce the gun, The D.A. said he was the one who did the deed And the all-white jury agreed. Rubin Carter was falsely tried. The crime was murder "one," guess who testified? Bello and Bradley and they both baldly lied And the newspapers, they all went along for the ride. How can the life of such a man Be in the palm of some fool's hand? To see him obviously framed Couldn't help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land Where justice is a game. Now all the criminals in their coats and their ties Are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise While Rubin sits like Buddha in a ten-foot cell An innocent man in a living hell. That's the story of the Hurricane, But it won't be over till they clear his name And give him back the time he's done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been The champion of the world." __________________ "I pledge my grievance to the flag" - Pearl Jam Last edited by Tralls; 06-07-2005 at 12:44 PM..

06-08-2005, 04:04 PM	#11 (permalink)
Daoust "I'm sorry. What was the question?" Location: Paradise Regained	I don't have the lyrics, but does anyone here know of a little ditty by Arlo Guthrie called "The Significance of the Pickle"? Now THAT is a gem! __________________ I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

06-08-2005, 04:47 PM	#15 (permalink)
Telluride Browncoat Location: California	I'm too lazy to look for the lyrics, but... "Hotel California" - The Eagles. __________________ "I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek

06-09-2005, 06:31 AM	#23 (permalink)
gboz Crazy	David Bowie's Space Oddity is mentionable. "This is ground control to Major Tom". __________________ Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Berthold Auerbach

06-09-2005, 07:24 AM	#25 (permalink)
pan6467 Lennonite Priest Location: Mansfield, Ohio USA	Ahhhh..... The KINKS (not only my favorite song..... but my theme song) Ray Davies is a lyrical genius. GOD SAVE THE KINKS I'm Not Like Everybody Else Written by: R. Davies Published by: Davray Music/Carlin Music Corp. Lyrics: I won't take all that they hand me down, And make out a smile, though I wear a frown, And I won't take it all lying down, 'Cause once I get started I go to town. 'Cause I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. And I don't want to ball about like everybody else, And I don't want to live my life like everybody else, And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else, 'Cause I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. But darling, you know that I love you true, Do anything that you want me to, Confess all my sins like you want me to, There's one thing that I will say to you, I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else And I don't want to ball about like everybody else, And I don't want to live my life like everybody else, And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else, 'Cause I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. Like everybody else, Like everybody else, Like everybody else, Like everybody else. If you all want me to settle down, Slow up and stop all my running 'round, Do everything like you want me to, There's one thing that I will say to you, I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. And I don't want to ball about like everybody else, And I don't want to live my life like everybody else, And I won't say that I feel fine like everybody else, 'Cause I'm not like everybody else, I'm not like everybody else. Like everybody else (like everybody else), Like everybody else (like everybody else), Like everybody else (like everybody else), Like everybody else. __________________ I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"

06-07-2005, 02:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
Cartuni Upright	Love Harry Chapin - my choice is Taxi: It was raining hard in 'Frisco I needed one more fare to make my night A lady up ahead waved to flag me down She got in at the light Oh, where you going to, my lady blue It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain She just looked out the window She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane Something about her was familiar I could swear I'd seen her face before But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken And she didn't say anything more It took a while, but she looked in the mirror And she glanced at the license for my name A smile seemed to come to her slowly It was a sad smile, just the same And she said, How are you Harry I said, How are you Sue Through the too many miles And the too little smiles I still remember you It was somewhere in a fairy tale I used to take her home in my car We learned about love in the back of a Dodge The lesson hadn't gone too far You see, she was gonna be an actress And I was gonna learn to fly She took off to find the footlights And I took off to find the sky Oh, I've got something inside me To drive a princess blind There's a wild man, wizard He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind Oh, I've got something inside me Not what my life's about 'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me Over 'til my time, runs out (Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall) (I'll tell you why baby's crying) ('Cause she's dying, aren't we all) There was not much more for us to talk about Whatever we had once was gone So I turned my cab into the driveway Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns And she said, we must get together But I knew it'd never be arranged And she handed me twenty dollars For a two fifty fare She said, Harry, keep the change Well, another man might have been angry And another man might have been hurt But another man never would've let her go I stashed the bill in my shirt And she walked away in silence It's strange, how you never know But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for Such a long, long time ago You see, she was gonna be an actress And I was gonna learn to fly She took off to find the footlights And I took off for the sky And here, she's acting happy Inside her handsome home And me, I'm flying in my taxi Taking tips, and getting stoned I go flying so high, when I'm stoned --Harry Chapin "Taxi"

06-08-2005, 07:34 PM	#17 (permalink)
SSG505 Upright	The Hurricane by Bob Dylan gets my vote.

06-09-2005, 05:37 AM	#20 (permalink)
streak_56 who ever said streaking was a bad thing? Location: Calgary	Heres another one for Harry Chapman- Cats in the Cradle. one of my all time favourite songs.

06-09-2005, 01:34 PM	#28 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	Do songs from musicals count, as long as they can stand alone? If so, my submission would be "Diary of a Homecoming Queen" from the musical Is There Life After High School?. However, I can't find the lyrics anywhere online. Although it has no reflection on my life, I can't help but cry when I hear it. It is sung by a woman whose life has gone steadily downhill through her own bad decisions, and all she can do is look back on her glory days... the refrain is something like "The marching band was playing / the kids all threw confetti / and I feel that I still have some in my hair". __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

06-11-2005, 11:48 AM	#32 (permalink)
YKK Crazy Location: Toronto, ONT	A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue." Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I'd get red And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head, I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue." Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean, My fist got hard and my wits got keen, I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame. But I made a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man who gave me that awful name. Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July And I just hit town and my throat was dry, I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew. At an old saloon on a street of mud, There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue." Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had, And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye. He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do! Now your gonna die!!" Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise, He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear. But I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer. I tell ya, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when, He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile. I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss, He went for his gun and I pulled mine first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile. And he said: "Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along. So I give ya that name and I said goodbye I knew you'd have to get tough or die And it's the name that helped to make you strong." He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do. But ya ought to thank me, before I die, For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'" I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him my pa, and he called me his son, And I came away with a different point of view. And I think about him, now and then, Every time I try and every time I win, And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name! __________________ We're all black sheep and we know it.. So don't fsck it up for the rest. -- Sick of It All; Yours Truly

06-11-2005, 11:49 AM	#33 (permalink)
sherpahigh So Hip it Hurts Location: Up here in my tree	Hurricane Copperhead Road and Cat's in the Cradle are all great. I'd also add: My Sweet Annette, Tornadoes and Carl Perkins' Cadillac by the Drive-by Truckers. Great storytellers! __________________ "It'd be better for me if you don't understand"

06-11-2005, 11:54 AM	#34 (permalink)
YKK Crazy Location: Toronto, ONT	Alternately.. El Paso by Marty Robbins Out in the West Texas town of El Paso I fell in love with a Mexican girl. Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina; Music would play and Felina would whirl. Blacker than night were the eyes of Felina, Wicked and evil while casting a spell. My love was deep for this Mexican maiden; I was in love but in vain, I could tell. One night a wild young cowboy came in, Wild as the West Texas wind. Dashing and daring, A drink he was sharing With wicked Felina, The girl that I loved. So in anger I Challenged his right for the love of this maiden. Down went his hand for the gun that he wore. My challenge was answered in less than a heart-beat; The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor. Just for a moment I stood there in silence, Shocked by the bountiful deed I had done. Many thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there; I had but one chance and that was to run. Out through the back door of Rosa's I ran, Out where the horses were tied. I caught a good one. It looked like it could run. Up on its back And away I did ride, Just as fast as I Could from the West Texas town of El Paso Out to the bad-lands of New Mexico. Back in El Paso my life would be worthless. Everything's gone in life; nothing is left. It's been so long since I've seen the young maiden My love is stronger than my fear of death. I saddled up and away I did go, Riding alone in the dark. Maybe tomorrow A bullet may find me. Tonight nothing's worse than this Pain in my heart. And at last here I Am on the hill overlooking El Paso; I can see Rosa's cantina below. My love is strong and it pushes me onward. Down off the hill to Felina I go. Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys; Off to my left ride a dozen or more. Shouting and shooting I can't let them catch me. I have to make it to Rosa's back door. Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel A deep burning pain in my side. Though I am trying To stay in the saddle, I'm getting weary, Unable to ride. But my love for Felina is strong and I rise where I've fallen, Though I am weary I can't stop to rest. I see the white puff of smoke from the rifle. I feel the bullet go deep in my chest. From out of nowhere Felina has found me, Kissing my cheek as she kneels by my side. Cradled by two loving arms that I'll die for, One little kiss and Felina, good-bye. __________________ We're all black sheep and we know it.. So don't fsck it up for the rest. -- Sick of It All; Yours Truly

06-11-2005, 06:09 PM	#35 (permalink)
braindamage351 Insane	I don't see how you can compete with opera in this field. Wagner's Ring is the best for me.

06-13-2005, 10:46 AM	#39 (permalink)
matthew330 Banned	Always partial to operation ivy lyrics.. Sleep Long, Sleep Well Sleep long, sleep well Only to awake in hell. [x2] One day I saw a man asleep In a doorway on the street Through walls of sheltered inhibition I perceived his condition. Dying of hunger and exposure, Food and shelter, two blocks over. Within this place we breed and dwell We've created living hell. Sleep long, sleep well Only to awake in hell. [x2] City sleeps and pigeons flutter, Vagrant dies in the gutter Prideless death somehow befitting To life spent working on forgetting. Riding on the bus, I looked outside and thought about death Passing cars the only tribute to his gasping final breath. Sleep long, sleep well Only to awake in hell. [x2] Then I went home, to get my mind off things, I decided to watch television. Constant subliminal brain immersion Subconscious death wish coercion. Buy and consume and want and need Never fall from the trap of greed. I thought about the bitter pain Of jail cells and falling rain, I thought ahead and I looked away, What can you do anyway ? In sheltered youth and our pretension Avert our eyes to divert attention Only to see the human victims Always there to remind us. Sleep long, sleep well Only to awake in hell. [x2] Only to awake in hell.