Heh…“The Scotsman.”
::ahem::
that’s “Except”
damn lack of typing skills.
I kinda like…
“Isis” by Bob Dylan (from “Desire,” his best album, IMHO)
“Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle
“Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel
“Matthew” by John Denver
“The Unicorn” by The Irish Rovers (I had the .45 when I was 7… sue me)
A HOST of songs by Ray Davies and the Kinks (Davies and DYlan are the best storytellers in music history.) ALmost anything from “The VIllage Green Preservation Society” or “Arthur” works.
Back to Dylan, I always thought that “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” was a rather entertaining little story.
“Towne’s Blues” by Cowboy Junkies is a fun tale of gambling on the way to their next concert.
“The Ballad of Rocky Raccoon” (hoping I have that title right) by the Beatles deals with love in a sense, but isn’t really the focus of the song.
“Parents Just Don’t Understand” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
For a bonus Wil Smith gives us two stories.
“All I Wanna Do” by Sheryl Crow
Who would have thought spending a day in a bar would be so interesting. Only 4 non-repeated lines rhyme in that song. So is it just a prose song?
Joph, have I told you lately what a cool guy you are?
…but my favorite is “Mr. Meadowlark” by Walter Donaldson and Johnny Mercer.
Honorable mentions go to “Miss Otis Regrets” by Cole Porter, “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat” by Frank Loesser, and “Is That All There Is” by Lieber & Stoller.
My favorites are not just ONE song but entire “concept-albums”
my favorite ‘concept albums’ are
Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime
Dream Theater - Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory…
anyone agree thats these albums rock?!
LOTR, we will get along fine. These albums do, indeed, rock!
And I can’t believe I’m the first one to mention my favourite Story Song. I kept scrolling down, thinking “don’t mention it, [generic other poster]!”. And here we are, bottom of the thread, and this classic is still missing!
The best story song of all time is A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash.
All hail the Man in Black!
When I saw the thread title I immediately thought of Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a haunting song about a haunting tragedy.
That’s tops in my book.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Warrant
Janie’s Got a Gun by Aerosmith
I Live With It Everyday by Barenaked Ladies
Summertime by Will Smith
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
Previously suggested were Brick and House at Pooh Corner, and I second these votes.
Harry Chapin’s “A better place to be” still brings tears to my eyes. I’ll second (or third) “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot .
Harris and the Mare, Stan Rogers.
Giving credit where it’s due, this was originally a poem by Eric Bogel.
And Adding to the excellent list so far:
Dylan’s The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carol
Peter LaFarge’s The Ballade of Ira Hayes
Peter Rowan’s Land of the Navajo
Finnegan’s Wake
Coldfire I am vastly disappointed in you. One of my favorite story songs:
“This is a song about car…this is called The Red Barchetta.”
Drum yourself out of the Rushfan ™ ranks my good man.
Others…
"Too High For the Supermarket" by The Uninvited. A great little song about going to the supermarket to get the ingredients for a tuna fish sandwich while completely blown on spliff.
“Fifteen different brands of tuna!
Chicken of the Sea or Big Kahuna
Packed in oil packed in water
Dolphin friendly dolphin slaughter!
O God what about the bread?
Should I get white or wheat instead
Or…RYE! Rye’s the best I’ve tasted
Rye is best whenever you’re wasted!”
or the ever popular couplet:
“Hey check it out raddichio!
These red leaves man they almost glow!”
And finally, upon his leaving the store:
“Ohhh…I forgot the tuna and the bread.”
I don’t believe anyone’s mentioned David Bowie’s “Major Tom”. That’s one of my all time favs.
Ghost Riders in the Sky, Johnny Cash does a version.
Dream Theater: 6am (I think that’s the title)
Devil Comes Back to Georgia: Cash, Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart, on one version.
That’s what I can think of for now. 
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She’s Leaving Home* Beatles. Sgt. Pepper was one of my favorite albums as a tyke, and that song always made me wonder what happened afterward.
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John Brown* Bob Dylan. The best last line: “As he dropped his metals down into her hand.”
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Alice’s Resturant* Ditto.
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Abby Yo-Yo* I think it might be a folk song (and I think Waltzing Matilda is a folk song, too…) but it’s about a giant and a little kid. I rememeber LOVING it when I was little.
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Boy Named Su* Johnny Cash is the man.
Wow, what great songs that I had forgotten. Especially
She’s Leaving Home
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (and I grew up in Mich, argh)
Too High for the Supermarket
plus some I think I need to check out (never heard of Dream Theater).
I’m going to go find Sgt. Pepper right now, thanks to Swimming Riddles…
Can’t remember the artist, but “Hot Rod Lincoln” is a GREAT song to sing to yourself at the top of your lungs while speeding.
Tom Lehrer, anyone ? “The Irish Ballad”, “The hunting song”, “I hold your hand in mine”, “Who’s next” ?
Slightly macabre, but funny. (“I went and shot the maximum the game laws would allow - two game wardens, seven hunters and a cow”)
Highly recommended.
S. Norman