# Great story songs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187 "2014-12-26T03:20:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/21 "2014-12-26T13:26:26Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Also, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” I’m not sure how to define a “story song,” but I think it’s a song that tells a story, _and_ does not have a chorus. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/22 "2014-12-26T13:35:48Z")
Wait, even better. [Country Death Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwj5_SNWYc8) by the Violent Femmes. Depressing and captivating. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/23 "2014-12-26T14:52:48Z")
Tindersticks - [My Sister](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbSok13hbSs). One of the most depressing songs I know of. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/24 "2014-12-26T14:56:06Z")
_Paradise by the Dashboard Lights_, by Meatloaf. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/25 "2014-12-26T15:00:12Z")
[The Ballad of John and Yoko](http://youtu.be/ai9-I3M9wck), by the Beatles ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/26 "2014-12-26T15:00:51Z")
Deep Purple’s _Smoke on the Water_ is a song on the album Machine Head It’s also the story about how Machine Head was recorded. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/27 "2014-12-26T16:14:48Z")
I’m really surprised the thread has gotten this far without mention of **[_Ode to Billie Joe._](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc)** ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/28 "2014-12-26T17:50:26Z")
Some of these are great; \*Country Death Song \*and _My Sister_ especially. I do have a really stoopid question, if no one minds the digression. I had literally never heard \*Alice’s Restaurant \*(that I know of at least)nor read the lyrics. I have, of course heard \*of \*it and am aware that it is an antiwar song. Upon reading the lyrics, I must say I’m left with a big WTF? Admittedly, I kind of lost interest right about the time they were handcuffed and put in the police car. Can someone give me a brief synopsis or even explain what is so compelling about this song? Is it mostly a matter of “You had to be there, it’s a product of its time” sort of thing? I was only a year old when it was released, yet I’m familiar with a lot of music from that time. No, I don’t know how I’ve managed to live 48 years without ever having heard this famous song and at this point I don’t really feel like I missed out on anything. Educate me, people! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/29 "2014-12-26T18:16:39Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I’m not sure how to define a “story song,” but I think it’s a song that tells a story, _and_ does not have a chorus. By _your_ definition, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/30 "2014-12-26T19:38:43Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I’m sure this has been done but I just listened to [Joe Ely, _The Road Goes on Forever_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pgog03z8YI) again and thought I’d throw it out there. > > What ya got? Great song–I prefer the original version by Robert Earl Keen, who also wrote the song. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/31 "2014-12-26T19:48:07Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I do have a really stoopid question, if no one minds the digression. I had literally never heard \*Alice’s Restaurant \*(that I know of at least)nor read the lyrics. I have, of course heard \*of \*it and am aware that it is an antiwar song. Upon reading the lyrics, I must say I’m left with a big WTF? Admittedly, I kind of lost interest right about the time they were handcuffed and put in the police car. > > Can someone give me a brief synopsis or even explain what is so compelling about this song? I think you should give it a listen. Arlo Guthrie is a really great story-teller, and that doesn’t come through just reading the lyrics. Some jokes are really in how they are told. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/32 "2014-12-26T20:00:34Z")
"Whisky in the Jar ",many versions ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/33 "2014-12-26T20:01:15Z")
“Dawson’s Christian” “Like Their Feet Had Wings” “Antelope’s Run” (all filk) ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/34 "2014-12-26T20:02:51Z")
Another one , "Summer Wine ", Nancy Sinatra ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/35 "2014-12-26T20:11:08Z")
Lucille, by Fred Eaglesmith A man revisits an affair with a much older woman from his wild youth, after his wife buys him a classic car. ---
**Author:** ![Dodgecity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cab0a1/32.png) [@Dodgecity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgecity)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/36 "2014-12-26T20:33:51Z")
A Horse with No Name-America ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/37 "2014-12-26T20:46:29Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > Alice’s Restaurant. What do I win?🙂 You didn’t _win_ anything. You have to _pay_ fifty dollars and pick up the garbage. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/38 "2014-12-26T20:51:00Z")
[World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ihvEcDFxvo) by Five For Fighting, tells a kind of a story. [Viva La Vida](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L70Nca5MvM8) by Coldplay has some vivid imagery in the lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/39 "2014-12-26T20:55:07Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > I think you should give it a listen. Arlo Guthrie is a really great story-teller, and that doesn’t come through just reading the lyrics. Some jokes are really in how they are told. It’s also worth mentioning that the first half of Arlo’s monologue (Thanksgiving, Garbage, Trial) is a slightly embellished true story. The second half (Pre-Induction Physical) is fiction, although pretty true-to-life IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187/40 "2014-12-26T20:56:52Z")
_Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts_, yet another Dylan offering. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-story-songs/708187.md?page=3)