# Has there ever been a better "story song" than... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2015, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526 "2015-10-13T06:08:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/41 "2015-10-13T16:31:49Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > [“Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0qRqZTXNks) - Bob Dylan That’s the first one I thought of. How about “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” by Warren Zevon"? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FHWmxCoTV3Y/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGGkgaShpMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBsjCn14yRorsf9P_hkCVN9HJHmsg "Warren Zevon - Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHWmxCoTV3Y) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/42 "2015-10-13T16:41:28Z")
Miami 2017 by Billy Joel is one of my absolute favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/43 "2015-10-13T16:41:47Z")
I can’t believe no one has mentioned Red Foley’s “Old Shep” yet. Have the works of Red Sovine finally been forgotten? There’s Bob Dylan’s “Boots Of Spanish Leather” and Tom Paxton’s “Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues”. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/44 "2015-10-13T17:09:16Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Here’s one that tells the story of something I lived through: [It Sprinkled, It Rained, and It Poured](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Q9xHjcv_g&index=1&list=FLAzgJc1Jc9YNWMO96QZRHiA) by John and Marina Nickerson. This record was a huge regional hit; if you lived in upstate New York back in 1972, you may remember it. Here’s what I think I think we should go to the quarry and throw stuff in there ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/45 "2015-10-13T17:11:35Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Ever since I was a little kid [VAUGHN MONROE, GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY, A COWBOY LEGEND](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UluM5trt47I) has been the Gold Standard for such things for me. > > If that’s not your basis for comparison, what is? 🙂 What is a story song? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/46 "2015-10-13T17:17:41Z")
How about something much more recent Jamie Lawson - I wasn’t expecting that. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Y-lI_tgQMMk/maxresdefault.jpg "Jamie Lawson - Wasn't Expecting That [Official Video]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-lI_tgQMMk) Given this is a US message board, you may not know this song, but its in our charts right now. Oh, by the way, its dusty around here ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/47 "2015-10-13T17:19:49Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > What is a story song? Damn good question! Most songs have at least some implied story being told. Many are oblique in the narrative’s finer points and may just suggest some plot line or story arc. To my way of thinking, a “story song” is along the lines of the old ballads (whenever they were the main means of telling stories to “the folk” before printed matter came along) where the main issue is narration. I haven’t bothered yet to find a more precise definition since I assumed most people have their own definition and a batch of examples to go with it. But this may be the time and place to narrow the concept down to its essentials. Your turn: **What is a story song?** 🙂 We could begin by pointing out what’s wrong with these: [http://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-26-songs-that-are-just-as-good-as-short--1816](http://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-26-songs-that-are-just-as-good-as-short--1816) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/48 "2015-10-13T17:21:48Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > _[The Man From Snowy River.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW7rgnNqgjE)_ > Originally a poem by [“Banjo” Paterson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson)( who also wrote _Waltzing Matilda_). Well, while we’re on the subject, “[The Band Played Waltzing Matilda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG48Ftsr3OI)” by Eric Bogle. Bring your handkerchief for this one. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/49 "2015-10-13T17:29:55Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Well, while we’re on the subject, “[The Band Played Waltzing Matilda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG48Ftsr3OI)” by Eric Bogle. Bring your handkerchief for this one. That one has to be among the Top Ten all-time story songs! ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/50 "2015-10-13T17:32:16Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > _Cold Missouri Waters_ [https://youtu.be/KgQNeGPJdcQ](https://youtu.be/KgQNeGPJdcQ) Richard Shindell (part of Cry, Cry, Cry) has an extensive solo career filled with lots of story based songs. Try [Sparrow’s Point](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZnOWEtcY_0) ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/51 "2015-10-13T17:49:04Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Yes. [The Wreck of the Edmund Fitgerald](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgI8bta-7aw). I felt this was very innovative, musically, at the time. odd rhyming scheme, cadence, etc. I don’t think there was anything sounded remotely like it before it. ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/52 "2015-10-13T17:50:20Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Damn good question! Most songs have at least some implied story being told. Many are oblique in the narrative’s finer points and may just suggest some plot line or story arc. > > To my way of thinking, a “story song” is along the lines of the old ballads (whenever they were the main means of telling stories to “the folk” before printed matter came along) where the main issue is narration. > > I haven’t bothered yet to find a more precise definition since I assumed most people have their own definition and a batch of examples to go with it. > > But this may be the time and place to narrow the concept down to its essentials. > > Your turn: **What is a story song?** 🙂 > > We could begin by pointing out what’s wrong with these: [http://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-26-songs-that-are-just-as-good-as-short--1816](http://www.avclub.com/article/inventory-26-songs-that-are-just-as-good-as-short--1816) Is Maggie May A story song? It is a fictional story between a young male (early 20’s) about his slightly older lover. But, it is really just a love song that uses that narrative/device as device, it is not a completely fictional story within a song about a completely fictional topic that is not self referencing the singer/song writer. My best example of a Story Song, set to that criteria, is [Sam Stone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl9ZkYViEIs) by John Prine. Whereas as [Daniel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2_8He0laPU) by Elton John (inspired by and loosely about Vietnam Vets) is not really a “story”. Nor, is [Empty Garden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDRmDlJtIdU), that is a song about the death of John Lennon, not fictional, in other words. [Nikita](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xoleoV77eo), while having the elements of a story (it has the outline of a story but no actual story)… is still not a completley made up story like, [Sam Stone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl9ZkYViEIs) or [Rocky Raccoon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS2aYNxOod4), ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/53 "2015-10-13T18:00:16Z")
**Tom Waits** [Hope I don’t fall in love with you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLVXBqfqBY) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/54 "2015-10-13T18:01:34Z")
Here’s one I bet nobody’s heard. _El Gallo del Cielo_ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aL94KYX5V_I/hqdefault.jpg "Joe Ely - Gallo Del Cielo") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL94KYX5V_I) ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/55 "2015-10-13T18:24:51Z")
Several good ones in this thread but my favorite is “Same Auld Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg. I would only hear it around Christmas time and in the pre internet era it was essentially impossible to find the title because it isn’t in the song. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/56 "2015-10-13T18:32:22Z")
I feel like a story song is similar to a literary short story in that it is a cohesive tale with a beginning, middle and conclusion. For example Cher’s [Dark Lady](https://play.google.com/music/preview/Totryrxacvd3uygney2uo5tw7zy?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics) is a full on narrative where as another of her songs, [Half Breed](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/cher/halfbreed.html) \*, does \*tell a story, but in more of a disjointed, typical way for a song. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/57 "2015-10-13T18:39:43Z")
Bad Company: [Shooting Star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs_Pp6-SZ28) ---
**Author:** ![CatastrophicFailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@CatastrophicFailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatastrophicFailure)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/58 "2015-10-13T18:56:41Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > [“Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0qRqZTXNks) - Bob Dylan This was my first thought, too. Dylan has so many good story songs; here are a few others I like: [ul] [li]Hurricane[/li][li]Joey[/li][li]The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll[/li][/ul] Would Paul Simon’s The Boxer count? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/59 "2015-10-13T19:00:57Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Another vote for the Jack of Hearts. > > But a question: other than being set in New Jersey (and I think you need more than that), how is “Tweeter” a homage to Springsteen? From the Wiki page: > [@](#): > > “Tweeter and The Monkey Man” is sometimes regarded as a playful homage to the songs of Bruce Springsteen, who was often hailed as “the next Dylan” early in his career. The lyrics include the titles of many Springsteen songs, and the song borrows many of Springsteen’s themes. The setting of the song itself is New Jersey, Springsteen’s home state and the setting for many of Springsteen’s own songs. New Jersey locations such as Rahway Prison and Jersey City are mentioned by name. Springsteen song title references include: “Stolen Car”, “Mansion On The Hill”, “Thunder Road”, “State Trooper”, “Factory”, “The River”, “Lion’s Den”, and the song made popular by Springsteen but written by Tom Waits, “Jersey Girl”. Additionally, “Lion’s Den” and “Paradise” are each mentioned and prominently enunciated in the song, each being the title of a Springsteen song released after the Traveling Wilburys album. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/60 "2015-10-13T19:11:40Z")
I know our British readers wont care for it but “[The Battle of New Orleans](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_iRIcxsz0)” by Johnny Horton. And Johnny Horton had others like [Sink the Bismark](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KecIdlEAKhU) and [North to Alaska](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3tAJS0wpRY). [Harper Valley PTA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZPBUu7Fro) by Jeanie Riley [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526.md?page=4)