# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/81 "2015-10-14T11:50:44Z")
What, no mention of **Billy, Don’t Be A Hero**? :rolleyes: I’d go with **Momma Told Me Not To Come** or **Spill The Wine** , but the first song I thought of was **Ode to Billy Joe**. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/82 "2015-10-14T13:03:29Z")
I think the Dylan songs are the cream of the crop. _Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts_ Rich cast of characters, enough gaps in the story to make us think a bit for ourselves. _Black Diamond Bay_ Now a bit dated with references to the Soviet ambassador and Walt Cronkite but the varying reactions to the slowly developing certain death are interesting. \*Brownsville Girl \* On his more underrated pieces. I love the style of going back and forth from a speaking voice to singing voice _Romance in Durango_ Another great story from the prime of his career \*Senor \* Love the imagery and the building tension. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/83 "2015-10-14T13:05:33Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > … but the first song I thought of was **Ode to Billy Joe**. Another one that’s in my Top Ten – which, based on this thread’s suggestions, may now be a Top Twenty! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/84 "2015-10-14T13:14:26Z")
We could go back to the cheesy [Running Bear.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kz42oFVBNg) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/85 "2015-10-14T14:20:19Z")
A minimalist classic, The Nails - [88 Lines About 44 Women](https://youtu.be/oai3mUL-T-I). A maximalist classic, [Jaime Brockett - Legend of the USS Titanic](https://youtu.be/4XFYMjkFYPg). ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/86 "2015-10-14T16:01:04Z")
Great thread. And thanks for the links. I have been introduced to many Story Songs. I need to be in the mood for these songs, because they aren’t background music. Ya gotta listen. One not mentioned is Harry Chapin’s Mr. Tanner. [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=mr.+tanner+harry+chapin&spfreload=10](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mr.+tanner+harry+chapin&spfreload=10) Caution: Its a tear jerker! ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/87 "2015-10-14T17:15:13Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > Not the best, but still good: Tom Waits’s Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis. Here’s another good one from Waits: [“Burma Shave”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQqMYUu62zM). ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/88 "2015-10-14T17:21:29Z")
One that’s very recent (2008) is Sometime Around Midnight. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8gBAiYXTcjA/hqdefault.jpg "The Airborne Toxic Event, Sometime around Midnight") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gBAiYXTcjA) The funny thing is that it’s barely a song. It’s more of a story told against music in a singing voice. No chorus or hook or anything. Less recent is “Detachable Penis”… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/89 "2015-10-14T18:25:06Z")
A good one: [Guy Clark - The Guitar](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso) ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/90 "2015-10-14T18:36:06Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The Ballad of Irving the 144th Fastest Gun in the West I totally love that song. I'm glad I'm not the only person here who's heard it. In any case, I thought it was 142nd (“141 was faster than he, but Irving was looking for 143”). My favorite story song, though, has to be “Alice’s Restaurant”: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM) This is another good one by my favorite folk singer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgXfvCNb6VQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgXfvCNb6VQ) And, of course: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i0DMbCKnAg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i0DMbCKnAg) ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/91 "2015-10-14T19:43:14Z")
I think rap is a must if you’re going to discuss story songs (unless you’re using a definition that excludes “rap” from “songs”). Slick Rick’s _[Children’s Story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjNTu8jdukA)_ is the best example, but virtually every rap act/group has one or more story songs in their repertoire. Complex has a list of [the top 50 storytelling rap songs](http://www.complex.com/music/2013/07/best-storytelling-rap-songs/). If you like rap, there are a lot of really good tracks on that list. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/92 "2015-10-14T20:08:24Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The Ballad of Irving the 144th Fastest Gun in the West Give the guy his due! He was the **142nd** fastest gun in the West. For those unfamiliar, The Ballad of Irving is a - possibly now politically incorrect - tale of a Jewish cowboy/gunslinger. Mind you, it was written and performed by Jewish entertainers … :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/93 "2015-10-14T20:10:37Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > I hope you don’t have Irving on your “Fantasy Gunslinger” team, because he was actually 142nd: > > A hundred and forty-one could draw faster than he, > But Irving was looking for one forty-three. OOPS! Looked for a response before I posted and missed this one!:smack: ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/94 "2015-10-14T20:13:30Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > But the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is an account of real life event. And, who is the person/character in City of New Orleans? What about House of the Rising Sun? Is it an actual story, or, is it a warning that employs the use of 1 or 2 characters? In “City of New Orleans,” the train is the narrator–sorta like Thomas the Tank Engine. How about those Kenny Rogers tunes “Lucille,” and “Ruby (Don’t Take Your Love to Town)”? ETA: Irving, had a son named Seymour, but that song is nowhere near as entertaining as “The Ballad of…” ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/95 "2015-10-14T20:19:22Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > In “City of New Orleans,” the train is the narrator–sorta like Thomas the Tank Engine. I disagree. The lyrics of the second verse make it obvious that the point of view is a passenger; trains don’t generally play cards or share a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Thuringwethil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Thuringwethil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thuringwethil)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/96 "2015-10-14T20:23:09Z")
No one’s mentioned this one. “Ringo” by Lorne Greene. [https://www.youtube.com/results?search\_query=ringo+lorne+greene](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ringo+lorne+greene) ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/97 "2015-10-14T20:24:16Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > ETA: Irving, had a son named Seymour, but that song is nowhere near as entertaining as “The Ballad of…” On this subject, I’ll throw in Jim Stafford’s “[Cow Patty](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDEQtwIwBmoVChMI_M6mqOXCyAIVyGs-Ch21NwVh&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoyHDMKoF_zI&usg=AFQjCNH9O_irgMsp_wXnTL8ktoBd5OZzNg&sig2=SEzeIbzh2KWpeLdQLTshCw&bvm=bv.105039540,d.cWw)” - hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/98 "2015-10-14T20:39:34Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > I disagree. The lyrics of the second verse make it obvious that the point of view is a passenger; trains don’t generally play cards or share a bottle. I dis-disagree. The train is commenting on the behavior of his passengers–there is no identifying pronoun in that verse. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/99 "2015-10-14T20:48:08Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > What, no mention of **Billy, Don’t Be A Hero**? :rolleyes: > > I’d go with **Momma Told Me Not To Come** or **Spill The Wine** , but the first song I thought of was **Ode to Billy Joe**. Which reminds me of “One Tin Soldier”. Those of “a certain age” will know why. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526/100 "2015-10-14T20:53:14Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > **Tom Waits** > > [Hope I don’t fall in love with you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLVXBqfqBY) Shakes tiny fist at **Kayaker** Second submission… [Steve Earle Ben McCulloch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dca4WyDQk4c) from the Train A Comin’ album put out right after his release from prison. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-better-story-song-than/734526.md?page=6)