# Songs that are letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971 "2008-08-06T00:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/1 "2008-08-06T00:09:25Z")
By which I mean songs where the lyrics are written as a letter sent to someone. examples: Anchorage by Michelle Shocked Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen Anyone know of any others? I really like those two songs, maybe I’ll like others in that style. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/2 "2008-08-06T00:18:42Z")
I was going to post [Take A Letter, Maria](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5p1RkO5YRc&feature=related) by R.B. Greaves, but it’s actually only partly the narrator dictating a letter, rather than being the letter itself. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/3 "2008-08-06T00:21:24Z")
“Letter to a John,” Ani DiFranco ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/4 "2008-08-06T00:23:20Z")
[Sonny’s Lettah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfLQJ8YS9Io&feature=related) by Linton Kwesi Johnson ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/5 "2008-08-06T00:26:22Z")
**Dear Diary** , by The Moody Blues ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/6 "2008-08-06T00:44:42Z")
[Your Woman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Woman) by White Town ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/7 "2008-08-06T00:55:42Z")
Word of the day: **epistolary** I was going to chime in with “The Letter” by the Box Tops. But it’s more about receiving a letter than writing one. So that I don’t seem like I’m just threadshitting, Emimem/Dido’s “Stan” is another one. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/8 "2008-08-06T01:17:02Z")
_Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh_ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/9 "2008-08-06T01:29:40Z")
There are about a half-dozen songs named _Dear John_. In the best known country song, the woman went office and married his brother, Don. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/10 "2008-08-06T01:33:19Z")
Dear I thought I’d drop a line The weather’s cool The folks are fine I’m in bed each night at 9 _PS: I Love You_ –Johnny Mercer (lyric), Gordon Jenkins (music), 1934. This is _NOT_ the song on the back of _Love Me Do_ by the Beatles. Lennon & McCartney wrote that themselves. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/11 "2008-08-06T01:36:19Z")
That really depressing **Kilkelly, Ireland** one. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/12 "2008-08-06T01:59:45Z")
XTC, **Dear God** ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/13 "2008-08-06T02:00:01Z")
“Sunny Road” by Emiliana Torrini. > [@](#): > > Wrote you this > I hope you got it safe > It’s been so long > I don’t know what to say > I’ve travelled 'round > Through deserts on my horse > But jokes aside > I wanna come back home ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/14 "2008-08-06T02:49:43Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] This is _NOT_ the song on the back of _Love Me Do_ by the Beatles. Lennon & McCartney wrote that themselves. [/QUOTE] But the Beatles song would certainly qualify. There’s also “[Postcard](http://www.iankitching.me.uk/music/bonzos/tracks/doughnut.htmlx#Postcard)” by the Bonzo Dog Band At least one of the songs in the musical **1776** are sung as letters written between John and Abagail Adams. _Yours, Yours, Yours_, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/15 "2008-08-06T02:51:18Z")
Stan, by Marshall Mathers (a.k.a. eminem) is a series of correspondence with Dido singing the hook. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![OompaLoompa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@OompaLoompa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OompaLoompa)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/16 "2008-08-06T02:59:48Z")
“Dear Penis” by Rodney Carrington [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hez0oL5WTBQ) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/17 "2008-08-06T03:02:52Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] XTC, **Dear God** [/QUOTE] Beat me to it1 Great, great song. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/18 "2008-08-06T03:20:42Z")
**Saint Nicholas Hall** by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester is in the form of a solicitation from a Catholic school for donations. It ends: > [@](#): > > Blessed are the pure in heart > (We need a new organ by June) > Blessed are the merciful > (The old one’s badly out of tune) > Blessed are the peacemakers > (Please send us the money soon) > Sincerely yours in Jesus > Your Dean ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/19 "2008-08-06T03:26:19Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] That really depressing **Kilkelly, Ireland** one. [/QUOTE] I was going to suggest that one also - I always want to get on the phone and call all my out-of-town family after listening to that song. ---
**Author:** ![judikium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@judikium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/judikium)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/20 "2008-08-06T04:12:33Z")
“Unsent” by Alanis Morisette is a series of letters. Beautiful song. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971.md?page=2)