# Songs that tell a good story? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390 "2007-04-24T00:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/1 "2007-04-24T00:56:26Z")
I miss songs that told us little stories. It has been a very long time (that I know of) since one’s been released. Below are a few of my favorites… what are some of yours? **Coven** - One Tin Solider \*\*Gordon Lightfoot \*\*- Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/2 "2007-04-24T01:02:36Z")
A lot of Harry Chapin’s ballads tell interesting little stories. Off the top of my head: Taxi A Better Place to Be The Rock Bummer Sniper They Call Her Easy Mr. Tanner W.O.L.D. The Mayor of Candor Lied What Made America Famous? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/3 "2007-04-24T01:10:44Z")
**The Decemberists** - The Mariner’s Revenge Song **Mono Puff** - The Devil Went Down To Newport (Totally Rocking) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/4 "2007-04-24T01:38:54Z")
Johnny Cash has a host of them: _Don’t Take Your Guns to Town The Ballad of Ira Hayes A Boy Named Sue One Piece at a Time The Long Black Veil Cocaine Blues Ballad of a Teenage Queen The One On The Right Is On The Left Ghost Riders in the Sky The Wall 25 Minutes to Go I Got Stripes Highway Patrolman The Wreck of the Old 97 Delia’s Gone Ballad of Barbara When It’s Springtime In Alaska (It’s Forty Below) Austin Prison Jacob Green_ Two other favorites are **El Paso** by Marty Robbins and **Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts** by Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/5 "2007-04-24T01:49:08Z")
Jim Croce Operator ---
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/6 "2007-04-24T01:53:45Z")
I love The Silver Jews - ‘I Remember Me’. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/7 "2007-04-24T02:18:42Z")
**Marty Robbins** has bunches of them,starting with the above mentioned _El Paso_ ,he also wrote 2 sequels to the song called _El Paso City_ A song in present day, he is flying over El Paso in an airplane,recalls a song he heard long ago about a cowboy and a girl. He then realizes he is the reincarnation of the dead cowboy. and _Felina_-Tells Felina’s life story ending with her rushing out to the fallen cowboy,seeing he is dead she kills herself with his gun. Others are; _The Master’s Call_ _Strawberry Roan_ _Billy The Kid_ _Utah Carol_ _Big Iron_ _Running Gun_ _Ballad of the Alamo_ _San Angelo_ There are many others, Marty was a great story teller. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/8 "2007-04-24T02:50:13Z")
Lots of Pete Townsend’s work for the Who: Tattoo I Can See For Miles A Quick One While He’s Away Happy Jack Magic Bus Won’t Get Fooled Again Who are You? (based on a real incident) Tommy (the entire record) John Entwhistle’s work for the group are often stories: My Wife 905 Trick of the Light Ray Davies of the Kinks also often tells a story: Lola Apeman Victoria Sitting in the Midday Sun Here Comes Flash Ducks on the Wall Come Dancing ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/9 "2007-04-24T02:57:33Z")
Brownsville Girl, by Bob Dylan. [Lyrics](http://orad.dent.kyushu-u.ac.jp/dylan/browvill.html) Heard a thousand times, and I still don’t know what he’s talking (singing) about. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/10 "2007-04-24T04:12:12Z")
Golly gee, but it’s been a bad day at work, and I’m schnozzled, but no one’s brought up Springsteen? State Trooper, The River, and a dozen more I can’t think of? Townes Van Zant? ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/11 "2007-04-24T04:16:03Z")
[Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts](http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/lily.html) - Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/12 "2007-04-24T04:45:01Z")
The Wedding List - Kate Bush Virginia - The Marshall Tucker Band Two Silhouettes - The Rays Nosferatu - Blue Oyster Cult ---
**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:** [April 24, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/13 "2007-04-24T04:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] A lot of Harry Chapin’s ballads tell interesting little stories. Off the top of my head: Taxi A Better Place to Be The Rock Bummer Sniper They Call Her Easy Mr. Tanner W.O.L.D. The Mayor of Candor Lied What Made America Famous? [/QUOTE] Don’t forget Cat’s in the Cradle. 😉 Charlie Daniels had a few good ones: Uneasy Rider The Devil Went Down to Georgia ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/14 "2007-04-24T05:05:01Z")
Me and My Uncle - Grateful Dead ---
**Author:** ![Gentle\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gentle\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gentle_Robot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/15 "2007-04-24T05:10:35Z")
Okkervil River - Westfall Fountains of Wayne - Strapped for Cash ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/16 "2007-04-24T06:49:58Z")
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/17 "2007-04-24T10:54:10Z")
**Askance** beat me to Dylan’s Jack of Hearts which was the first to come to mind. The second was: [Alice’s Restaurant](http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml) by Arlo Guthrie (Actually the story is all spoken but it’s still a story innt?) ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/18 "2007-04-24T12:13:31Z")
_Red Barchetta_, Rush _American Pie_, Don MacLean _As Cool As I Am_, Dar Williams ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/19 "2007-04-24T12:14:26Z")
My first thought is always Kenny Roger’s The Gambler. You got to know when to hold 'em. Know when the fold 'em. Know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you’re sitting at the table. They’ll be time enough for counting when the dealing’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390/20 "2007-04-24T14:32:34Z")
**Violent Femmes** - _Country Death Song_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-tell-a-good-story/401390.md?page=2)