# Songs that use city names as a rhyme (and is there one for every state?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629 "2015-06-27T15:29:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2019, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/201 "2019-06-10T02:16:58Z")
Man With a Mission: “Dead End in Tokyo” On a dead-end street in Tokyo I finished my bottle all alone Where I’ll end up, well I just don’t know Another dead end in Tokyo ---
**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:** [June 23, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/202 "2019-06-23T16:44:59Z")
What about Creedence Clearwater Revivals (and Tina Turner’s smoking cover of) "Proud Mary? Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis Pumped a lot of 'pane down in New Orleans But I never saw the good side of the city 'Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/203 "2019-06-23T18:45:42Z")
From Sinatra’s “Let’s Get Away from It All”: _Let’s take a boat to Bermuda Let’s take a plane to Saint Paul. Let’s take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack, Let’s get away from it all._ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/204 "2019-06-23T18:49:18Z")
Also from “Little Green Apples”: _It don’t snow in Minneapolis in the wintertime._ ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/205 "2019-06-23T20:16:35Z")
What’s the rhyme there? All I can figure is that they split the line in the middle of the word: “It don’t snow in Minneapo- lis in the wintertime” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/206 "2019-06-23T20:40:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What’s the rhyme there? All I can figure is that they split the line in the middle of the word: > “It don’t snow > in Minneapo- > lis in the wintertime” I guess “Minne-ap’lis” (like “Indian-ap’lis”) sounds kind of like “green apples” if you stretch it a bit. Don’t blame me, I didn’t write the song! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/207 "2019-06-24T15:44:56Z")
I didn’t see **Jimmy Buffet** ’s _Volcano_ in this thread yet… “But I don’t want to land in New York City Don’t want to land in Mexico Don’t want to land on no Three Mile Island Don’t want to see my skin aglow Don’t want to land in Commanche Sky Park Or in Nashville, Tennessee Don’t want to land in no San Juan airport Or the Yukon Territory Don’t want to land no San Diego Don’t want to land in no Buzzards Bay (no no no) Don’t want to land on no Ayatollah I got nothing more to say” ---
**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:** [June 24, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/208 "2019-06-24T16:13:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > I guess “Minne-ap’lis” (like “Indian-ap’lis”) sounds kind of like “green apples” if you stretch it a bit. > > Don’t blame me, I didn’t write the song! ☹ I did mention the song in my OP #1. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/209 "2019-06-24T17:04:18Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I did mention the song in my OP #1. You mentioned Indian-ap’lis, but not Minne-ap’lis. ---
**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:** [June 24, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/210 "2019-06-24T18:50:49Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > I didn’t see **Jimmy Buffet** ’s _Volcano_ in this thread yet… > “But I don’t want to land in New York City > Don’t want to land in Mexico > Don’t want to land on no Three Mile Island > Don’t want to see my skin aglow > Don’t want to land in Commanche Sky Park > Or in Nashville, Tennessee > Don’t want to land in no San Juan airport > Or the Yukon Territory > Don’t want to land no San Diego > Don’t want to land in no Buzzards Bay (no no no) > Don’t want to land on no Ayatollah > I got nothing more to say” None of the city names in that are used as rhymes. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/211 "2019-06-24T20:26:58Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > None of the city names in that are used as rhymes. Yeah, I realized that after posting.☹ ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/212 "2019-06-24T22:03:31Z")
The reprehensible “Me and you and a dog named Boo”–where the narrator “can still recall the wheat fields near St. Paul”… There ARE NO F----ng wheat fields here, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/213 "2019-06-24T23:16:19Z")
Well, not any more. Dude’s got a long memory. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/214 "2019-06-25T00:06:00Z")
I loaded up their furniture and took it to Spokane And auctioned off every last Naugahyde divan-- “Mr. Bad Example” Warren Zevon ---
**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:** [June 25, 2019, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/215 "2019-06-25T13:16:26Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I did mention the song in my OP #1. > [@terentii](#): > > You mentioned Indian-ap’lis, but not Minne-ap’lis. Right you are. How did I miss that? > [@Tangent](#): > > None of the city names in that are used as rhymes. > [@xizor](#): > > Yeah, I realized that after posting.☹ Don’t want to land in no Buzzards Bay (no no no) Don’t want to land on no Ayatollah I got nothing more to say “Buzzards Bay” and “say” rhyme. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/216 "2019-06-29T13:48:54Z")
The only town in the Beach Boys Kokomo that’s in the US of A: Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go ---
**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:** [July 22, 2019, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629/217 "2019-07-22T13:18:22Z")
ABBA’s Super Trouper starts out with a rhyme I love: I was sick and tired of everything When I called you last night from Glasgow All I do is eat and sleep and sing Wishing every show was the last show Hey! Show me where they sing “Scotland.” There are US states with a town named [Glasglow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_(disambiguation)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-use-city-names-as-a-rhyme-and-is-there-one-for-every-state/723629.md?page=10)