# Story-songs (other than Alice's Restaurant) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 20, 2021, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802 "2021-10-20T01:34:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/101 "2021-10-20T20:13:24Z")
Railroad Earth songs all tell a story. There’s one about a hunter who finally gets his elk/ deer and takes a bite of the warm heart. ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/102 "2021-10-20T20:16:22Z")
Not sure if these qualify: “Piano Man” - Billy Joel “Tom’s Diner” - Suzanne Vega “Me and Bobby McGee” - Kris Kristofferson or Janis Joplin “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” - George Thorogood “Laurie (Strange Things Happen)” - Dickey Lee “Patches” - Dickey Lee ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/103 "2021-10-20T20:22:04Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > No, no, no! The classic C.W. story song is: > > [Wolf Creek Pass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6LzWZYWpOU) How could you leave out, _Well, Earl grabbed on the shifter And he stabbed her into fifth gear And then the chromium plated Fully illuminated Genuine accessory shift knob Come right off in his hand I says, “You wanna screw that thing back on, Earl?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/104 "2021-10-20T20:22:19Z")
So far as I can tell, nobody has mentioned Tangled Up In Blue. Must be a conspiracy - so I won’t either. However, let me introduce you to (or remind you of) **Dat** by **Pluto Shervington** (1976). It’s… not an easy story to follow, as the details are recounted by Pluto in Jamaican patois - but it is splendid. Wiki describes it as: > …about a Rastafarian [Ozzy] trying to buy pork (without naming it aloud), contrary to his faith, so that he can afford marijuana (This went unbanned in the UK at the time, presumably because none of the worthy souls at the BBC could understand it.) In the course of his efforts, the butcher tries to dissuade Ozzy, leading him through possible alternatives to pork, at one point mentioning the meat by name, leading Ozzy to exclaim: > Hush your mouth man, me brethren hear > Sell I a poun’ a dat thing there Having obtained his pork (and so ensured he has enough money for weed), Ozzy then runs into Rasta Jeremiah on his way home, leading to an unexpected conclusion to the story. I wrote that explanation 'cos I’m kinda evangelical about this song, and I’m trying to persuade you to give it a go. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6FYTL8ydERw/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgXShUMA8=&rs=AOn4CLD1CB2l_aOL8ennMAyrPFzujATgjA "Pluto - Dat") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FYTL8ydERw) j ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/105 "2021-10-20T22:27:54Z")
The Animals - The Story of Bo Diddley [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gULPlY9WexA/hqdefault.jpg "The Animals - The Story Of Bo Diddley") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gULPlY9WexA) ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/106 "2021-10-20T22:28:41Z")
Here’s a couple I never thought I’d mention in the same breath: [The Gift (Velvet Underground)](https://youtu.be/-qkM7Tp3IvY) [Detachable Penis (King Missile)](https://youtu.be/byDiILrNbM4) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/107 "2021-10-20T23:07:58Z")
Red Barchetta, by Rush ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/108 "2021-10-21T00:50:09Z")
The Legend of Wooley Swamp, a particularly apropos story song for the Halloween season. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_7Ox9N1490Y/maxresdefault.jpg "The Legend Of Wooley Swamp") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Ox9N1490Y) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/109 "2021-10-21T01:14:21Z")
Tommy the Cat! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/r4OhIU-PmB8/maxresdefault.jpg "Primus - Tommy The Cat (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4OhIU-PmB8) ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/110 "2021-10-21T01:24:42Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > > I got the impression that @elfkin477 was looking for songs where the storytelling part was **spoken** , not sung. Am I wrong? Many of the examples that have been offered don’t fit that criterion > > You are correct. But people seem happy enough so… Oh, I didn’t see this in the original post. That knocks out all the songs I posted above. Here’s one that’s part spoken, part sung, Bette Middler’s “Otto Titsling”. It isn’t structured with a chorus, though. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zc5OcW4z0mA/maxresdefault.jpg "Otto Titsling") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5OcW4z0mA) ---
**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 21, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/111 "2021-10-21T01:26:52Z")
Haven’t thought of this one for years, but I used to love it as much as Alice’s way back when. Jaime Brockett - Legend of the USS Titanic [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4XFYMjkFYPg/hqdefault.jpg "Jaime Brockett - Legend of the USS Titanic (FULL)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFYMjkFYPg) If you like that, also try “Talkin Green Beret Super Yellow Hydraulic Banana Teeny Bopper Blues” off the same amazing album, _Remember the Wind and Rain_, which, as one would expect from the title, contains regular folk songs as well. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2S_tgHact_4/maxresdefault.jpg "Jaime Brockett - "Talkin' Green Beret Super Yellow Hydraulic Banana Teeny Bopper Blues" 1968 STEREO") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S_tgHact_4) ---
**Author:** ![SacFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@SacFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SacFly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/112 "2021-10-21T02:11:44Z")
My first thought was 30,000 pounds of bananas, but that’s already been mentioned. This song then occurred to me as I went through this delightful thread. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0HWT6XD014I/hqdefault.jpg "Finnegan's Wake - The Clancy Brothers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HWT6XD014I) ---
**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:** [October 21, 2021, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/113 "2021-10-21T02:39:30Z")
Bill Cosby “Little Ole Man” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ivyQYEkQjI4/maxresdefault.jpg "Little Old Man (Up Tight, Everything's Alright)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivyQYEkQjI4) Jerry Reed “She Got the Gold Mine (I Got the Shaft)” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eV67FuREdSc/maxresdefault.jpg "She Got The Goldmine (I Got The Shaft) (Buddha Remastered - 2000)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV67FuREdSc) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/114 "2021-10-21T02:50:09Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I found out about this one from the Dope! I sang “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” to my mother when driving from Arkansas to California. I think we were in New Mexico so it’s not like it took me the whole trip to sing it. It’s not that long. Ghoultown’s [“Drink with the Living Dead”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yywGI1H_oyM) tells the story of a cowboy who gets into a drinking contest with dead guy cursed to walk the earth. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/115 "2021-10-21T03:09:19Z")
‘[Jailbreak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8xScxmekQk&ab_channel=CristiVasile)’ by AC/DC. It’s about… well, I don’t want to spoil it. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/116 "2021-10-21T04:57:15Z")
[Pentangle’s “Cruel Sister”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3S2brPXjEM) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/117 "2021-10-21T09:23:36Z")
The Scotsman, by Seamus Kennedy [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MZ35SOU9HTM/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGC0gZShPMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCOa6Cb_03mdtPSLPoKO1r70EXCRw "The drunk Scotsman (lyrics)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ35SOU9HTM) ---
**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 21, 2021, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/118 "2021-10-21T11:54:27Z")
> [@anny\_m](#): > > “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” - George Thorogood John Lee Hooker did it better ten years before Thorogood. And Amos Milburn originally recorded the song in 1953, over ten years before Hooker. Trivia: the songwriter originally penned it _One Scotch, One Bourbon, and One Beer_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/119 "2021-10-21T12:51:09Z")
How about a full album? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YJ9W2pZwvlY/hqdefault.jpg "Rick Wakeman Journey to the Centre of the Earth Full Album 1974 YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ9W2pZwvlY) ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802/120 "2021-10-21T13:02:37Z")
This should have been my first post to this thread… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MDYsw4t2rAI/hqdefault.jpg "Walter Brennan - Old Rivers") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDYsw4t2rAI) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-songs-other-than-alices-restaurant/952802.md?page=7)