So, I wonder if this is good enough for @elfkin477 .
Maybe elfkin477 will review every single song mentioned in this thread, and come back to tell us which ones he’s happy with for the purposes of this thread.
I think this one fits the OP’s criteria:
Yeah, for the posters who thought we should only have spoken songs in here, this is a good one.
And when he does it live, he gives Lord Buckley credit… and it’s such a nice break from his usual concert fare.
Early Paul Revere and the Raiders wrote their own music. They had great talent with bass lines, but not so much with a full melody, so they did a few story songs where they basically talked through the lyrics.
female drummer
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, “912 Greens”
My two favorite Richard Thompson songs! Great choices.
If having spoken lyrics is part of the criteria, there’s always this one: King Missile - Detachable Penis - YouTube
I’ve never not clicked on a link faster…
…and so you are missing out on hearing one of the greatest, funniest songs of the '90s.
Here’s something:
Perhaps I missed it but has no one mentioned El Paso by Marty Robbins? And from the same classic album (“Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs”), Big Iron.
I think Taxi by Harry Chapin qualifies.
I’m not sure if it counts but what about ‘The Friends of Mr. Cairo’
Another REK number Merry Christmas from the Family, although the chorus lyrics change each time.
And a more somber Christmas song - Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon
Two from the late, great Stan Rogers
Recognize the vocals? It’s from an album that Vangelis did with Jon Anderson (YES).
Watch out, once you listen to this, it’ll get stuck in your head (especially the bass line) … or skip to the soft half, starting at 7:07.
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Oh, and you can’t beat Stan Rogers for stories. ‘The Mary Carter’ is uplifting, which he spells out in the last verse. A friend helped raise a wreck in the Great Lakes and this was their anthem.
I remember “I’ll Find My Way Home” from the same Jon And Vangelis album, which was quite a hit, at least in Germany (#6 here):
ETA: and boy, I’m listening to it now after many years, how it’s dated! Those were the “all you can do with synthesizers and pack it all in one song” days.
You are correct. But people seem happy enough so…
Here is one with a true story. 18 minutes!
ETA OK, he is definitely singing…
Here you go:
The Uninvited- Too High For the Supermarket
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - Hot Rod Lincoln
