She wrote a long letter
on a short piece of paper.
“You’re coming along”
Great final line from Supertramp’s “School”.
You’re bloody well right.
“And I left his dead ass there by the side of the road” “Me and My Uncle” written by John Phillips and performed by the Greatful Dead and others.
“Never could stand that dog”. Tom Waits - Frank’s Wild Years
Rock ‘n’ Roll never forgets
At least used twice. And So True!
The Kinks have lots of great lyrics. One I like from Celluloid Heroes:
I wish my life was non-stop Hollywood movie show
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die
And it was at that very moment that the pickle with the ticket was going down my throat … that I knew for sure that … I didn’t want a pickle.
-Arlo Guthrie
And the fields are full of dancing,
full of singing and romancing,
the music never stopped.
-Grateful Dead
It turned out Earl was a missing person that nobody missed at all
-Dixie Chicks
I really like this version :
(The Blind Boys of Alabama, on “Later” with Jools Holland)
And then there’s this :-
While rehearsing for his act he made the grandiose mistake of living with his long lost uncles
Could you blame them for wondering bout nephew who just couldn’t seem to loose the chuckles
But his song went on and on and on, and that’s about all i have to say
His uncles did not realize the wrong they did when they had him put away
Called the laughing song (all day long!) (repeat)
Dan Hicks, The Laughing Song.
Cat’s Cradle, Harry Chapin; it brings a perfect finale to the song:
I’ve long since retired, my son’s moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, I’d like to see you if you don’t mind
He said, I’d love to, dad, if I can find the time
You see, my new job’s a hassle, and the kids have the flu
But it’s sure nice talking to you, dad
It’s been sure nice talking to you
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me
He’d grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And on a different note: A Boy Named Sue, Johnny Cash:
What could I do?
I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
I called him my pa, and he called me his son
Come away with a different point of view
And I think about him, now and then
Every time I try and every time I win
And if I ever have a boy, I’ll name him
Bill or George or Frank, anything damn thing but Sue
I still hate that name
Brilliantly played. {golf clap}
And me, I spend a lot of time picking flowers up on Choctaw ridge, and dropping them in to the muddy waters off the Tallahatchie bridge.
Happy Billy Joe McAllister day!
The End - The Beatles
And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make
Except his boy was not just like him. The narrator ignored the son; the son is ignoring the father, but not his own kids. One of the reasons he gives for not being able to visit his father is “the kids have the flu” so apparently the son is a more attentive father than he ever was.
[/pedantic mode]
The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river
Forever and ever…
Pink Floyd, “High Hopes”
Unless the kids didn’t REALLY have the flu, and it was just an excuse not to have to visit his dad.
She’s leaving now 'cause I just heard the slamming of the door
The way I know I’ve heard it slam one hundred times before
And if I could move, I’d get my gun and put her in the ground.
Oh, Ruby, don’t take your love to town
Oh, Ruby, for God’s sake, turn around
Ruby - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
The devil bowed his head because he knew that he’d been beat
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny’s feet
Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again
I done told you once you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been"
(refrain)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia by the Charley Daniels Band
Any way the wind blows (BIG ASS GONG!)