# Trivia from songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 27, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755 "2011-09-27T12:07:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/361 "2011-10-01T00:09:39Z")
Fun with Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown! (1) Mr. Jones may have shown up for work high on cocaine, but he still better watch his speed! Who is he, and what’s his line? (2) When poor Mr. Brown fell into the deep, dark well, Suzy Jones witnessed it, told her Ma, who told Pa, who went to town to tell the villagers. Alas, by the time the villagers arrived to rescue Mr. Brown, it was too late and he had drowned. What was Mr. Brown’s full name (bonus points if you can spell it right), and what delayed the villagers’ arrival? # – senegoid ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/362 "2011-10-01T00:22:56Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (7) Having been forsaken umpty-ump years ago by her ideal lover, she spent her days dreaming that he would return and take her away to his fabulous mansion. To keep the memory (or fantasy) alive, what memento did she appear to wear all the time? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by? > [@Senegoid](#): > > Fun with Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown! > > (1) Mr. Jones may have shown up for work high on cocaine, but he still better watch his speed! Who is he, and what’s his line? His name was John Luther Jones, used his nickname of “Casey”, he was a railroad engineer, and the Grateful Dead made the part about cocaine up. Guy died a hero. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/363 "2011-10-01T00:31:15Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Greetings, All! I’ve followed this-here board sporadically for years, without signing up, but I’m having so much fun following this-here thread that I just have to sign up and try my hand at it! May I? > > (1) Hallelujah, the Lord worketh in mysterious ways! When the folks of this evangelical congregation fell away from the Lord’s Way, He sent a small wild animal to set them straight again. They reformed! They repented! They even volunteered for missions in the Congo! They shouted “Hallelujah!” Amen, brother! > (a) What congregation was this? > (b) In what city? > (c) What little animal inspired them to do all that and more? > (d) What exactly did that little critter do, to have such an effect? The squirrel went beserk in the First Self-Righteous Church in the sleepy little town of Pascagoula! ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/364 "2011-10-01T00:48:56Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (2) We should all hope our friends always speak truthfully to us, wouldn’t you think? In what dreary place did I wake up, hoping that a friend had lied to me? You were lying in a burned-out basement, with a full moon in your eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/365 "2011-10-01T00:50:35Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (6) A deaf, dumb, and blind kid would be the perfect victim for a pedophiliac relative, baby-sitter, or whatever, to to WHAT with? Fiddle about ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/366 "2011-10-01T00:56:06Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Could it be a faded rose from days gone by? It could indeed have been that, but we’ll never know for sure, will we? > [@Oakminster](#): > > His name was John Luther Jones, used his nickname of “Casey”, he was a railroad engineer, and the Grateful Dead made the part about cocaine up. Guy died a hero. Many years ago, I heard Johnny Cash, live in concert at the Circle Star, sing a song about that, emphasizing the heroic aspect. Anybody here know that song? (This is a real question, not a trivia one. I don’t remember anything more about it myself.) Cutesy minor side-issue: A post far up-thread asks why someone shot a man in Reno. I heard Mr. Cash sing that song live at county fair in Paso Robles (Ca.), at which time he mentioned a real stumper of a question that a fan had once asked him: If you shot a man in Reno, whatcha doing in jail at FOLSOM (Ca.)? * * * (1) This old man could only play one thing, but he played that in (or on) a whole bunch of different oddball places, enumerated in the song from one to ten. What did his poor hungry doggy get? (2) This old farmer must have had quite a large property, having some of every kind of farm animal you could think of. Where on the property could you hear them all going cluck-cluck, moo-moo, oink-oink, baa-baa, etc.? (3) Feeling blue? Life gotcha down? We have the answer! It’s big, it’s bright, you’ve seen it advertised in LIFE! You’ll feel just fine! But you better hurry because supplies are limited and nearly gone! What color is it? Gotta run off to the doctor now. Back later! # – senegoid ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/367 "2011-10-01T01:34:36Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (1) This old man could only play one thing, but he played that in (or on) a whole bunch of different oddball places, enumerated in the song from one to ten. What did his poor hungry doggy get? > > (2) This old farmer must have had quite a large property, having some of every kind of farm animal you could think of. Where on the property could you hear them all going cluck-cluck, moo-moo, oink-oink, baa-baa, etc.? > > (3) Feeling blue? Life gotcha down? We have the answer! It’s big, it’s bright, you’ve seen it advertised in LIFE! You’ll feel just fine! But you better hurry because supplies are limited and nearly gone! What color is it? 1. He played knick knack paddywack. The dog got a bone. 2. Here. There. Everywhere. 3. Green ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/368 "2011-10-01T02:11:22Z")
All mine have been guessed correctly. I’ll float some more. Why? Because we love you. Where will I show you my dark secret? Why do some people call me Maurice? How do they go, after the show? Hi-dee-hidey-hidey-hie? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/369 "2011-10-01T02:50:07Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Why do some people call me Maurice? Because you speak of the pompitous of love. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/370 "2011-10-01T03:03:04Z")
Still looking for this one… Dreams of war, dreams of lies… what else do you dream of? This one might be kind of obscure, or someone here might get it right away. What happens to my colors when you leave? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/371 "2011-10-01T03:03:50Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (5) For you U. S. History buffs, this song is based on a REAL LIVE event that really happened, you could do some on-line research to find out the details! What (besides Rick Perry) screamed through Texas like a mad dog cyclone? > Bonus points for you history buffs: > – When did this happen? (Song title gives the year, but you might be able to find the exact date.) > – What exactly was it, in a little more detail than given (although implied) in the song? [Texas, 1947](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvS4s-8GJRE), by Guy Clark _Big and red and silver She don’t make no smoke She’s a fast rolling streamlined Come to show the folks_ I don’t know the exact date, but it’s a first-person, child’s account of the first express train passing through the station in Clark’s hometown of Monohans, “out between Pecos and nowhere,” without stopping. > [@Jack Batty](#): > > Hi-dee-hidey-hidey-hie? Ho-dee-hodee-hodee-ho. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/372 "2011-10-01T03:41:56Z")
Labdad, you one smart daddy! Now, you ready to take on the _petite oiseau_ question (Warning! Gory! NSFW, some might say!) And the death of poor Eddie Brown in the deep dark well? Or even the death of the hunter’s lover? Hi-dee-hidey-hidey-hie? I didn’t even know that was a question. > [@Enginerd](#): > > [Texas, 1947](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvS4s-8GJRE), by Guy Clark > > _Big and red and silver > She don’t make no smoke > She’s a fast rolling streamlined > Come to show the folks_ > > I don’t know the exact date, but it’s a first-person, child’s account of the first express train passing through the station in Clark’s hometown of Monohans, “out between Pecos and nowhere,” without stopping. YES, and more specifically: It was the debut of the **Diesel-powered locomotive**. Nobody had ever seen one of THOSE before! She don’t lay no smoke! **And now:** (1) What a cataclysmic day! The king lost his crown. A fallout shelter fell from the sky into the middle of a football game, thoroughly disrupting it. Jack impaled himself you-know-where on that candlestick. (And I had a sordid vision in which the Devil got a good laugh out of that. Actually, so did I.) And finally, as noted up-thread, the Deities Themselves abandoned us! What catastrophic event happened that day to bring about all this chaos? Bonus points: What was revealed? (2) Everybody across the USA is doing it! (No, not THAT!) Allegedly, at least. I can picture it on the Atlantic seaboard, and obviously in Californ-eye-yay, but everywhere inland in-between too? In Denver? In Las Vegas? In Salt Lake City? Hard to imagine, methinks. What is everybody allegedly doing? (3) Ah, those were the days (referring to the above question). Daddy gave his teen-age daughter a very expensive gift, which she promptly went hog-wild with, getting into all kinds of trouble. Finally, Daddy had to put a stop to all the fun – and much to everyone’s surprise, after that, she had even MORE fun! What did Daddy do to, uh, put the brakes on? Bonus points: Change one word (to another nearly rhyming one) to update this story for the 21st century. (4) And that brings this to mind: Want a really fancy car for free? Just steal one, if you think you can get away with it. I stole one straight from the factory (ya might say it’s cheaper that way), but something went definitely wrong. Everybody laughed when they saw it, except the folks at the courthouse. (a) Why weren’t they amused at the courthouse? (b) How many headlights did it have? (You’d think they would at least have found THAT amusing!) (5) Aboard what vehicle might you hear the lonely hoboes call? (6) My mother was a mermaid and my siblings were a porpoise and a porgy (who got served up on a chafing dish). Who was my father? Don’t you dopers have nothing better to do with your lives than staying up all night doing this kind of stuff? Me neither. # – senegoid ---
**Author:** ![Newton\_s\_Apple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Newton\_s\_Apple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newton_s_Apple)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/373 "2011-10-01T04:00:57Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (3) Daddy gave his teen-age daughter a very expensive gift, which she promptly went hog-wild with, getting into all kinds of trouble. Finally, Daddy had to put a stop to all the fun – and much to everyone’s surprise, after that, she had even MORE fun! What did Daddy do to, uh, put the brakes on? Bonus points: Change one word (to another nearly rhyming one) to update this story for the 21st century. He took the T-Bird away? What do the peasants call sweet Melinda, and what does she do to you after inviting you up into her room? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/374 "2011-10-01T04:05:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > (1) What a cataclysmic day! The king lost his crown. A fallout shelter fell from the sky into the middle of a football game, thoroughly disrupting it. Jack impaled himself you-know-where on that candlestick. (And I had a sordid vision in which the Devil got a good laugh out of that. Actually, so did I.) And finally, as noted up-thread, the Deities Themselves abandoned us! What catastrophic event happened that day to bring about all this chaos? Bonus points: What was revealed? That was the day the music died. > [@](#): > > (3) Ah, those were the days (referring to the above question). Daddy gave his teen-age daughter a very expensive gift, which she promptly went hog-wild with, getting into all kinds of trouble. Finally, Daddy had to put a stop to all the fun – and much to everyone’s surprise, after that, she had even MORE fun! What did Daddy do to, uh, put the brakes on? We had fun fun fun 'til her daddy took the t-bird away. > [@](#): > > (4) And that brings this to mind: Want a really fancy car for free? Just steal one, if you think you can get away with it. I stole one straight from the factory (ya might say it’s cheaper that way), but something went definitely wrong. Everybody laughed when they saw it, except the folks at the courthouse. > (a) Why weren’t they amused at the courthouse? > (b) How many headlights did it have? (You’d think they would at least have found THAT amusing!) Get it one piece at a time. - it won’t cost you a dime. (a)'Course, they won’t laugh at the courthouse. To type it up might take the whole staff… and the final title weighted 60 pounds. (b) three headlights - two on the left and one on the right. And one tailfin! > [@](#): > > (5) Aboard what vehicle might you hear the lonely hoboes call? [The Wabash Cannonball](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabash_Cannonball) > [@](#): > > Don’t you dopers have nothing better to do with your lives than staying up all night doing this kind of stuff? Apparently not. Good to know I have company. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/375 "2011-10-01T04:06:46Z")
> [@Newton\_s\_Apple](#): > > What do the peasants call sweet Melinda, and what does she do to you after inviting you up into her room? Sweet Melinda, aka the Goddess of Gloom, speaks good English. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/376 "2011-10-01T04:14:15Z")
> [@Newton\_s\_Apple](#): > > He took the T-Bird away? > What do the peasants call sweet Melinda, and what does she do to you after inviting you up into her room? The goddess of gloom, she takes your voice and leaves you howlin’ at the moon. (Note, there are at least three distinct songs about Sweet Melinda, she’s so famous, you have to find the right one!) Well? What does 21st century Daddy do to put a lid on that teen-age daughter? Change just one word! # – senegoid ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/377 "2011-10-01T04:33:32Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > That was the day the music died. > We had fun fun fun 'til her daddy took the t-bird away. Newton’s Apple and Enginerd got it: \> We had fun fun fun 'til her daddy took the t-bird away. And now, speaking of birds, y’all dopers put on your little bird-brain thinking caps and take this little ornithology quiz: (1) I saw a bird engaging in the same activity I’ve been doing, although to be sure, I don’t do it high up in a banana tree. (a) What color is this bird? (b) What activity? (c) What could this bird do instead, that I cannot do? (2) I encouraged this bird to mend his broken wings and learn to fly. (a) What color is this bird? (b) What has he spent his whole life waiting for? (3) It’s just a little bird, but I had a fantasy that I could hide beneath her wings whilst she sings. (a) What color is this bird? (b) Why did I think I could do that? (I’m a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_) (4) This bird was left, caged, out on a stormy night. She’ll die if she’s left there. (a) What color is this bird? (b) What does she dream of? (5) If this bird will just keep on flying, I’ll be back home with my love, who was alone for a long time. (a) What color is this bird? (b) How does this bird differ from those in the above questions? # – Senegoid ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/378 "2011-10-01T05:24:21Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > His name was John Luther Jones, used his nickname of “Casey”, he was a railroad engineer, and the Grateful Dead made the part about cocaine up. Guy died a hero. Okay, this is a _really_, really tiny nit I’m picking, but…his nickname is should actually be spelled “Cayce”, after his hometown in Kentucky. When he joined the railroad, their were already (if memory serves) ten "John Jones"es in his division, and two "J.L. Jones"es, so a coworker gave him his nickname. And he was a teetotaler. And a hero. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/379 "2011-10-01T05:33:28Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > In a paper cup. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Newton\_s\_Apple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Newton\_s\_Apple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newton_s_Apple)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755/380 "2011-10-01T05:46:22Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > The goddess of gloom, she takes your voice > and leaves you howlin’ at the moon. > (Note, there are at least three distinct songs about Sweet Melinda, she’s so famous, you have to find the right one!) correct. Enginerd’s answer was also true, she does speak good English (but that comes before the invitation to her room…) As for the bird with the broken wings, it is black, and all its life has only been waiting for this moment to arise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivia-from-songs/597755.md?page=20)