# What's your favorite "story song"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2002, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107 "2002-11-10T05:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/41 "2002-11-11T02:33:26Z")
**Hurricane** by Bob Dylan **Bungalow Bill** by The Beatles **Dinah Moe Humm** by Frank Zappa ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/42 "2002-11-11T02:43:04Z")
Meatloaf’s Paradise By The Dashboard Lights ---
**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:** [November 11, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/43 "2002-11-11T02:57:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moodtobestewed \* > \*\*Marty Robbins recorded too many great story songs to mention. \*\* Aw, come on. Let’s go ahead and mention one. 😛 El Paso, by Marty Robbins = best of the cowboy story songs ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/44 "2002-11-11T03:17:00Z")
**A Man Named Sue** is the absolute greatest! But my personal favorite right now is by the local band _The Flametrick Subs_. It’s entittled **The Tiajuana Cat Toss**. The joyful story of a frat boy in Mexico with twenty dollars to spare. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/45 "2002-11-11T03:30:53Z")
Stan by _Eminem_ Luka by _Suzanne Vega_ Battle of New Orleans by _Jimmy Driftwood_ “Well they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles, and they ran through the bushes where a rabbit wouldn’t go. They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch em, on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.” ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/46 "2002-11-11T03:44:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mudshark \* > **Dinah Moe Humm** by Frank Zappa \*\* But of course! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![beegirl13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@beegirl13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beegirl13)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/47 "2002-11-11T04:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bean\_shadow \* > \*\*“The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,” by “Weird Al” Yankovic. The story of a father taking his family to see the greatest landmark in the world. 😃 \*\* The best story song by Weird Al is “Albuquerque”. A long, meandering story, but worth it! 😃 “A-L-B-U…QUERQUE” ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/48 "2002-11-11T04:56:23Z")
Night of the Johnstown Flood by Bruce Springsteen Percy’s Song by Bob Dylan ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/49 "2002-11-11T08:31:15Z")
I guess he’s forgotten. In his prime Tom T Hall’s band was called “The Storytellers.” One of his songs…“Old Dogs, Little Children and Watermelon Wine.” ---
**Author:** ![kawliga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kawliga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kawliga)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/50 "2002-11-11T08:52:35Z")
“The Wreck of Old 97”, many versions recorded. I like Hank Snow’s. “Big Iron” by Marty Robbins “Detroit City”, “Streets of Baltimore”, and “Lynching Party”, all by Bobby Bare “Partners” by Jim Reeves “Saginaw, Michigan” and “Long Black Veil” by Lefty Frizzell ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/51 "2002-11-11T09:01:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*\ ***A Man Named Sue** is the absolute greatest! \*\* That’s _A Boy Named Sue_. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by dinahmoe_ > **Oh, and “William Wants A Doll,” sung by Alan Alda on "Free to Be You and Me."** AAH! 70s OVERLOAD! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Sam Stone_ > **Or "Cat’s in the Cradle"** My god, man, have you no saccharin receptors? That song is a Glurge Gallery in and of itself! My favorite? "Lemme tell y’all a story 'bout a man named Jed. Poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed… " 😃 (Actually, I’m with _The Devil Went Down to Georgia_ by the Charlie Daniels Band.) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/52 "2002-11-11T10:50:54Z")
_When the Beatles Hit America_ by John Wesley Harding, about a hypothetical Beatles reunion. He’s changed the lyrics a bit over the years, with references to DVD and pay-per-view, and I’m not sure if he still does it since the death of George Harrison (or Linda McCartney for that matter, she’s in the song as well.) \*And things skip into action immediately, George buys the film rights in a flurry of activity. Paul says they’re not gonna play Japan, And Ringo cancels his chat show plans. And John, who was never the quiet one, John stays silent for time being. And the world sings; When the Beatles hit America, When the Beatles hit America, \*[spoken]They’re gonna be sponsored by Visa.[/spoken] _Isaac’s Lament_, by Uncle Bonsai, about a man who is distraught and flings himself from his apartment window when he hears news that _The Love Boat_ has been cancelled. There’s also the Doug songs, started with Uncle Bonsai and continued with various side projects, which could be considered one epic saga. And, of course, _A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request_ by Steve Goodman. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/53 "2002-11-11T11:08:46Z")
There’s a beautiful English traditional (which I’m reminded of because it’s on the new Nickel Creak) called “House Carpenter”. Very lovely. Very depressing. My mother used to sing it to me. That and “Detachable Penis”. Um. I mean that’s another good story song. My mother never sang me “Detachable Penis”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/54 "2002-11-11T11:49:36Z")
Some good ones have been mentioned here, but my favorite has got to be this one: Greg Keeler’s[Lament of the Laundromat](http://www.troutball.com/songs/lyrics/post_modern_blues/Lament_of_the_Laundromat.htm). I heard it sung a cappella, in a plaintive Irish brogue. It never got much radio airplay–I heard it only once, but it has remained stuck in my heart like a switchblade. If anyone can hear this song without weeping, well, that person is not fully human. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/55 "2002-11-11T11:59:17Z")
Jumpin’ Jesus on a pogo stick, how could I forget: [_Stuart_](http://www.deadmilkmen.com/lyrics.html) by Dead Milkmen. “They’re building landing strips for gay Martians, I swear to God.” **MrO** , for a happier take on a similar theme, try [_Share a Load_](http://www.bobs.com/Lyrics.cgi?Share_A_Load), by The Bobs (part of _The Laundry Cycle_). ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/56 "2002-11-11T13:11:51Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t remember the exact title, but Richard Marx had a song about two young lovers in Nebraska who dreamed of leaving the sticks and chasing adventures in a big city. Their dream ended when the female was strangled down by the river and her boyfriend was arrested (mistakenly?) for murder. Maybe mid '80’s? That song would be _Hazard_, indeed by Richard Marx. Was released in 1992. This I know, because it appears on a compilation I have dating from my younger days entitled _The Best of '92_. Unfortunately, it is the worst case of false advertising since the film _The Neverending Story_. ---
**Author:** ![Osakadave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f07891/32.png) [@Osakadave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadave)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/57 "2002-11-11T13:47:31Z")
So mny mentioned already, but the first one i thought of was Al Stewart’s “Roads to Moscow”. ---
**Author:** ![craiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@craiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/craiger)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/58 "2002-11-11T15:21:33Z")
Why has nobody mentioned the classics? One Tin Soldier by Coven “…Peace on Earth was all it said” Billy Don’t Be a Hero by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods “… I heard his fiancee got a letter that told how Billy died that day” Run Joey Run by David Geddes “… I ran to her. I held her close. When I looked down my hands were red” I apologize for the ommission of the spoiler warning ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/59 "2002-11-11T15:59:40Z")
How about _The Ballad of Curtis Leow_ by **Lynyrd Skynyrd**? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/60 "2002-11-11T16:39:07Z")
Ringo. > [@](#): > > And with my knife, > I saved the life > > Of Ringo. _(sotto voce by the chorus) Riiii-ingoooooo._ Or its companion piece, Irving, the 142nd Fastest Gun in the West. No idea who sang either. Regards, Shodan Although Big Bad John is almost equally classic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107.md?page=4)