# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/81 "2002-11-13T02:41:40Z")
_There was something in the air that night, The stars were bright, **FERNANDO!** _ It had, like, the Mexican War in it, and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/82 "2002-11-13T09:13:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*_Sittin’ there on that sack of seeds…_ \*\* That would be _[Wildwood Weed](http://users.cis.net/sammy/wildweed.htm)_ by Jim Stafford (the first song ever learned on the guitar by **aha** , according to an old thread of mine). He (Stafford, not **aha** ) also did _[Swamp Witch](http://www.geocities.com/foxy19762001/SwampWitch.html)_, which was excellent. For those mentioning _Devil Went Down to Georgia_, I’d humbly suggest _[Uneasy Rider](http://www.thesonglyrics.com/c_artists/lyrics/charliedanieldsband_lyric2.html)_ by the same band. Too funny. I’m siding with **mnemosyne** on this one, though: ELP’s _[Pirates](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/SongUnid/67DF2EE420EA1A4448256AB8002484EE)_ is simply the best, hands down. One of the most majestic songs ever written. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/83 "2002-11-13T13:12:42Z")
And can it be (or maybe I just missed it) that no one’s mentioned Kenny Rogers’ Reuben James? God, that song made me cry when I was a kid!! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/84 "2002-11-13T14:56:16Z")
Dear Lord have mercy, less than 24 hours and I know both who sung _Ringo_ and _Irving_. Like I have the neurons to spare to hold that. You guys are the voices in my head, and I want you out by Friday. 🙂 Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![WavyDavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3da27b/32.png) [@WavyDavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WavyDavy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/85 "2002-11-13T15:03:16Z")
**Tangent** …my apolgies to you and Robert Earl Keen both. :smack: What was I thinkiing. I’ve not heard the Keen version so I will take your word on that and go out and find it and listen. Still, all and all a good song. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/86 "2002-11-13T15:59:10Z")
Yes! Johnny Cash! Harry Chapin!!! Awesome storytellers! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/87 "2002-11-13T17:06:56Z")
I’m really norinew’s daughter but i’m taking over for a moment. I dont think anyone has mentioned Coward Of The County, Long Arm Of The Law, OR The Greatest all by Kenny Rogers. those are my personal favorites but that might just be because I’m only 15. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/88 "2002-11-13T17:47:56Z")
Sorry if this sounds like a hijack, but I remember a story song from the early 1960s where a guy finds this box washed up on the beach and everywhere he takes it, people say "Get out of here with that _%(%&\* and don't come back no more." He even gets it from Saint Peter when he tries to take that box into heaven. I have no idea what was in the box, in the place of the \*%(%&_ there was merely a foot stamping sound. Anyway, does anyone remember that song? If so, what was the title and who sang it? The voice reminded me to Tennessee Ernie Ford but I can’t swear to it. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/89 "2002-11-13T18:17:41Z")
> [@](#): > > “Get out of here with that _%(%&$_ and don’t come back no more.” Phil Harris. Also, Frank Gallup was mentioned earlier. One of his earlier jobs was the host of an early 1950s TZ-ish anthology program called “Lights Out.” The program would open with an image of Gallups seemingly disembodied face looking bug-eyed at the camera, intoning “Hellooooooooo.” Then, he would start the narration, while the camera drew back. At a certain point you saw a candle off to the right (from the viewer’s POV) of the disembodied head. After the introduction for the nights episode, the disembodied head of Gallup would snap to right, looking at the candle, and say “Liiiiiights Oooooouuuuuttt.” They actuall had some pretty decent shows. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/90 "2002-11-13T18:19:26Z")
Oh, and the name of the Phil Harris song was “The Thing.” No relation to Ben Grimm. I saw someone perform it on the “Gong Show” one time–a guy with a huge shirtless belly. Every time the “bump-a-bump” sound came, he “bump-a-bumped” the belly up and down. ---
**Author:** ![MSU\_1978](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@MSU\_1978](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_1978)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/91 "2002-11-13T18:43:45Z")
Thank you, Mjollnir. That has bothered me for the longest time. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/92 "2002-11-13T21:03:01Z")
**Re-Nominations** [ol] [li]_mnemosyne & Dijon Warlock_’s **“Pirates”** by ELP from Works V1[/li][li]_Slartibartfastt_’s **“Alice’s Restaurant”** by Arlo Guthrie from Alice’s Restaurant[/li][li]_Homer J_’s **‘Date Rape’** by Sublime from 40 Ozs. To Freedom[/li][li]_Sam Stone_’s **Lawyers, Guns, and Money** by Warren Zevon from Excitable Boy[/li][li]_norinew & Algernon_’s **“Paradise By The Dashboard Light”** by Meat Loaf from Bat Out Of Hell[/li][li]_El Elvis Rojo & Derleth_’s **A Boy Named Sue** by Johnny Cash from Live At San Quentin[/li][li]_betenoir_’s **“Detachable Penis”** by King Missile from Happy Hour Borrow the Screen Name from Brian Ferry?[/li][li]_DaToad_’s **Trouble Every Day** by The Mothers of Invention from Freak Out Not so much a story, but the lyrics still hold up in today’s political climate[/ol][/li] **I’d Like to Nominate** [ol] [li]_Bob Dylan_ for **Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream** from Bringing it All Back Home. It’s wacky, drug induced, but a great story none-the less[/li][li]_Poe_ for **Hey Pretty** from Haunted. An erotic road trip [/li][li]_Hank Williams Jr_ for **A Country Boy Can Survive** from America (Way I See It). A great story from a part of the US I know little about [/li][li]_The Pretenders_ for **My City Was Gone** from Learning to Crawl. I can’t believe this was omitted in 3 pages of posts [/li][li]_Mark-Almond Band_ for **The City (Grass And Concrete/Taxi To Brooklyn/ Speak Easy It’s A Whiskey Scene)[/li]** from Mark-Almond Band. A turntable hit I never got a chance to hear on radio [li]_War_ for **Spill The Wine** from Eric Burdon Declares War. Another missed one…didn’t it go Top 10?[/li][li]_Amos Milburn, John Lee Hooker or George Thorogood_ for **One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer**. Pick any version you like…I’m partial to JLH’s jazzy funk version from Free Beer & Chicken[/li][li]_Chuck Berry_ for **Reelin’ And Rockin’** from The London Sessions. Raunch performed live in front of a bunch of Brits…better than the American Hot Wax version[/li][li]_Arthur Brown_ for **Fanfare / Fire Poem / Fire** from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Townsend produced insanity[/li][li]_Roger Daltrey_ for **Under A Raging Moon** from Under A raging Moon. A Great Tribute to Kieth with something like a 1/2 dozen drummers[/li][li]_CDB_ for **Uneasy Rider**. Sure he rips of the Man In Black, but I still think it’s better than Devil Went Down to GA[/ol][/li] **Number 3** **Was Not Was** for I Feel Better Than James Brown > [@](#): > > …I was attending Mardi Gras with Fidel Castro > Buxom cross-dressers threw fake gold coins at our feet as we discussed the fate of the revolution > Suddenly, CIA men dressed in bikinis tried to stab us with fountain pens > Fidel blew mustard gas through his cigar and immobilized the lot of them > Nineteen tequilas later we had a deal: Havana goes back to the mob & Fidel & I open a chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken Shops… **Number 2** **Long John Baldry** for Conditional Discharge / Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll > [@](#): > > … Well I remember one particular night I was playing my guitar in a little alleyway off of Waldorf Street in SOHO. > And ah, I got busted by the police. > This policeman came up and dragged me and my guitar and my hat full of pennies off to the police station. > Anyway the next day I had to appear in Marlborough Street police court. And ah, it was quite a day. > Police office giving his evidence, “I was proceeding in a southerly direction my lord, when I heard strange sounds coming from Waldorf Place me lord…A sort of boogie-woogie music was being played. On further investigation, I saw the defendant standing there with guitar and an old hat on the floor collecting pennies. Well I decided that ah, he was contravening a breach of the peace there, as there was a traffic jam about 5 miles long down Waldorf Street; wondering what all the fuss was about. So then I arrested the defendant.” > “Ah, just one moment, officer. What is this boogie-woogie music here you were talking about?” > “Well me lord,” said the officer getting out his notebook (obviously he’d been doing up his homework) “Is a kind of jazz-rhythm music peculiar to the American Negro.” > “Oh, what was the defendant doing playing this kind of music there In Waldorf Street” > Anyway, I got off with a caution. A years conditional discharge. But I’ll aways remember that policeman and his boogie-woogie. > So don’t try to lay no boogie-woogie on the king of rock ‘n roll… **Number 1** **Mike Agranoff** for The Ballad of the Sandman > [@](#): > > …New Year’s Day dawned cold and grey with just a touch of sleet, > And many a jock by nine o’clock found himself on the street. > Me, I came off cheap. A reprimand was all I got. > But New Year’s Night, a new voice broadcast from the Sandman’s slot. > > Since that night the radio’s become my occupation. > I’m now a big-shot D.J. at a major FM station. > But when the hours start to drag, and the night is going slow, > I cue up an album side, crank up my headphone stereo, > And tune into the Sandman… now on National Public Radio. > > When the broadcast room’s a living tomb of cracked accoustic tiles, > And you’re left alone with your microphone, and your playlist, and your dials, > Though the airwaves seem a graveyard of lifeless whitened bone, > There’s always someone listening, and you’re really not alone. > … (All above are small snips) (will the thread die b4 anyone comes up with the Eagle HC?) ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/93 "2002-11-14T01:08:49Z")
whisky in the jar, “as i was going over the cork and kerry mountains, i met with captn farrell and his money he was counting” also “brick” by ben fold’s five. possibly about abortion/miscarriage/illness or death. not too sure, never analysed it properly. “it was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well” springs to mind also. ---
**Author:** ![quarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/50afbb/32.png) [@quarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quarx)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/94 "2002-11-14T01:29:22Z")
I’ll second **Uneasy Rider**. When it came out, a bunch of us kids memorized the lyrics, and we laughed our asses off whenever it came on even though we had no idea who George McGovern was. And, for my personal favorite story song: :o _Wolfcreek pass way up on the great divide, truckin’ on dowwwwn the other side_ ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/95 "2002-11-14T01:57:52Z")
**A Fool in the Rain** - Led Zepplin **Mr. Jones** - Counting Crows **3 A.M.** - Matchbox 20 **Be My Girl - Sally** - The Police ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/96 "2002-11-14T05:23:00Z")
**Pamela Brown** …sung by Leo Kottke, written by Tom T. Hall! (Double Whammy!) "I’m the guy who didn’t marry pretty Pamela Brown Educated, well-intentioned good girl in our town I wonder where I’d be today if she had loved me too Probably be driving kids to school I guess I owe it all to Pamela Brown All of my good times, all my roamin’ around One of these days I might be in your town And I guess I owe it all to Pamela Brown" (I tried to link the entire lyric, but it didn’t work…good song, though, worth looking up) **Like Desperados Waiting For A Train** …The Highwaymen “To me, he’s one of the heroes of this country So, why’s he all dressed up like them old men…” [Desperados Waiting For A Train](http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~mar/hogwild/songs/desperadoswaiting4atrain.html) Many of the rest of my favorites have already been mentioned, and I am sure many more will come to me as soon as I hit submit. I LOVE story songs! GREAT thread idea, BTW! ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/97 "2002-11-14T19:57:48Z")
I Left My Wallet In El Segundo ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/98 "2002-11-14T20:47:35Z")
I gave my serious votes earlier, but the song **Timothy** by the Buoys deserves at least one vote. How can a song about cannibalism be left out? I can’t seem to find the lyrics online, but if you have Real Audio you can listen to the song [here.](http://www.foxlink.net/~bobnbren/1970s.html#T) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/99 "2002-11-14T21:24:25Z")
Scenes From an Italian Restaraunt Jack and Diane ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2002, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107/100 "2002-11-14T21:25:07Z")
Ironically, My Music Match Jukebox was on shuffle today at work and it reminded me of a couple more: Tom Waits: Emotional Weather Report & Eggs and Sausage from Nighthawks At the Diner Dada: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow from Puzzle Soul Coughing: Screenwriter’s Blues from Ruby Vroom [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-story-song/136107.md?page=6)