# Your favorite Richard Thompson song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301 "2015-11-01T00:00:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/1 "2015-11-01T00:00:24Z")
[Second](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=773202) in what may (or may not) become a weekly series. “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven” on _Daring Adventures_ (1986) "I gave my youth to King and country, But what’s my country done for me, But sentence me to misery. I traded my helmet, and my parachute, For a pair of crutches and a demob suit. Al Bowlly’s in heaven, and I’m in limbo now." ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/2 "2015-11-01T00:08:57Z")
Good lord, any one where he plays lead guitar 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/3 "2015-11-01T00:09:54Z")
[_Roll Over Vaughan Williams_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw43Wqt8Oio). Couldn’t entirely say why - maybe it’s just the first ( eventually of many ) cut of his that really caught my attention. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/4 "2015-11-01T00:13:11Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Good lord, any one where he plays lead guitar 😉 He plays a mean guitar, granted, but my favorite musicians are the ones who do good things with words. Thompson is a magnificent lyricist. ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/5 "2015-11-01T00:35:22Z")
[Cooksferry Queen.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGKkhUkxvc4) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/6 "2015-11-01T01:00:42Z")
Well, the guitar on “Mother Knows Best” and “Shoot Out the Lights” recommends both of those songs strongly, but I wouldn’t want you to sit on my Jimmy Shands or crush my beeswing on the way to the wall of death. And that’s just for starters ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/7 "2015-11-01T01:09:20Z")
[I Feel So Good (I’m Going To Break Somebody’s Heart Tonight)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tx3Po07iPs) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/8 "2015-11-01T01:16:33Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > He plays a mean guitar, granted, but my favorite musicians are the ones who do good things with words. Thompson is a magnificent lyricist. [Now That I Am Dead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbusjN8WNY) The audio is not that great in this video but I always loved the lyrics on this one. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/9 "2015-11-01T01:20:11Z")
[I never tire of this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WGsMplGxU) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/10 "2015-11-01T01:50:25Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [I never tire of this one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WGsMplGxU) Wow, that’s quite good. I always liked the [Wall of Death](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcFhyy2kgdo). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/11 "2015-11-01T02:14:57Z")
Seconding “Wall of Death.” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/12 "2015-11-01T02:27:48Z")
Vincent Black Lightening. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/13 "2015-11-01T03:40:29Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Vincent Black Lightening. Yep. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/j0kJdrfzjAg/hqdefault.jpg "Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0kJdrfzjAg) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/14 "2015-11-01T11:49:18Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > He plays a mean guitar, granted, but my favorite musicians are the ones who do good things with words. Thompson is a magnificent lyricist. Of course you are right. I always say the song comes first. As a guitarist, though, Thompson is up at the tippy-top, so it can be very hard to not be a technique fanboy. I’ll go with 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, but so many will do. I need to dig into his work a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/15 "2015-11-01T14:55:18Z")
For the guitar playing, I’m going to go with [Tear Stained Letter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKEPO_yB0fA). For the lyrics, I’m going to go with [When The Spell Is Broken](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54kgcWh9OI4). ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/16 "2015-11-01T19:39:42Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > [Now That I Am Dead](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekbusjN8WNY) > > The audio is not that great in this video but I always loved the lyrics on this one. Except he didn’t write that one. Credits on the Invisible Means CD where it appears are Blair and French. I’ve seen him perform it in concert, great song though. Just not his. Mine are Don’t Tempt Me Tear Stained Letter Two Left Feet In concert he sang Fats Waller said your feet too big I say your feet too left. But the others mentioned here are damn good too. And on the Boxed set he has a nice sing celebrating Alexander Graham Bell. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/17 "2015-11-01T20:36:55Z")
‘I want to see the bright lights’ ‘Can’t win’ ‘MGB GT’’ ‘At the dimming of the day’ [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qzqjD-_OMHk/hqdefault.jpg "Richard & Linda Thompson / Dimming Of The Day - Dargai") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzqjD-_OMHk) ‘Poor ditchling boy’ https://www.youtube.com/embed/FtSNIINCKh0?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLyC9-EpySTOTbVK12MR78oz4yPGo6_iNL ‘Hokey Pokey’ [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QnDECc_rVk) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/18 "2015-11-01T21:52:00Z")
No love for [Beeswing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrAyNn0PtJg)? Also Cooksferry Queen. mmm ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/19 "2015-11-01T23:59:10Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Except he didn’t write that one… Yeah, I noticed that on the YT video notes after I’d posted. I should have corrected it. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301/20 "2015-11-04T19:08:50Z")
Can’t pick just one… two of my favorites that haven’t been mentioned yet are “When I Get to the Border” and “How Will I Ever Be Simple Again”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-richard-thompson-song/736301.md?page=2)