So, this weekend Mr Ratburn and I were discussing some of the stranger songs that we remember from our childhood. Of course there are the songs that were meant to be odd on purpose like Shaving Cream and Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout Who Would Not Take The Garbage Out. And then there are the goofy ones that weren't meant to be goofy like, Chevy Van and Cats In The Cradle. But then there are the super weird ones, like Timothy, a song about three men trapped in a mine. Well what do you know, only 2 make it out alive, the other one, disappeared.
I can imagine the songwriter penning this tune after a huge steak dinner or something. BURP!
Timothy by the Buoys
Trapped in a mine what had caved in
And everyone knows the only ones left
Were Joe and me and Tim
When they broke through to pull us free
The only ones left to tell the tale Was Joe and me
Timothy, Timothy
Where on earth did you go
Timothy, Timothy
God, why don't I know
Hungry as hell no food to eat
And Joe said that he would sell his soul
For just a piece of meat
Water enough to drink for two
And Joe said to me, I'll take a swig
And then there's some for you
Timothy, Timothy
Joe was looking at you
Timothy, Timothy
God, what did we do
I must've blacked out just 'bout then
'Cause the very next thing that I could see
Was the light of the day again
My stomach was full as it could be
And nobody ever got around
To finding Timothy
Timothy, Timothy
Where on earth did you go
Timothy, Timothy
God, why don't I know
And look, I found some of the band members who looked thrilled to be performing Timothy live many years later when they are all old farts and are called the Dakotas and not the Buoys anymore.
And then there's Shannon. Now, as best as I can tell, Shannon is a sweet little song about a family dog that jumps happily into the ocean and is washed away. The family is quite upset and hopes Shannon will be ok. Shannon was swept away into the ocean, you dimwits, and she is NOT coming back, EVER! Why do you think those "Peligrosos/no swimming here" signs were posted?
Now, we happen to live near an ocean that is completely unswimmable but for the bravest of wetsuited surfers, and even then, white sharks chomp on someone at least once a year around here. So, now everytime I am at that beach and I see a dog, a person, an entire family, I dont care, I start singing this song. quietly, to myself, of course.
Shannon by Henry Gross
Mama says she's tired again
No one can even begin to tell her
I hardly know what to say
But maybe it's better that way
If Papa were here I'm sure he'd tell her
Shannon is gone I heard
She's drifting out to sea
She always loved to swim away
Maybe she'll find an island
With a shaded tree
Just like the one in our backyard.....
Ok that's enough, you don't even need to hear the rest! It is a really sad song. Why anyone would want to remember such a terrible incident that way, I just dont know.
And then there's the song about a rat. Oh my god, why? We all should have seen it coming back then. There was just no way that man was going to turn out normal, was there?
Ben by you know who
Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)
Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
Like Ben
Like Ben
Argh! That was completely awful! So, what horrible songs do you remember from your past?
Have a lovely day!
11India
10 comments:
Heartbreaking!
Mine: Its in Norwegian, so its hard to explain.
Wishing you a lovely Sunday and a great week ahead :-)
.....Look at the Rats!
How can you possibly remember Timothy?...Circa 1970?
I was 9 in 1970 Gman, and I was corrupted by older cousins!
I think it was 1971, actually that Timothy came out.
muskrat love always confounded me. macaurthur park was another one...someone left the cake out in the rain and i don't know if i can take it because it took so long to make it and it'll never be that way again. wtf????
LMAO, Muskrat Susie Muskrat Sam,
do the jitterbug down in Muskrat Land
ACK
lol Lime, the Donna Summer version is pretty fun, when she says..."and I;ll never have tha recupe again.....ohhh noooooooooooooo...aaahhhhh haaaaaaaaaahhhH!
:P
Glasses, Susie, glasses!
Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful
Makin' love with you is all i wanna do
Lovin' you is more than just a dream come true
And everything that i do is out of lovin' you
La la la la la la la... do do do do do
No one else can make me feel
The colors that you bring
Stay with me while we grow old
And we will live each day in springtime
Cause lovin' you has made my life so beautiful
And every day my life is filled with lovin' you
Lovin' you i see your soul come shinin' through
And every time that we oooooh
I'm more in love with you
La la la la la la la... do do do do do
Actually I liked that song and also Buttered Popcorn. Strangle little songs but interesting.
Why is it that there were so many morbid odd little ditties back then?
"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia", and "One Tin Soldier" from the movie Billy Jack. But the one that always confounded me and would get stuck on my brain pan was the one hit wonder...
Seasons In The Sun
By Terry Jacks
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we were nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers everywhere.
I whish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfish on the beach.
Oh yes Bryan that was a corny one!
Lisa, that song though, is one we often sing around here when we want to sayyyyy party, but LR is around, and into staying up late now. So, we remind ourselves that she is already 12 and before we know it she will be borrowing our car keys and taking off so we will enjoy those seasons in the sun.
I can't believe you said that about Chevy Van! You know how badly I wanted one of those after the song came out? Score!!!!!
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