Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Various artists:MTA

Various artists? yes indeed. The link below can explain much more clearly how this song has been passed down through a few generations before it was popularized by the Kingston Trio. I love this song, have since I was a kid. Check out the history of this incredibly amusing lyric:
MTA origins
Thanks to Brownez for the suggestion.

Let me tell you the story
Of a man named Charlie
On a tragic and fateful day
He put ten cents in his pocket,
Kissed his wife and family
Went to ride on the MTA

Charlie handed in his dime
At the Kendall Square Station
And he changed for Jamaica Plain
When he got there the conductor told him,
"One more nickel."
Charlie could not get off that train.

Chorus:
Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned.

Now all night long
Charlie rides through the tunnels
the station
Saying, "What will become of me?
Crying
How can I afford to see
My sister in Chelsea
Or my cousin in Roxbury?"

Charlie's wife goes down
To the Scollay Square station
Every day at quarter past two
And through the open window
She hands Charlie a sandwich
As the train comes rumblin' through.

As his train rolled on
underneath Greater Boston
Charlie looked around and sighed:
"Well, I'm sore and disgusted
And I'm absolutely busted;
I guess this is my last long ride."
{this entire verse was replaced by a banjo solo}

Now you citizens of Boston,
Don't you think it's a scandal
That the people have to pay and pay
Vote for Walter A. O'Brien
Fight the fare increase!
And fight the fare increase
Vote for George O'Brien!
Get poor Charlie off the MTA.

Chorus:
Or else he'll never return,
No he'll never return
And his fate will be unlearned
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man (Who's the man)
He's the man who never returned.
He's the man (Oh, the man)
He's the man who never returned.
He's the man who never returned.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The Cure: Close to Me

Probably one of my favorite Cure lyrics, possibly one of my favorite lyrics hands down. Robert Smith didn't do it for me much after "Disintegration". You can feel the tension in the words here. Waiting for something. Release? Not yet. The Cure never hit you in the head with anything. They kind of snuck around and quietly seduced you. A song like this one or "10:15 saturday night" holds up to a lot of listens and keeps on sounding good.

I've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish i'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought that tonight could ever be
This close to me
Just try to see in the dark
Just try to make it work
To feel the fear before you're here
I make the shapes come much too close
I pull my eyes out
Hold my breath
And wait until i shake

But if i had your faith
Then i could make it safe and clean
If only i was sure
That my head on the door was a dream

I've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish i'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought that tonight could ever be
This close to me

But if i had your face
I could make it safe and clean
If only i was sure
That my head on the door
Was a dream

Faith No More: Collision

From FNM's "Album of the Year". What the hell is Mike talking about? I sometimes wonder if he wrote words to describe the music the band had already recorded. I love the sound of this song, and it's a brilliant album taken as a whole. Some of the lyrics in the "chorus" (I need it, I head on...) overlap each other in the song ,too.
Moot Pt.

Collision, my mission
When the dawn breaks
With a hand shake
Relaxed and feeling great
Screeching, head on, head on, head on
I need it, I head on, I head on, I head on
Screeching, head on, head on, head on
I need it, I head on, I head on, I head on
All the day's plans
All the shaking hands
Beepers and suntans
Screeching, head on, head on, head on
I need it, I head on, I head on, I head on
Screeching, head on, head on, head on
I need it, I head on, I head on, I head on
Collision, my mission, head on, head on, head on, head on
When the dawn breaks
With a hand shake
Relaxed and feeling great
Collision, my mission
Head on, head on, head on