Walk in the Woods by Peter Case popped up on a YouTube feed today and I was once again struck by how great the lyrics are (see below). They tell the story of a young couple who disappears from a small town after going for a walk in the woods. None of the townsfolk can find them or imagine what horrible fate befell them. In the end, even the narrator is unable to tell us what happened to them because [SPOILER ALERT!] he takes a walk in the woods and he never comes back.
The challenge is to name a song where the lyrics contain a surprise twist at the end. Please include a brief description of what the twist was.
And, as always, please limit your answers to one per post.
Out past the cemetery, Down by the willow bend,
Half a mile from the railroad track
Last seen together, these two lovers hand in hand
They took a walk in the woods and they never come back
News from the radio it rang out through the fields,
just when they thought they found the track
through a patch of four leaf clovers, They vanished in thin air
They took a walk in the woods and they never come back
Never before in history has this town been so up in arms
You never head such misery as those blood hounds cross the farms
Between God & the police, they were protected from all harm
They took a walk in the woods and they never come back
Sounds where emergency, no evidence was removed
You never heard such theories, but none of them could be proved
For the missing children, no conscience could be soothed
They took a walk in the woods and they never come back
Well that was fifteen years ago, I guess I come a long long way
I never heard the end of it, you know I couldn’t stay . . .
When I’m not stuck for time or money, I still wonder about that day
I took a walk in the woods and I never come back
Laurie (Strange Things Happen in This World) by Dickie Lee
A guy has great time with this wonderful girl at the dance. Turns out she’s a ghost!
Here are the lyrics:
http://www.lyrics007.com/Dickey%20Lee%20Lyrics/Laurie%20%28Strange%20Things%20Happen%29%20Lyrics.html
I never heard that one before. That’s excellent.
Chuck Berry, “Memphis, Tennessee.” “Marie is only 6 years old”!
Something that is seared into my mind is “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean. This is pre-teen stuff for me, but a mystery dude who nobody knows saves a bunch of miners? Wow.
https://youtu.be/H_qX5bPbPUo
“See the Funny Little Clown” by Bobby Goldsboro
There’s this guy who’s always cheerful, but inside he’s broken up because his girl’s left him. And guess what. You know who the guy is? He’s me!
Here are the lyrics:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/see-the-funny-little-clown-lyrics-bobby-goldsboro.html
In “Frank’s Wild Years,” Frank is a middle-age successful business man. After work one day, he grabs a couple of beers, as well as a gallon of gas. He torches his home and admits to not liking his dog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3Cty-q73wk
One of my favorite storytellers. Stan Ridgway. “Camouflage”.
The narrator is private on patrol in “the jungle wars of ’65” who gets separated from his unit and comes under enemy fire. A big marine nicknamed Camouflage then appears, and helps him fight the otherwise losing battle through the night. In the morning, Camouflage waves goodbye and heads back into the jungle.
Upon arrival back to HQ the private describes his all-night battle with this mysterious Camouflage. He is pulled aside into a medical tent and told, “You may be telling true, boy, but this here is Camouflage, and he’s been right here since he passed away last night. In fact he’s been here all week long.”
https://youtu.be/UXKIBYnM_9Q
The boy was just like me.
He’d grown up just like me.
C’mon, sing it, you know the words!
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon…
I was listening to Queen while making dinner tonight and came across this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE8kGMfXaFU
Intrepid travelers seeking new lands…are actually space travelers. And now they realize that due to the gravity and other sci-fi blah blah blah will not be able to return to see their loved ones as they’ve aged and are no longer alive. Damned time travel.
Turns out that Lola is a dude.
“The Gift” by the Velvet Underground. Not really a song. A story written by Lou Reed and recited by Sterling Morrison to a background of music. To make a longish story short, a guy mails himself to his girlfriend in a large box. While trying to open it, she stabs him with the box cutter. “White Light White Heat” is one of my favorite albums despite this.
In Little Feat’s Dixie Chicken the chorus of the song is supposed to be the song the singer’s ex sang only to him, but the final verse goes:
But then one night at the lobby of the Commodore Hotel
I chanced to meet a bartender who said he knew her well
And as he handed me a drink he began to hum a song
And all the boys there, at the bar, began to sing along
If you’ll be my Dixie chicken….etc….
LMS!
“Come A Little Bit Closer” by Jay and the Americans is structured the same way.
Smithers-Jones gets the boot at the end of the Jam song named after him.
Billy Don’t Be A Hero: Billy’s fiance throws away the letter telling her of Billy’s wartime heroism.
Turns out the angels in Styx’s “Come Sail Away” are freakin’ SPACE ALIENS!!!!
“Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name!”