So, is Harry Chapin's "Taxi" the saddest song in the world, or what?

Hmmm...?

Generally, yes, quite poignant.

Cat's In The Cradle is even sadder. That man could zone in one aspect of life and shine a very bright spotlight on it.

He was amazing.

festival we went to on the Hudson River. I can't remember what the festival was called, but both me and my husband were crying our eyes out. I never met Harry. My Aunt Bonnie didn't marry Tom until like 1980? Appartently Harry was a wonderful person and a very out spoken activist. Uncle Tom won a grammy last year for best childrens spoken word. He as wrote the Cabage Patch theme song and has a ton of children's music albums. I have a few famous people in my family, it is kind of weird.

I watched it every Sunday when I was a kid. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, as well.

We aren't very tight mostly b/c I live in MS and he and my aunt live in NY. But when we go to visit my grandparents in Jersey, we always stop by to visit. They are very descent people and my cousins Abigail and Lily are very cool, too. You kind of feel like you are in the of the tall people when you are around Tom, Abigail, and Lily. Bonnie is my height, maybe shorter, but the A&L are 6ft and Tom is like 6'5."

I'm glad to hear Tom is still making music. He had a great song out in the 70s called "Just Another Story" (non-kid song).

It had those great psychedelic animated station breaks, right?

I didn't know that was Tom Chapin... small world!

I was quite pleasantly surprised when I found out he was Harry's bro.

I seem to remember psychedelic station breaks for "Make a Wish". Each episode of that show was devoted to a single mundane--yet oddly fascinating--topic, like "chairs", for instance. Tom Chapin would sing a song about the topic, then all bets were off: there might be animations, documentaries...God only knew what the episode would contain. It was a great show for kids. It HAD to be a great show, because I watched it every week and LOVED it. More than 30 years later, I still remember Tom's farewell song that he sang every episode...

"Make a wish,
Big or small,
Wish ya could,
You'll find it good.

Take a chance,
Sing and dance,
Wish ya could
You'd find it good

So dream your dream
Dreams come true
They can even work for you..."

Thanks for all the memories.

Gotta go with "Mr. Tanner". Taxi's maudlin, but Mr. Tanner is just downright, cry-in-your-beer, grab another kleenex, if-I-only-knew-then-what-I-know-now, what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-me sad.

But yea, Taxi is downright chilling to the soul.

Damn, Chapin did some good stuff. Not been too many singer/songwriter's of his caliber since.

But not as sad as the one I mentioned below, at least for me.

But yeah, Mr. tanner really sad - I cringe to think of it. And a story that I bet a lot of people can identify with - how many out there would have loved to be carnegie hall performers and never made it? Sigh....

"Ain't no Mountain high enough" by the supremes

"the way we were"

tons more

See the tree, how big it's grown
But friend, it hasn't been too long
It wasn't big
I laughed at her, and she got mad
The first day that she planted it
It was just a twig

And, honey, I miss you
And I'm being good
And I'd love to be with you
If only I could

Aaarrgggh. The sappiest song ever written about a young woman who dies and is now with the angels. Don't know if I got the lyrics right, but you get the idea.

God save us from sappy songs, but Taxi is a classic melancholy mood-bender.

But I also find "I want to sing a love song" or something like that - the one where he goes to the diner and he and the waitress have the one night stand becuase they've both been so lonely for so long.

I love Chapin.

And one of the few "rockers" to put his money where his mouth was - about half his shows every year were freebies, in which he donated all the proceeds to various causes. He gave away a lot of concert receipts, and a lot of his own money, for social justice issues.

A real down to earth kind of guy.

on edit: maybe it was "Anyplace is a better place to be"?

"I Wanna Learn a Love Song" is the one where he brags about his sex appeal as a guitar tutor. You had "Greatest Stories Live" in the 70s, too, didn't you?

I was a johnny come lately to the scene. :-)

And all the stuff I learned about chapin (his activism and his donating money and doing concerts for free, etc.) I had just learned last year reading around some websites on him.

dum to see he should be happy:he's got cash,wheels,booze,weed,and he managed to get rid of the super-ambitious,condescending actress byotch.Sweet!

You know, you're right! I'm flip-flopping on the Taxi issue.

The old man turned off the radio
Said, "Where did all of the old songs go
Kids sure play funny music these days
They play it in the strangest ways"
Said, "it looks to me like they've all gone wild
It was peaceful back when I was a child"
Well, man, could it be that the girls and boys
Are trying to be heard above your noise?
And the lonely voice of youth cries "What is truth?"

A little boy of three sittin' on the floor
Looks up and says, "Daddy, what is war?"
"son, that's when people fight and die"
The little boy of three says "Daddy, why?"
A young man of seventeen in Sunday school
Being taught the golden rule
And by the time another year has gone around
It may be his turn to lay his life down
Can you blame the voice of youth for asking
"What is truth?"

A young man sittin' on the witness stand
The man with the book says "Raise your hand"
"Repeat after me, I solemnly swear"
The man looked down at his long hair
And although the young man solemnly swore
Nobody seems to hear anymore
And it didn't really matter if the truth was there
It was the cut of his clothes and the length of his hair
And the lonely voice of youth cries
"What is truth?"

The young girl dancing to the latest beat
Has found new ways to move her feet
The young man speaking in the city square
Is trying to tell somebody that he cares
Yeah, the ones that you're calling wild
Are going to be the leaders in a little while
This old world's wakin' to a new born day
And I solemnly swear that it'll be their way
You better help the voice of youth find
"What is truth/"

in spite of the happy ending.

Saddest song ever? Helpless by CSNY, ie, Neil Young. Unless we're going into old bluegrass, in which case there are a million, eg "Sailor Boy," "Banks of the Ohio"

Is probably "Better Place To Be." That one just makes me want to give up.

Since my son died I can't even listen to Cat's In the Cradle. I'll change the channel, leave the store, whatever.

however "Taxi" would come in very close behind.

They are sad in different ways... but both of them are lamenting a great loss.

-- Allen

When I'm stoned.

Green Green grass of home sung by Tom Jones?

A dead dog brings more tears than a stoner cabbie...

a former Air Force Adacemy cadet. Before he died, he'd come back to the Academy every year and put on a free show. The Cadet Wing would go wild when he got to the part about "I fly so high..."

It was released in the early 80's, and the story picks up a few years later, when he has finally become famous, and she is divorced, but happy.

The song can be found on "Harry Chapin: The Gold Metal Collection", released in 1988.

.

That one makes me sad.

n/t

An aural version of this:

..and then ask me again about the saddest song in the world.

http://www.coquet-shack.com/lyrics/Ketchum/Daddys_Oldsmobile_0687.htm

This is the SADDEST song of all time




Sam stone came home,
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee.
But the morphine eased the pain,
And the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a purple heart and a monkey on his back.

Chorus:
There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes,
Jesus christ died for nothin’ I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don’t stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.
Mmm....

Sam stone’s welcome home
Didn’t last too long.
He went to work when he’d spent his last dime
And sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold rolled through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin’ other peoples’ clothes...

Repeat chorus:

Sam stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air
But life had lost it’s fun
And there was nothing to be done
But trade his house that he bought on the g, i. bill
For a flag draped casket on a local heroes’ hill

Repeat chorus

and decided the quickest way to get suicidal was to play Neil Young's "Harvest" album, particularly in the dead of night, all alone.

Even as a young child, that would make me tear up. David Banner, destined to live a life of loneliness...soooo sad!

Also, M*A*S*H*'s theme song is bad enough just instrumental, but when you find out that it's actually called "Suicide is Painless" and listen to the words...ugh!

;(


oops, typo!

And the cleverly-titled "Sequel" is even duller!

Sorry, can't bear to type the lyrics.

to go home and see your family? Lyrics below:
I thought at least one person would have agreed.


Tom Jones

"Green Green Grass of Home"

The old home town looks the same as I step down from the train,
and there to meet me is my Mama and Papa.
Down the road I look and there runs Mary hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
The old house is still standing tho' the paint is cracked and dry,
and there's that old oak tree I used to play on.

Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary, hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.



Then I awake and look around me, at four grey wall surround me
and I realize that I was only dreaming.
For there's a guard and there's a sad old padre -
arm in arm we'll walk at daybreak.
Again I touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree
as they lay me neath the green, green grass of home.

That song was written by Curly Putman, TJ just recorded it. and I like Elvis' version, myself.

Curly musta been a depressed mofo, since his other songs included D I V O R C E and My Elusive Dreams.

RIP Curly.

Mark Schultz - He's My Son Lyrics

I'm down on my knees again tonight
I'm hoping this prayer will turn out right
See there is a boy that needs your help
I've done all that i can do myself
His mother is tired
I'm sure you can understand
Each night as he sleeps
She goes in to hold his hand
And she tries not to cry
As the tears fill up her eyes

Chorus~
Can you hear me?
Am I getting through tonight?
Can you see him?
Can you make him feel all right?
If you can hear me
Let me take his place somehow
See he's not just anyone
He's my son

Sometimes late at night I watch him sleep
I dream of the boy he'd like to be
I try to be strong and see him through
But God who he needs right now is You
Let him grow old
Live life without this fear
What would I be
Living without him here
He's so tired and he's scared
Let him know that You're there

Chorus

Can you hear me?
Am I getting through tonight?
Can you see him?
Can you make him feel all right?
If you can hear me
Let me take his place somehow
See he's not just anyone
He's my son

Can you hear me?
Can you see him?
Please don't leave him
He's my son