 Neil Young (1968) [ larger cover art ] |
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Well, I used to drive a cab, you know
I heard a siren scream
Pulled over to the corner
And I fell into a dream
There were two men eating pennies
And three young girls who cried
The West coast is falling,
I see rocks in the sky.
The preacher took his bible
And laid it on the stool.
He said: with the congregation running,
Why should I play the fool?
Well, I used to be a woman, you know
I took you for a ride,
I let you fly my airplane
It looked good for your pride.
'Cause you're the kind of man you know
Who likes what he says.
I wonder what's it's like
To be so far over my head.
Well, the lady made the wedding
And she brought along the ring.
She got down on her knees
And said: Let's get on with this thing.
Well, I used to be a folk singer
Keeping managers alive,
When you saw me on a corner
And told me I was jive.
So I unlocked your mind, you know
To see what I could see.
If you guarantee the postage,
I'll mail you back the key.
Well I woke up in the morning
With an arrow through my nose
There was an Indian in the corner
Tryin' on my clothes.
Well, I used to be asleep you know
With blankets on my bed.
I stayed there for a while
'Til they discovered I was dead.
The coroner was friendly
And I liked him quite a lot.
If I hadn't 've been a woman
I guess I'd never have been caught.
They gave me back my house and car
And nothing more was said.
Well, I was driving down the freeway
When my car ran out of gas.
Pulled over to the station
But I was afraid to ask.
The servicemen were yellow
And the gasoline was green.
Although I knew I couldn't
I thought that I was gonna scream.
That was on my last trip to Tulsa
Just before the snow.
If you ever need a ride there,
Be sure to let me know.
I was chopping down a palm tree
When a friend dropped by to ask
If I would feel less lonely
If he helped me swing the axe.
I said: No, it's not a case of being lonely
We have here,
I've been working on this palm tree
For eighty seven years
I said: No, it's not a case of being lonely
We have here,
I've been working on this palm tree
For eighty seven years
He said: Go get lost!
And walked towards his Cadillac.
I chopped down the palm tree
And it landed on his back.
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| buddy | Posted: Dec 28, 2012 - 16:49 Folks, ya had to be there. Think "Meet the Beatles!". Respect. |
| raga (Italy - Como) | Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 04:25 Sort of Peter Hammill "Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night", but without a grat vocal, and less ispiration, in my opinion |
| Johray63 (The Lowlands) | Posted: Sep 27, 2011 - 04:23 KevinM wrote: My 10 year old son can play the guitar better than this crap, and he just got his first guitar last week. Very much the same as what lots of people say about modern art. |
| gatorade (Peninsuland) | Posted: Aug 26, 2011 - 19:18 One of my favorite NY LPs and songs. |
| RobRyan (The lovely hills of Anaheim) | Posted: Aug 26, 2011 - 19:15 This reminds me of the crappy song about the Titanic, where the captain shouts "I'm gonna move you" at the iceberg. It's played by Dr. Demento just as this should be - in the Audio Torture Chamber. Self-indulgent crap. |
| Dahlia_Gumbo (San Francisco) | Posted: Aug 26, 2011 - 19:12 Neil rocks it for me.  |
| hencini | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 10:16 Huh. I'd never heard this before. Not bad at all. |
| dschrand (Davison, Mich) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 10:09 DaveInVA wrote: This is one of my all time favorite NY tunes. Same here! The imagery and mood he creates with his lyrics is outstanding. Shame it doesn't get much airplay here - sure glad I caught it though. |
| black321 (Apogee) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 10:09 Big Neil fan, but this song is weak (perhaps decent in a small bar after a few drinks). "A little lengthy" and discordant, even for Neil. |
| DaveInVA (In a hovel in effluent Damnville, VA) | Posted: Jul 26, 2011 - 10:05 This is one of my all time favorite NY tunes. |
| driver8 (right on target) | Posted: Aug 27, 2008 - 13:10  |
| eval (LA) | Posted: May 03, 2003 - 20:44 The older I get, the more I appreciate the true artists. |
| lbrc (Chicago, IL) | Posted: Apr 24, 2003 - 05:58 i'll say it again: originally posted by lbrc:
why doesn't he just beat a drum shouting the lyrics? all of his fans would still by it for the "true meaning of the song" ha!  |
| Coppertop (San Diego, CA) | Posted: Apr 23, 2003 - 15:57 Neil Young has reinvented himself more times than any other artist I know. I Love his work. I sorta-kinda like this song but it does grate and it does go on and on and on :) but I gave it a six. |
| Art_Carnage (DeepintheheartofTexas) | Posted: Apr 23, 2003 - 15:55 Give ME the axe. I know where to swing it. I can see this going over well in a concert setting. The kind where they sell beer in really, really big paper cups. |
| rgrace (Berkeley, CA) | Posted: Apr 23, 2003 - 15:54 Guess it can be seen as poetry. I think it's word salad (or verse salad) and I can't attach a lot of coherence to it. However, it can be chalked up as youthful excess, seeing as how it's very early in his career (as I found from reading other messages). He's a power in many ways and this one is an experiment. |
| AJ_the_Voice (Hauppauge, NY) | Posted: Apr 23, 2003 - 15:52 |
| Skyhawk (Tallahassee, FL) | Posted: Apr 23, 2003 - 15:50 WTF?  |
| Friend (Richmond, VA) | Posted: Apr 13, 2003 - 11:13 ...Spare me, Please. Hey Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young had some great sounds. I liked their sounds. They had classic sounds and tunes, but Neil Young...I don't think he had anyone to tell him to take some vocal lessons. |
| lbrc (Chicago, IL) | Posted: Apr 03, 2003 - 12:14 originally posted by gatesofthenorth:
i could not have said it better myself...this crap sucks... i've been saying that for years- this is not music and it's all important msg. is insignificant. why doesn't he just beat a drum shouting the lyrics, all of his fans would still by it for the "true meaning of the song" ha! |
| gatesofthenorth (Fairbanks, AK) | Posted: Mar 03, 2003 - 16:19 Originally Posted by KevinM:
My 10 year old son can play the guitar better than this crap, and he just got his first guitar last week. I could not have said it better myself...this crap sucks... |
| KevinM (Long Beach, Ca) | Posted: Mar 03, 2003 - 16:16 My 10 year old son can play the guitar better than this crap, and he just got his first guitar last week. |
| Amazon (Big Bend, TX) | Posted: Feb 21, 2003 - 11:13 intense poetry! too bad some people are afraid they won't be seen as "cool" if they get caught liking it  |
| (8?» (ø³) | Posted: Jan 21, 2003 - 19:23 |
| heeb (Vienna) | Posted: Jan 01, 2003 - 10:01 Cool! If you don't like his voice, just turn the "Balance" on your stereo all the way to the right! |
| Johray63 (Meppel, The Netherlands (Holland)) | Posted: Dec 22, 2002 - 04:46 Obviously, Neil Young needed to get this out of his system at the time. Listening to it now, I think it doesn't really hold up. Apart from the lyrics, maybe. |
| tulfan (Westland, MI) | Posted: Nov 21, 2002 - 13:08 Originally Posted by Patti_M.:
Hopefully this will be The Last Time I will have to hear this song. 
pbm 8^) Agree - sounds like mindless ruminations of a wild, disoriented ____? |
| Heathen (Medicine Hat) | Posted: Nov 21, 2002 - 13:06 Neil freakingYoung AMAZING  |
| shamu (Toronto, ON) | Posted: Nov 21, 2002 - 13:01 ok this f**king 0wnz!!!!!! 
10! |
| breckwitte (New York, NY) | Posted: Nov 21, 2002 - 12:59 this is the kind of song for which we need STRS (spinal tap rating system) |
| Patti_M. (Mission Viejo (519 miles SE of RP), CA) | Posted: Nov 11, 2002 - 09:48 Hopefully this will be The Last Time I will have to hear this song.
pbm 8^) |
| Myrrh (UK) | Posted: Nov 11, 2002 - 09:41 Originally Posted by triviagal:
How can someone who harmonizes so well, have such a terrible solo voice? If Neil Young has a "terrible" voice, whose is "great"? Neil's not Eddie Vedder nor Bob Dylan nor Jimmie Hendrix. He's just Neil, and that's in my book pretty damned good, and if you look at the sheer volume of great music he's written over the years, it's amazing. May be an acquired taste I suppose. |
| triviagal (currently Reston,VA-by way of San Jose, CA-by way of Orange County,CA-by way of LA County, CA-by way of Sao Paulo, Brazil) | Posted: Nov 01, 2002 - 05:21 How can someone who harmonizes so well, have such a terrible solo voice? |
| Bigdog (Tulsa, OK) | Posted: Oct 01, 2002 - 11:56 I have to agree not one of his best but still a Big fan of Neil I live only about 30 minute from T-town so that does help ;) |
| RonH (St. Paul (1981 miles NE of RP), MN) | Posted: Oct 01, 2002 - 11:53 I am not a huge NY fan but this tune kicks ass.  |
| odoggy (Monterey, CA) | Posted: Oct 01, 2002 - 11:51 I actually saw Neil perform this at the Berkeley Auditorium a few years ago during his solo acoustic tour. It was the first time I'd heard the song, and it blew me away. |
| Dotman (Secret Hideaway) | Posted: Aug 31, 2002 - 20:58 reincarnation. It doesn't take acid to realize that. Dot |
| envy (Sherman Oaks, CA) | Posted: Aug 21, 2002 - 15:40 You can never play too much Neil Young, this is not one of his best, though. |
| e.child (Portland, OR) | Posted: Aug 21, 2002 - 15:39 This song is reminescent of another time, another place. The whole alblum is good. Got me through some interesting times when it came out so it is hard to hear a lot of but still damn good. I gave it a 10. Thanks...  |
| Cy (Gardena, CA) | Posted: Mar 04, 2002 - 22:03 Just raised my rating on this one to an 8. I guess it just depends on the frame of mind you're in when you hear it. :D |
| jbmckee (West Valley City, UT) | Posted: Feb 12, 2002 - 01:49 Sorry, but I really like this song. Not sure why, just do. |
| Cy (Gardena, CA) | Posted: Feb 01, 2002 - 16:16 Musically, this isn't one of his best, IMO. But the lyrics are interestingly strange. Here's a link, if you want to check it out: http://www.davemcnally.com/lyrics/YoungNeil/TheLastTripToTulsa.asp Probably wouldn't want to hear this too often, but once in a while is OK by me. |
| tonypf (Honolulu, HI) | Posted: Feb 01, 2002 - 16:04 I believe this is off Neil's first post Buffalo Sringfield effort. The album has some moderately interesting stuff. Overall, however, it's unfocused and not up to his best work. When it came out, alot of people began to write him off. Shortly after he put out "Everybody knows this in no where." People writing him off shut up. |
| didogart (Pasadena, CA) | Posted: Feb 01, 2002 - 16:03 There are many great Neil Young songs. This is not one of them. |
| Tizmself ([RPT] So. Cal.) | Posted: Jan 22, 2002 - 06:04 The best thing about this song is that eventually it ends. |