Playlist of Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin - Taxi

6:44

The well famed, (I feel over-rated in-comparison to some of his other songs) Taxi, In original form

The best live version I'm aware of:

I saw Harry Chapin and his band perform this song live on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The audience gave them a thunderous, standing ovation. Carson was so impressed he invited Chapin back the next night for an encore. One of the great story-song writers. -Reddalestew

-----

It was raining hard in 'Frisco,
I needed one more fare to make my night.
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down,
She got in at the light.

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue,
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain.
She just looked out the window, and said
Sixteen Parkside Lane.

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen her face before,
But she said, I'm sure you're mistaken
And she didn't say anything more.

It took a while, but she looked in the mirror,
And she glanced at the license for my name.
A smile seemed to come to her slowly,
It was a sad smile, just the same.
And she said, How are you Harry?
I said, How are you Sue?
Through the too many miles
and the too little smiles
I still remember you.

It was somewhere in a fairy tale,
I used to take her home in my car.
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge,
The lesson hadn't gone too far.
You see, she was gonna be an actress,
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off to find the sky.

Oh, I've got something inside me,
To drive a princess blind.
There's a wild man, wizard,
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind.
Oh, I've got something inside me,
Not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me,
Over 'till my time, runs out.

Baby's so high that she's skying,
Yes she's flying, afraid to fall.
I'll tell you why baby's crying,
Cause she's dying, aren't we all.

There was not much more for us to talk about,
Whatever we had once was gone.
So I turned my cab into the driveway,
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns.
And she said we must get together,
But I knew it'd never be arranged.
And she handed me twenty dollars,
For a two fifty fare, she said
Harry, keep the change.
Well another man might have been angry,
And another man might have been hurt,
But another man never would have let her go...
I stashed the bill in my shirt.

And she walked away in silence,
It's strange, how you never know,
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for,
Such a long, long time ago.

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly.
She took off to find the footlights,
And I took off for the sky.
And here, she's acting happy,
Inside her handsome home.
And me, I'm flying in my taxi,
Taking tips, and getting stoned,
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin Behind the Music

44:05

Harry Chapin - All 14 minutes of Taxi & Sequel

13:36

Live '80 Hamilton Canada
I've added links on top to Harry's LP's I have on another one of my channels.

Harry Chapin - Full Concert - 10/21/78 - Capitol Theatre

1:40:55

Harry Chapin - Full Concert
Recorded Live: 10/21/1978 - Capitol Theatre (Passaic, NJ)

More Harry Chapin at Music Vault:
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Setlist:
0:00:00 - Chevy Chase Introduction
0:00:54 - Flowers Of Red (with Chevy Chase)
0:06:32 - Stranger With The Melodies
0:14:03 - W.O.L.D
0:19:25 - Get On With It
0:24:06 - Cats In The Cradle
0:29:07 - Poor Damned Fool / I Wanna Learn A Love Song
0:38:08 - Odd Job Man
0:43:27 - Mail Order Annie
0:47:41 - A Better Place To Be
0:55:55 - Mr Tanner (with audience volunteers)
1:03:51 - 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas
1:15:44 - Taxi
1:22:19 - Speech
1:28:05 - You Are The Only Song / All My Lifes A Circle

Personnel:
Harry Chapin - vocals, guitar
Chevy Chase - vocals on Flowers Of Red
Audience Volunteers - vocals on Mr. Tanner

Cats In The Cradle-Harry Chapin

3:49

Cats In The Cradle-Harry Chapin

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw, I said Not today
I got a lot to do, he said, That's ok
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?
He shook his head and said with a smile
What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, I'd like to see you if you don't mind
He said, I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Jubilation

3:24

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Jubilation · Harry Chapin

Cotton Patch Gospel

℗ 1982 Chapin Music

Released on: 2008-05-06

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Harry Chapin- I Wanna Learn a Love Song

4:09

Harry Chapin- I Wanna Learn a Love Song

Harry Chapin - W.O.L.D.

5:17

Hello honey it's me...
What did you think when you heard me back on the radio... ?
And what did the kids say when they knew it was their long - lost
daddy-o....

Remember how we'd listen to the radio
And I said That's the place to be.
And how I got that job as an FM jock
The day you married me.
It was 2 kids, and I was into AM rock
But I just had to run around
It's been 8 years since I left you babe
Let me tell you 'bout what's gone down...

I am the morning DJ... At W.O.L.D.
Playin' all the hits for you... Wherever you may be.
The bright good morning voice... Who is heard, but never seen!
Feelin' all of 45.... Goin' on 15.

The drinkin' I did on my last big gig...
It made my voice go low
They said that they like the young sound.......
When they let me go.
So I drifted on down to Tulsa Oklahoma
To do me a late night talk show
Now I've worked my way down home again
Here to Boise Idaho.... That's how this business goes.

I am the morning DJ... At W.O.L.D. !
Playin' all the hits for you
Wherever you may be
The bright good morning voice... Who is heard but never seen.
Feelin' all of 45..... Goin' on 15.

I BEEN MAKIN' EXTRA MONEY DOIN' HIGH SCHOOL SOCK HOPS
I'M A BIG-TIME GUEST EMCEE...
YOU SHOULD HEAR ME TALKIN' TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN
AND LISTEN WHAT THEY'RE SAYIN' TO ME!
I GOT A SPOT ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD...
JUST BEGGIN FOR A NEW TOUPEE
AND A TIRE 'ROUND MY GUT FROM SITTIN' ON MY...
BUT IT'S NEVER GONNA GO AWAY.......................................

Sometimes I get this crazy dream
And I just take off in my car
But you can travel on ten thousand miles
And still stay where you are
I been thinkin' that maybe I should stop this jockeying
And start that record store.
Maybe I could even settle down....
.... if you'd take me back once more.

...okay honey I see.
I guess he's better than me...
Sure girl, I understand.
You don't have to worry, I'm such a happy man.

wold WOLD wold WOLD wold WOL
WOL WOL..

WOLD D D

I am the morning DJ..
At KLBJ !
Playin' all the hits for you
Playin' 'em night and day!
The bright good morning voice
Who is heard but never seen...
Oh! Feeling all of 45....
.... Going on 16.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas - 10/21/1978 - Capitol Theatre

11:54

Harry Chapin - 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas
Recorded Live: 10/21/1978 - Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ
More Harry Chapin at Music Vault:
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Personnel:
Harry Chapin - vocals, guitar
Chevy Chase - vocals on Flowers Of Red
Audience Volunteers - vocals on Mr. Tanner

Harry Chapin W.O.L.D.

4:55

Harry Chapin W.O.L.D. (WOLD)

Harry Chapin: BETTER PLACE TO BE 81

10:06

REDONE WITHOUT BIRDS!
From 1981 concert at Hamilton Place

Jen Chapin sings Harrys Tangled Up Puppet

4:20

At the Harry Chapin 70th Birthday Celebration, Dec 1, 2012 in Huntington, Long Island, NY

Harry Chapin- Taxi

6:17

Harry Chapin- Taxi

Harry Chapin If My Mary Were Here

3:27

Harry Chapin - They Call Her Easy

4:06

It was just another night
and I was out on a limb
looking for someone
to help me back in.
A couple of hours of cruising around
brought me into a bar
and I sat me down
nothing much to be found.
So I got in to talking to the old bar man
he said:

You got a problem I can understand
and I know a little lady
who is all alone.
If you find her she will take you home.
She don't like to spend her nights alone!

They call her Easy.
They say it's not a way for a body to be.
They call her Easy.
She is giving out her love for free.
I found her on the street
like the bartender said.
She was not great looking
but not that bad.
Walked on up to her
and didn't say a word
but my eyes were talking
and I think she heard.
Yes, she heard me.
We walked down the road
to a rundown farm.
She lit a couple of candles
and she held out her arms.
Lord, she was gentle as a windblown sigh
in the morning while dressing I could hear her cry.
She was crying and I went flying out of there.

The next day found me walking in ton.
Saw the old bartender and I flagged him down.
I thanked him for the girl
and told him that she pleased me
and laughed a little bit
about how she was easy.
But the old man stopped me
with the look in his eye.
He said,

You know I had hoped
you weren't that kind of guy.
Dream of the kind of world it could be
if we were with our loves like Easy

It's a hard world we must learn to be easy.
In a cold world I must love the ones who please me
Easy!

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin: MR TANNER 81

5:36

REDONE WITHOUT BIRDS!
From 1981 concert at Hamilton Place

Harry Chapins Story of a Life Live

5:26

One of Harry Chapin's best songs.

Lyrics:
I can see myself it's a golden sunrise
Young boy open up your eyes
It's supposed to be your day.
Now off you go horizon bound
And you won't stop until you've found
Your own kind of way.
And the wind will whip your tousled hair,
The sun, the rain, the sweet despair,
Great tales of love and strife.
And somewhere on your path to glory
You will write your story of a life.

And all the towns that you walk through
And all the people that you talk to
Sing you their songs.
And there are times you change your stride,
There are times you can't decide
Still you go on.
And then the young girls dance their gypsy tunes
And share the secrets of the moon
So soon you find a wife.
And though she sees your dreams go poorly
Still she joins your story of a life.

So you settle down and the children come
And you find a place that you come from.
Your wandering is done.
And all your dreams of open spaces
You find in your children's faces
One by one.
And all the trips you know you missed
And all the lips you never kissed
Cut through you like a knife.
And now you see stretched out before thee
Just another story of a life.

So what do you do now?
When she looks at you now?
You know those same old jokes all the jesters tell
You tell them to her now.
And all the same old songs all the minstrels sang
You sing 'em to her now.
But it don't matter anyhow
'Cause she knows by now.

So every chance you take don't mean a thing.
What variations can you bring
To this shopworn melody.
And every year goes by like a tollin' bell.
It's battered merchandise you sell.
Not well, she can see.
And though she's heard it all a thousand times
Couched in your attempted rhymes
She'll march to your drum and fife.
But the question echoes up before me
Where's the magic story of a life?

Now sometimes words can serve me well
Sometimes words can go to hell
For all that they do.
And for every dream that took me high
There's been a dream that's passed me by.
I know it's so true
And I can see it clear out to the end
And I'll whisper to her now again
Because she shared my life.
For more than all the ghosts of glory
She makes up the story,
She's the only story
Of my life

Harry Chapin - All My Lifes a Circle

5:38

Harry Chapin - Rockpalast Live taped in Germany on April 12, 1977

All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown
Moon rolls through the night-time till the daybreak comes around
All my life's a circle I can't tell you why
Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by

Seems like I've been here before, and I well remember when
I've got a funny feeling that we'll all be together again
No straight lines make up my life, all my roads are bends
There's no clear-cut beginning and so far no dead ends

I've found you a thousand times, I know you've done the same
Then we lose each other, it's like a children's game
If I find you here again the thought comes through my mind
Life is like a circle, let's go round one more time

Note: The syncronization was a bit off, so I fixed and re-uploaded this wonderful song.

Harry Chapin - A Better Place to Be

8:32

It was an early morning bar room,
And the place just opened up.
And the little man come in so fast and
Started at his cup.
And the broad who served the whisky
She was a big old friendly girl.
And she tried to fight her empty nights
By smilin' at the world.

And she said Hey Bub, It's been awhile
Since you been around.
Where the hell you been hidin' ?
And why you look so down ?

But the little man just sat there like he'd never heard a sound.

The waitress she gave out with a cough,
And acting not the least put off,
She spoke once again.

She said, I don't want to bother you,
Consider it's understood.
I know I'm not no beauty queen,
But I sure can listen good.

And the little man took his drink in his hand
And he raised it to his lips.
He took a couple of sips.
And he told the waitress this story.

I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die.
And I watch the metal rusting, and I watch the time go by.
A week ago at the diner I stopped to get a bite.
And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right.
And Lord, Lord, Lord she was alright.

Oh she was so damned beautiful that she'd warm a winter's frost.
But she was long past lonely, and well nigh unto lost.
Now I'm not much of a mover, or a pick-em-up easy guy,
But I decided to glide on over, and give her one good try.
And Lord, Lord, Lord she was worth a try.

Tongued-tied like a school boy, I stammered out some words.
But it did not really matter much, 'cause I don't think she heard.
She just looked clear on through me to a space back in my head.
And it shamed me into silence, as quietly she said,
'If you want me to come with you, then that's all right with me.
Cause I know I'm going nowhere, and anywhere's a better place to be.
Anywhere's a better place to be.'

I drove her to my boarding house, and I took her up to my room.
And I went to turn on the only light to brighten up the gloom.
But she said, 'Please leave the light off, Oh I don't mind the dark.'
And as her clothes all tumbled 'round her, I could hear my heart.
The moonlight shown upon her as she lay back in my bed.
It was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head.
I just could not believe it, to think that she was real.
And as I tried to tell her she said 'Shhh.. I know just how you feel.
And if you want to come here with me, then that's all right with me.
'Cause I've been oh so lonely, lovin' someone is a better way to be.
anywhere's a better way to be.'

The morning come so swiftly but I held her in my arms.
But she slept like a baby, snug and safe from harm.
I did not want to share her with the world or break the mood,
So before she woke I went out and brought us both some food.

I came back with my paper bag, to find out she was gone.
She'd left a six word letter saying 'It's time that I moved on.'

The waitress took a bar rag, and she wiped it across her eyes.
And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh.
She said I wish that I was beautiful, or that you were halfway blind.
And I wish I weren't so dog-gone fat, I wish that you were mine.
And I wish that you'd come with me, when I leave for home.
For we both know all about loneliness, and livin' all alone.

And the little man,
Looked at the empty glass in his hand.
And he smiled a crooked grin,
He said, I guess I'm out of gin.
And know we both have been so lonely.
And if you want me to come with you, then that's all right with me.
'Cause I know I'm goin' nowhere and anywhere's a better place to be.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin: FLOWERS ARE RED 81

7:22

REDONE WITHOUT BIRDS!
From 1981 concert at Hamilton Place

Harry Chapin - I Wanna Learn a Love Song

4:27

I come fresh from the street,
fast on my feet, kind a lean and lazy;
not much meat on my bones, and a whole lot alone,
and more than a little bit crazy.
The old six string was all I had
to keep my belly still,
and for each full hour lesson I gave
I got a crisp ten dollar bill.

She was married for seven years
to a concrete castle king.
She said she wanted to learn to play the guitar
and to hear her children sing.
So I'd show up about once a week
in my faded tight-legged jeans
with a backlog full of hobo stories
and dilapidated dreams.

She said, I wanna learn a love song full of happy things.
She said, I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?
She said, I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play.
She said, I wanna learn a love song before you go away.

So I tried to teach her a couple of chords
and an easy melody;
but it always turned out she'd rather listen
to my guitar and me.
I could hear her old man laughing in the den,
playing stud poker with the boys
while I sang so soft in the living room,
to scared to make much noise.
I came one week and the den was dark
and she met me at the door.
And we sat on the couch and we sang and talked
till I could not sing no more.
The silence kept on building,
her eyes grew much too wide;
and I could her both of our heartbeats,
but there was no place to hide.

She said, I wanna learn a love song full of happy things.
She said, I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?
She said, I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play.
She said, I wanna learn a love song before you go away.

Well, I guess you know what happened,
God, I never been so clean.
Yes, I feel like I'm working in a Hollywood movie
or living out a good bad dream.
And all them pinup girls in that tinsel world
never touched me like she can;
it took another man's wife in the real world life
to make this boy a man.

She said, I wanna learn a love song full of happy things.
She said, I wanna learn a love song; won't you let me hear you sing?
She said, I wanna learn a love song, I wanna hear you play.
She said, I wanna learn a love song before you go away.
I guess you know I stayed.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Thirty Thousand Pounds of Bananas

5:50

One of his more-famous songs in it's original form, the version on Greatest Stories Live, which I've already uploaded, contains two alternative endings and a little info on them. The version on the bottom line encore collection contains the fourth, and my favorite, alternate ending, along with the other three, I'll upload that in a little while.

It was just after dark when the truck started down
the hill that leads into Scranton Pennsylvania.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Carrying thirty thousand pounds (hit it Big John) of bananas.

He was a young driver,
just out on his second job.
And he was carrying the next day's pasty fruits
for everyone in that coal-scarred city
where children play without despair
in backyard slag-piles and folks manage to eat each day
about thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, just about thirty thousand pounds (scream it again, John) .

He passed a sign that he should have seen,
saying shift to low gear, a fifty dollar fine my friend.
He was thinking perhaps about the warm-breathed woman
who was waiting at the journey's end.
He started down the two mile drop,
the curving road that wound from the top of the hill.
He was pushing on through the shortening miles that ran down to the depot.
Just a few more miles to go,
then he'd go home and have her ease his long, cramped day away.
and the smell of thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes the smell of thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

He was picking speed as the city spread its twinkling lights below him.
But he paid no heed as the shivering thoughts of the nights
delights went through him.
His foot nudged the brakes to slow him down.
But the pedal floored easy without a sound.
He said Christ!
It was funny how he had named the only man who could save him now.
He was trapped inside a dead-end hellslide,
riding on his fear-hunched back
was every one of those yellow green
I'm telling you thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, there were thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

He barely made the sweeping curve that led into the steepest grade.
And he missed the thankful passing bus at ninety miles an hour.
And he said God, make it a dream!
as he rode his last ride down.
And he said God, make it a dream!
as he rode his last ride down.
And he sideswiped nineteen neat parked cars,
clipped off thirteen telephone poles,
hit two houses, bruised eight trees,
and Blue-Crossed seven people.
it was then he lost his head,
not to mention an arm or two before he stopped.
And he slid for four hundred yards
along the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania.
All those thirty thousand pounds of bananas.

You know the man who told me about it on the bus,
as it went up the hill out of Scranton, Pennsylvania,
he shrugged his shoulders, he shook his head,
and he said (and this is exactly what he said)
Boy that sure must've been something.
Just imagine thirty thousand pounds of bananas.
Yes, there were thirty thousand pounds of mashed bananas.
Of bananas. Just bananas. Thirty thousand pounds.
of Bananas. not no driver now. Just bananas!

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

George Donaldson - A Song for Harry Chapin

7:42

George performing on the Celtic Thunder 2013 Cruise. Introducing and singing A Song for Harry Chapin.

I missed getting these up after the cruise because my laptop crashed. Realized today with his passing that I didn't have George's songs up yet. Wanted to share them with everyone to remember this great Scot. RIP George. Your songs too will live on. Maybe someday someone will write a song for you too.

Bruce Springsteen 1987 Harry Chapin Tribute: Remember When the Music

7:24

In 1987 a tribute concert in honor of Harry Chapin was held, celebrating his would be 45 birthday.

More information:

Harry Chapin - Circle

7:23

All my life's a circle;
Sunrise and sundown;
Moon rolls thru the nighttime;
Till the daybreak comes around.

All my life's a circle;
But I can't tell you why;
Season's spinning round again;
The years keep rollin' by.

It seems like I've been here before;
I can't remember when;
But I have this funny feeling;
That we'll all be together again.

No straight lines make up my life;
And all my roads have bends;
There's no clear-cut beginnings;
And so far no dead-ends.

Chorus:
I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It's like a children's game;

As I find you here again;
A thought runs through my mind;
Our love is like a circle;
Let's go 'round one more time.

Chorus

/Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Mr. Tanner

5:18

Mister Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest.
And of all the cleaning shops around he'd made his the best.
But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes.
He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows.
His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his throat.
They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats.

But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

His friends kept working on him to try music out full time.
A big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb.
Finally they got to him, he would take the fling.
A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing.
And there were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the hall.
It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all.

But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile.
And in the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle.
But the concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause.
He did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws.
But the critics were concise, it only took four lines.
But no one could accuse them of being over kind.

(spoken) Mr. Martin Tanner, Baritone, of Dayton, Ohio made his
Town Hall debut last night. He came well prepared, but unfortunately
his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards.
His voice lacks the range of tonal color necessary to make it
consistently interesting.
(sung) Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.

He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends.
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again,
excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed.
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes.
Music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

/Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin- A Better Place to Be w/Lyrics

10:02

I do not own anything in this video, it is purely fan-made. All rights go to their respective owners.

Sequel

6:42

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Sequel · Harry Chapin

Sequel

℗ 2001 Sandy Chapin

Released on: 2008-05-06

Auto-generated by YouTube.

Harry Chapin - Flowers Are Red

4:31

The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said.. What you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said... It's not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

Well the teacher said.. You're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me.....

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than they way they always have been seen

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in the flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
She said.. It's for your own good..
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And are responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
This is what he said.. and he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Cats In The Cradle

3:45

I searched this song a few days ago and couldn't find any versions with the words on it so I decided to make one with the lyrics. Please send any request to jbmmt1224@yahoo.com and make the subject REQUEST.

Harry Chapin - W.O.L.D.

5:05

Hello honey it's me...
What did you think when you heard me back on the radio... ?
And what did the kids say when they knew it was their long - lost
daddy-o....

Remember how we'd listen to the radio
And I said That's the place to be.
And how I got that job as an FM jock
The day you married me.
It was 2 kids, and I was into AM rock
But I just had to run around
It's been 8 years since I left you babe
Let me tell you 'bout what's gone down...

I am the morning DJ... At W.O.L.D.
Playin' all the hits for you... Wherever you may be.
The bright good morning voice... Who is heard, but never seen!
Feelin' all of 45.... Goin' on 15.

The drinkin' I did on my last big gig...
It made my voice go low
They said that they like the young sound.......
When they let me go.
So I drifted on down to Tulsa Oklahoma
To do me a late night talk show
Now I've worked my way down home again
Here to Boise Idaho.... That's how this business goes.

I am the morning DJ... At W.O.L.D. !
Playin' all the hits for you
Wherever you may be
The bright good morning voice... Who is heard but never seen.
Feelin' all of 45..... Goin' on 15.

I BEEN MAKIN' EXTRA MONEY DOIN' HIGH SCHOOL SOCK HOPS
I'M A BIG-TIME GUEST EMCEE...
YOU SHOULD HEAR ME TALKIN' TO THE LITTLE CHILDREN
AND LISTEN WHAT THEY'RE SAYIN' TO ME!
I GOT A SPOT ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD...
JUST BEGGIN FOR A NEW TOUPEE
AND A TIRE 'ROUND MY GUT FROM SITTIN' ON MY...
BUT IT'S NEVER GONNA GO AWAY.......................................

Sometimes I get this crazy dream
And I just take off in my car
But you can travel on ten thousand miles
And still stay where you are
I been thinkin' that maybe I should stop this jockeying
And start that record store.
Maybe I could even settle down....
.... if you'd take me back once more.

...okay honey I see.
I guess he's better than me...
Sure girl, I understand.
You don't have to worry, I'm such a happy man.

wold WOLD wold WOLD wold WOL
WOL WOL..

WOLD D D

I am the morning DJ..
At KLBJ !
Playin' all the hits for you
Playin' 'em night and day!
The bright good morning voice
Who is heard but never seen...
Oh! Feeling all of 45....
.... Going on 16.

/Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Last Stand - Big John Wallace

3:54

John Wallace's amazing rendition of Harry Chapin's song that was written for Big John

Harry Chapin - A Better Place to Be

10:00

It was an early morning bar room,
And the place just opened up.
And the little man come in so fast and
Started at his cup.
And the broad who served the whisky
She was a big old friendly girl.
And she tried to fight her empty nights
By smilin' at the world.

And she said Hey Bub, It's been awhile
Since you been around.
Where the hell you been hidin' ?
And why you look so down ?

But the little man just sat there like he'd never heard a sound.

The waitress she gave out with a cough,
And acting not the least put off,
She spoke once again.

She said, I don't want to bother you,
Consider it's understood.
I know I'm not no beauty queen,
But I sure can listen good.

And the little man took his drink in his hand
And he raised it to his lips.
He took a couple of sips.
And he told the waitress this story.

I am the midnight watchman down at Miller's Tool and Die.
And I watch the metal rusting, and I watch the time go by.
A week ago at the diner I stopped to get a bite.
And this here lovely lady she sat two seats from my right.
And Lord, Lord, Lord she was alright.

Oh she was so damned beautiful that she'd warm a winter's frost.
But she was long past lonely, and well nigh unto lost.
Now I'm not much of a mover, or a pick-em-up easy guy,
But I decided to glide on over, and give her one good try.
And Lord, Lord, Lord she was worth a try.

Tongued-tied like a school boy, I stammered out some words.
But it did not really matter much, 'cause I don't think she heard.
She just looked clear on through me to a space back in my head.
And it shamed me into silence, as quietly she said,
'If you want me to come with you, then that's all right with me.
Cause I know I'm going nowhere, and anywhere's a better place to be.
Anywhere's a better place to be.'

I drove her to my boarding house, and I took her up to my room.
And I went to turn on the only light to brighten up the gloom.
But she said, 'Please leave the light off, Oh I don't mind the dark.'
And as her clothes all tumbled 'round her, I could hear my heart.
The moonlight shown upon her as she lay back in my bed.
It was the kind of scene I only had imagined in my head.
I just could not believe it, to think that she was real.
And as I tried to tell her she said 'Shhh.. I know just how you feel.
And if you want to come here with me, then that's all right with me.
'Cause I've been oh so lonely, lovin' someone is a better way to be.
anywhere's a better way to be.'

The morning come so swiftly but I held her in my arms.
But she slept like a baby, snug and safe from harm.
I did not want to share her with the world or break the mood,
So before she woke I went out and brought us both some food.

I came back with my paper bag, to find out she was gone.
She'd left a six word letter saying 'It's time that I moved on.'

The waitress took a bar rag, and she wiped it across her eyes.
And as she spoke her voice came out as something like a sigh.
She said I wish that I was beautiful, or that you were halfway blind.
And I wish I weren't so dog-gone fat, I wish that you were mine.
And I wish that you'd come with me, when I leave for home.
For we both know all about loneliness, and livin' all alone.

And the little man,
Looked at the empty glass in his hand.
And he smiled a crooked grin,
He said, I guess I'm out of gin.
And know we both have been so lonely.
And if you want me to come with you, then that's all right with me.
'Cause I know I'm goin' nowhere and anywhere's a better place to be.

/Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Coreys Coming

5:42

Old John Joseph was a man with two first names
They left him in the railroad yard when they took away the trains
Only one run a week comes on roaring down that line
So all he's got to worry 'bout is time.

I come by in the evening to hear 'bout where he's been
He says - Come on sit down Kid, where shall I begin?
He starts telling me the stories of the glories of his past
But he always saves the story of his Corey for the last.

And he says - My Corey's coming. No more sad stories coming
My midnight-moonlight-morning-glory's coming aren't you girl?
And like I told you, when she holds you
She enfolds you in her world.

I was quite surprised to find out all the places that he knew
And so I asked the townfolk if his stories were true
They said - Old John was born here, he's lived here all his life
He's never had a woman, let alone a wife.

And very soon you'll find out as you check around
That no one named Corey's ever lived in this town
So I chided the old man 'bout the truth that I had heard
He smiled and said - Reality is only just a word.

I came by one evening but he did not hear my shout
I looked in the window and saw the fire was out
When he would not wake up I forced in the door
And found that Old John Joseph would tell stories no more.

The scene at the graveyard, three of us were there
Me and the gravedigger heard the parson's prayer
He said - We need not grieve for this man,
For we know that God cares!

They put the cold dirt over him and left me on my own
And when at last I looked up I saw I was not alone
So I said - If you're a relative, he had a peaceful end.
She said - My name is Corey - you can say I'm just a friend.

Corey's coming, no more sad stories coming
My midnight-moonlight-morning-glory's coming aren't you girl?
And like I told you, when she holds you
She enfolds you in her world.

So that's the old man's story, I'm glad you came tonight
A busted down old railroad yard sure makes a lonely sight
You may wonder why a young man would work out here alone
Well the job pays enough to keep some flesh on my bones.

And I confess I get to missing the old man a bit
And there's one other reason I guess I should admit -

Can't you see my Corey's coming, no more sad stories coming
My midnight-moonlight-morning-glory's coming aren't you girl?
And like he told me, when she holds me
She enfolds me in her world.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin W.O.L.D. original with sad ending.

5:01

Harrys W.O.L.D. original and best, slideshow with music track.

Harry Chapin-Better Place To Be

9:25

Harry Chapin - Dreams Go By

4:55

There you stand in your dungarees
Looking all grown up and so very pleased
When you write your poems they have so much to say
When you speak your dreams it takes my breath away

You know I want to be a ball player
A regular slugging fool
But both our dreams must wait awhile
Until we finish school

And so you and I
We'll watch our years go by
We'll watch our sweet dreams fly
Far away, but maybe someday

I don't know when
But we will dream again
And we'll be happy then
Till our time just drifts away

There you stand in your wedding dress
You're so beautiful that I must confess
I'm so proud you have chosen me
When a doctor is what you want to be

You know I want to be a painter, girl
A real artistic snob
But I guess we'll have our children first
You'll make a home, I'll get a job

Listen to the seasons passing
Listen to the wind blow
Listen to the children laughing
Where do broken dreams go?

There you stand in your tailored suit
So many years gone by, but your're still so cute
We take the car to go and meet the bus
When our grandchildren come to visit us

You say you should have been a ballerina, babe
There are songs I should have sung
But I guess our dreams have come and gone
You gotta dream when you are young

And so you and I
We'll watch our years go by
We'll watch our sweet dreams fly
Far away, but maybe someday

I don't know when
But we will dream again
And we'll be happy then
Till our time just drifts away

/Lyrics From The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle

3:46

Harry Chapin's Cat's In The Cradle from 1974 with lyrics below. Please comment, rate, and subscribe!

LYRICS:

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned ten just the other day
He said, Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw, I said Not today
I got a lot to do, he said, That's ok
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?
He shook his head and said with a smile
What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, I'd like to see you if you don't mind
He said, I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then

Property of Warner Music Group/Elektra.

Harry Chapin: I dont want to be President

4:13

One of Harry Chapin's final songs before he was killed in a car crash in 1981. Almost seems like he was singing about Barack Obama.

Harry Chapin: 30 THOUSAND POUNDS of BANANAS 81

10:32

Harry Chapin - Sequel

6:40

So here she's actin' happy inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flyin' in my taxi, takin' tips and gettin' stoned.

I got into town a little early.
Had eight hours to kill before the show.
First I thought about heading up north of the bay
Then I knew where I had to go.

I thought about taking a limousine
Or at least a fancy car.
But I ended up taking a taxi
'Cause that's how I got this far.

You see, ten years ago it was the front seat
Drivin' stoned and feelin' no pain.
Now here I am straight and sittin' in the back
Hitting Sixteen Parkside Lane.

The driveway was the same as I remembered
And a butler came and answered the door.
He just shook his head when I asked for her
And said She doesn't live here anymore.

But he offered to give me the address
That they were forwarding her letters to.
I just took it and returned to the cabbie
And said I got one more fare for you.

And so we rolled back into the city
Up to a five store old brownstone
I rang the bell that had her name on the mailbox.
The buzzer said somebody's home.

And the look on her face as she opened the door
Was like an old joke told by a friend.
It'd taken ten more years but she'd found her smile
And I watched the corners start to bend.

And she said, How are you Harry?
Haven't we played this scene before?
I said It's so good to see you, Sue
Had to play it out just once more.
Play it out just once more.

She said I've heard you flying high on my radio
I answered It's not all it seems
That's when she laughed and she said, It's better sometimes
When we don't get to touch our dreams.

That's when I asked her where was that actress
She said That was somebody else
And then I asked her why she looked so happy now
She said I finally like myself, at last I like myself.

So we talked all through that afternoon
Talking about where we'd been
We talked of the tiny difference
Between ending and starting to begin.
We talked because talking tells you things
Like what you really are thinking about.
But sometimes you can't find what you're feeling
Till all the word run out.

So I asked her to come to the concert.
She said No, I work at night.
I said, We've gotten too damn good at leaving, Sue
She said, Harry, you're right.

Don't ask me if I made love to her
Or which one of us started to cry
Don't ask me why she wouldn't take the money that I left
If I answered at all I'd lie.

So I thought about her as I sang that night
And how the circle keeps rolling around.
How I act as I'm facing the footlights
And how she's flying with both feet on the ground.

I guess it's a sequel to our story
From the journey 'tween heaven and hell
With half the time thinking of what might have been
and half thinkin' just as well.

I guess only time will tell.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Dogtown

7:25

Up in Massachusetts There's a little spit of land.
The men who make the maps, yes, they call the place Cape Ann.
The men who do the fishing call it Gloucester Harbor Sound,
But the women left behind, they call the place Dogtown.

The men go out for whaling, past the breakers and the fogs.
The women stay home waiting they're protected by the dogs.
A tough old whaler woman who had seen three husbands drown,
Polled the population and she named the place Dogtown.

There's all these grey faced women in their black widow's gowns,
Living in this grave yard granite town.
Yeah, you soon learn there's many more than one way to drown;
That's while going to the dogs here in Dogtown.

And she speaks: My father was a merchant all in the Boston fief.
When my husband came and asked him for my hand.
But little did I know then that a Gloucester whaler's wife
Marries but the sea salt and the sand.

He took me up to Dogtown the day I was a bride.
We had ten days together before he left my side.
He's the first mate of a whaling ship,
the keeper of the log.
He said, Farewell, my darling, I'm going to leave you with my dog.

And I have seen the splintered timbers of a hundred shattered hulls,
Known the silence of the granite and the screeching of the gulls,
I've heard that crazy widow Cather walk the harbor as she raves
At the endless rolling whisper of the waves.

Sitting by the fireside, the embers slowly die.
Is it a sign of weakness when a woman wants to cry?
The dog is closely watching the fire glints in his eye.
No use to go to sleep this early, no use to even try.

My blood beats like a woman's,
I've got a woman's breast and thighs.
But where am I to offer them
to the ocean or the skies?

Living with this silent dog
all the moments of my life,
He has been my only husband;
am I a widow, or his wife?

Yes, it's a Dogtown and it's a fog town,
And there's nothing around 'cept the sea pounding granite ground
And this black midnight horror of a hound.

I'm standing on this craggy cliff,
my eyes fixed on the sea.
Six months past, when his ship was due,
I'm a widow to be.
For liking this half living with the lonely and the fog,
You need the bastard of the mating of a woman and a dog.

And I have seen the splintered timbers of a hundred shattered hulls,
Known the silence of the granite and the screeching of the gulls,
I've heard that crazy widow Cather walk the harbor as she raves
At the endless rolling whisper of the waves.
At the endless rolling whisper of the waves.
At the endless rolling whisper of the waves.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Taxi - live November 1977

6:28

Recorded live at Fordham University, November 1977.

Harry Chapin - Shooting Star

4:09

He was crazy of course
From the first she must have known it
But still she went on with him
And she never once had shown it
And she took him off the street
And she dried his tears of grieving
She listened to his visions
She believed in his believe-ins

Oh, he was the sun burning bright and brittle
And she was the moon shining back his light a little
He was a shooting star
She was softer and more slowly
He could not make things possible
But, she could make them holy

He was dancing to some music
No one else had ever heard
He'd speak in unknown languages
She would translate every word
And then when the world was laughing
At his castles in the sky
She'd hold him in her body
Till he once again could fly

Oh, he was the sun burning bright and brittle
And she was the moon shining back his light a little
He was a shooting star
She was softer and more slowly
He could not make things possible
But, she could make them holy

Well, she gave him a daughter
And she gave him a son
She was a mother, and a wife,
And a lover when the day was done
He was too far gone for giving love
What he offered in its stead
Was the knowledge she was the only thing
That was not in his head

He took off East one morning
Towards the rising sun's red glow
She knew he was going nowhere
But of course she let him go
And as she stood and watched him dwindle
Much too empty to be sad
He reappeared beside her saying,
You're all I've ever had

Oh, he was the sun burning bright and brittle
And she was the moon shining back his light a little
He was a shooting star
She was softer and more slowly
He could not make things possible
But, she could make them holy
Holy

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Mr. Tanner

5:13

Mister Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest.
And of all the cleaning shops around he'd made his the best.
But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes.
He practiced scales while pressing tails and sang at local shows.
His friends and neighbors praised the voice that poured out from his throat.
They said that he should use his gift instead of cleaning coats.

But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

His friends kept working on him to try music out full time.
A big debut and rave reviews, a great career to climb.
Finally they got to him, he would take the fling.
A concert agent in New York agreed to have him sing.
And there were plane tickets, phone calls, money spent to rent the hall.
It took most of his savings but he gladly used them all.

But music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

The evening came, he took the stage, his face set in a smile.
And in the half filled hall the critics sat watching on the aisle.
But the concert was a blur to him, spatters of applause.
He did not know how well he sang, he only heard the flaws.
But the critics were concise, it only took four lines.
But no one could accuse them of being over kind.

(spoken) Mr. Martin Tanner, Baritone, of Dayton, Ohio made his
Town Hall debut last night. He came well prepared, but unfortunately
his presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards.
His voice lacks the range of tonal color necessary to make it
consistently interesting.
(sung) Full time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.

He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends.
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again,
excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed.
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes.
Music was his life, it was not his livelihood,
and it made him feel so happy and it made him feel so good.
And he sang from his heart and he sang from his soul.
He did not know how well he sang; It just made him whole.

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at Harrychapin.com\

Harry Chapin - Taxi

6:24

1974 - PBS Soundstage. WTTW's Grainger Studio. Chicago, IL. Harry Chapin (1942-1981 vocal, guitar); John Wallace (bass, vocal); Ron Palmer (guitar); and Michael Masters (cello). Song was written by Harry Chapin. To learn more about Harry's life and legacy, please visit For more music: and

Harry Chapin - They Call Her Easy

6:12

They call her easy from the last concert dvd.

Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin - SUBTITULADO EN ESPAÑOL

3:46

Aclaración del coro:
Cat's cradle, es un juego de cuerdas, las cucharas del plata son un regalo típico para los recién nacidos en la cultura norteamericana, El pequeño niño azul y El hombre en la luna son canciones de rima infantiles. Todas estas cosas buscan hacer referencia a la infancia.

Harry Chapin - 30,000 Pounds Of Bananas - Lyrics - Live Recording

11:40

Harry Chapin was one of the best storytelling songwriters. This performance is a live recording and Harry keeps the audience very entertained and engaged throughout this lengthy song. No copyright infringement intended. Lyrics on screen. To potential viewers from a younger generation than myself - If this is your first time hearing this song...give it a chance. It's like a good book that starts a little slow.

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