Playlist of Harry Chapin

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)

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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

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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

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\

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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- I Wanna Learn a Love Song

4:09

Harry Chapin- I Wanna Learn a Love Song

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Harry Chapin- Vacancy

4:02

Visit for the best music!!
Harry Chapin- Vacancy

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 W.O.L.D.

4:55

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

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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 - 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 W.O.L.D. original with sad ending.

5:01

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

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 - 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\

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\

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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 - 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

4:41

Harry Chapin (Cat's In The Cradle) and his brothers perform this never-recorded original for Merv in 1965, before they had even recorded their first album. Their father Jim Chapin is on drums. Merv Griffin had over 5000 guests appear on his show from 1963-1986. Footage from the Merv Griffin Show is available for licensing to all forms of media through Reelin' In The Years Productions.

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\

x

Harry Chapin Behind the Music

44:05

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 - Cats in the Cradle 1977

3:42

Harry Chapin - Cat's in the Cradle 1977

Released 1974

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and there were bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away

And he was talking '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 in the moon
When you coming home, dad? I don't know when
We'll get together then, son, you know we'll have a good time then

When my son turned ten just the other day
Said, Thanks for the ball, dad, come on and let's play
Can you teach me to throw? I said, Not today
I got a lot to do he said, That's okay

And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
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 in the moon
When you coming home, dad? I don't know when
We'll get together then, son, you know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came 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 he 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 in the moon
When you coming home, son? I don't know when
But we'll get together then, dad, We're gonna have a good time then

Well, I've long since retired and my son's moved away
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 could find the time

You see, my new job's a hassle and the kid's got 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

Yeah, and the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you coming home, son? I don't know when
But we'll get together then, dad, we're gonna have a good time then

Harry Chapin: BETTER PLACE TO BE 81

10:06

REDONE WITHOUT BIRDS!
From 1981 concert at Hamilton Place

Harry Chapin Dreams Go By

4:45

You can order all the works of Harry Chapin in the store at this link

Harry Chapin died tragically before the age of 40 of cardiac arrest. He was survived by his wife, children and all those who his music touched and continues to.

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

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\

Harry Chapin - Live 77 Rockpalast Concert

1:29:42

Shooting Star
W*O*L*D 04:50
Mr. Tanner 10:50
Dance Band on the Titanic 16:28
Taxi 22:20
Six-String Orchestra 29:20
Corey's Coming 33:49
Blues Man 42:25
Mail Order Annie 51:29
30,000 Pounds of Bananas 59:20
Cat's in the Cradle 1:06:18
Circle 1:12:00
Odd Job Man 1:19:20
I Wanna Learn a Love Song 1:24:17

Harry Chapin - Remember When

1:6:40

With personal commentary by Harry's children Jen and Josh as well as his widow Sandy Chapin.
Taxi 00:00
Mr. Tanner 07:00
I Wanna Learn a Love Song 12:24
Song For Myself 17:00
W*O*L*D 23:51
Story of a Life 28:51
A Better Place To Be 37:26
Dancing Boy 47:17
Story of a Life 52:07
Cat's in the Cradle 57:25
Circle 1:02:14

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\

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:

30,000 POUNDS OF BANANAS - HARRY CHAPIN

11:44

From Harry Chapin's Hit Album: Greatest Stories Live (Audio Only)

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: FLOWERS ARE RED 81

7:22

REDONE WITHOUT BIRDS!
From 1981 concert at Hamilton Place

Harry Chapin - They Call Her Easy

6:12

They call her easy from the last concert dvd.

Harry Chapin- Mr. Tanner

5:22

Harry Chapin- Mr. Tanner

Harry Chapin - Cats in the cradle

3:51

Harry Chapin - Sniper

9:56

Harry Chapin- Taxi

6:17

Harry Chapin- Taxi

harry chapin there only was one choice

14:36

chapin at his best live

Harry Chapin sings TANGLED UP PUPPET Live

2:25

clip of live performance, sorry, not whole song..it's from the Tonite show, 1978 and was used as a clip in the 1987 Tribute Concert, and part way thru, the onstage orchestra and singer add into it, so it's nolonger jus Harry and his guitar. Sounds alittle strange, they should have just left it alone, but I guess the chick onstage wanted to sing along.....
I'm a tangled up puppet,
Spinning round in knots,
And the more I see what I used to be,
The less of you I've got.

There was a time that you curled up in my lap; like a child
You'd cling to me smiling, yours eyes wide and wild
Now you slip through my arms, wave a passing hello
Twist away and toss a kiss, laughing as you go

You used to say Read me a story and sing me songs of love
For you were Princess Paradise like your wings of a dove
Now I chase you and tease you trying to remake you my own
But you just turn away and say please leave me alone.

And I'm a tangled up puppet
All hanging in your strings
I'm a butterfly in a spider's web
Fluttering my wings

And the more that I keep dancing
And spinning round in knots
The more I see what I used to be
And the less of you I've got

You are a drawer full of makeup and rinses and things
You keep changing your moods like your earrings and rings
But tonight while we played tag for five minutes in the yard
Just for a moment I caught you off guard
But now you write your secret poems
In a room just for your dreams
You don't find time to talk to me
About the things you mean
And what I mean is--

I have watched you take shape from a jumble of parts
And find the grace and form of a fine work of art
Hey, you, my brand new woman, newly come into your own
Don't you know that you don't need to grow up all alone

Harry Chapin - Story of a Life

5:22

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.

/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.

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 - Bummer

9:56

His mama was a midnight woman
His daddy was a drifter drummer
One night they put it together
Nine months later came the little black bummer

He was a laid back lump in the cradle
Chewing the paint chips that fell from the ceiling
Whenever he cried he got a fist in his face
So he learned not to show his feelings

He was a pig-tail puller in grammer school
Left back twice by the seventh grade
Sniffing glue in Junior High
And the first one in school to get laid

He was a weed-speed pusher at fifteen
He was mainlining skag a year later
He'd started pimping when they put him away
In jail he changed from a junkie to a hater

And just like the man from the precinct said:
Put him away, you better kill him instead.
A bummer like that is better of dead
Someday they're gonna have to put a bullet in his head.

They threw him back on the street, he robbed an A & P
He didn't blink at the buddy that he shafted
And just about the time they would have caught him too
He had the damn good fortune to get drafted

He was A-One bait for Vietnam, you see they needed more bodies in a hurry
He was a cinch to train cause all they had to do
Was to figure how to funnel his fury

They put him in a tank near the D M Z
To catch the gooks slipping over the border
They said his mission was to Search and Destroy
And for once he followed and order

One sweat-soaked day in the Yung-Po Valley
With the ground still steaming from the rain
There was a bloody little battle that didn't mean nothing
Except to the few that remained

You see a couple hundred slants had trapped the other five tanks
And had started to pick off the crews
When he came on the scene and it really did seem
This is why he'd paid those dues

It was something like a butcher going berserk
Or a sane man acting like a fool
Or the bravest thing that a man had ever done
Or a madman blowing his cool

Well he came on through like a knife through butter
Or a scythe sweeping through the grass
Or to say it like the man would have said it himself:
Just a big black bastard kicking ass!

And just like the man from the precinct said:
Put him away, you better kill him instead.
A bummer like that is better of dead
Someday they're gonna have to put a bullet in his head.

When it was over and the smoke had cleared
There were a lot of V C bodies in the mud
And when the rescued men came over for the very first time
They found him smiling as he lay in his blood

They picked up the pieces and they stitched him back together
He pulled through though they thought he was a goner
And it force them to give him what they said they would
Six purple hearts and the Medal of Honor

Of course he slouched as the chief white honkey said:
Service beyond the call of duty
But the first soft thought was passing through his mind
My medal is a Mother of a beauty!

He got a couple of jobs with the ribbon on his chest
And though he tried he really couldn't do 'em
There was only a couple of things that he was really trained for
And he found himself drifting back to 'em
Just about the time he was ready to break
The V A stopped sending him his checks
Just a matter of time 'cause there was no doubt
About what he was going to do next

It ended up one night in a grocery store
Gun in hand and nine cops at the door
And when his last battle was over
He lay crumpled and broken on the floor

And just like the man from the precinct said:
Put him away, you better kill him instead.
A bummer like that is better of dead
Someday they're gonna have to put a bullet in his head.

Well he'd breathed his last, but ten minutes past
Before they dared to enter the place
And when they flipped his riddled body over they found
His second smile frozen on his face

They found his gun where he'd thrown it
There was something else clenched in his fist
And when they pried his fingers open they found the Medal of Honor
And the Sergeant said: Where in the hell he get this?

There was a stew about burying him in Arlington
So they shipped him in box to Fayette
And they kind of stashed him in a grave in the county plot
The kind we remember to forget

And just like the man from the precinct said:
Put him away, you better kill him instead.
A bummer like that is better of dead
Someday they're gonna have to put a bullet in his head.

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

Harry Chapin - Taxi rare unreleased version

8:33

This is an extremely rare version of Taxi. It was included on a promotional album from Elektra Records in January 1972.

The Shortest Story - Harry Chapin

2:27

Not only is it the shortest story, it's also the saddest story.

Harry Chapin - You Own the Only Light

4:06

Lyrics Posted by atticusfinch139

You Own The Only Light by Harry Chapin
I listen to the wind girl As you sleep by my side
The weather's getting colder So much harder now to hide
I confess I'm worried girl 'Cause as we fill up our days
For all the dreams we said we'd live We watch them slip away

So I hold you like an anchor
I hold you in the night
You're all that I can count on
You own the only light
And I hold you like an answer
The only one that's right
For when I'm lost in darkness
You own the only light

You see I think we know we're loosing it
That easy dream is gone Like everyone we fool ourselves
And say we're holding on But I know I can't return again
You never can go home Though with you here I still am lost
At least I'm not alone

And I hold you like an anchor
I hold you in the night
You're all that I can count on
You own the only light
And I hold you like an answer
The only one that's right
For when I'm lost in darkness
You own the only light

Oh don't you ever take away your light
Don't you ever leave me with your light
Don't you ever take away your light
Or else never let there be another night
We traveled hard to get here girl
But now our traveling's done
And of all the answers I have found
You're the only solid one

And I'm frightened how I need you now
But I can't wall in my heart
And with you is how I hope to end
And with you now I start

And I hold you like an anchor
I hold you in the night
You're all that I can count on
You own the only light
Yes I hold you like an answer
The only one that's right
For when I'm lost in darkness
You own the only light

Harry Chapin - Theres a lot of Lonely People Tonight

3:46

There's a lot of lonely people tonight
Trying to make it through 'til the morning light
There's me and you, babe, that's alright
There's a lot of lonely people tonight

I'm holdin' on tight to my pillow
I wish it had a life of its own
Starin' at the ceilin,' such a funny feelin'
But nobody home

But I know you're out there somewhere
That you feel the same way too
Now my only problem is trying to find
A way of getting through to you

There's a lot of lonely people tonight
Trying to make it through 'til the morning light
There's me and you, babe, that's alright
There's a lot of lonely people tonight

I guess we share the same old dream
Or maybe it's the same old lie
There's only one thing I'm sure of, now
And that's our time keeps rolling by

And far too many days run out
And nights begin this way
With my half of our hopeful couple
Trying to hold the dark at bay

There's a lot of lonely people tonight
Trying to make it through 'til the morning light
There's me and you, babe, that's alright
There's a lot of lonely people tonight

You can meet me on a city street
Or meet me by a country stream
You can meet me on a mountain top, babe
But don't you meet me in my dreams

You can meet me tomorrow morning
Baby, maybe you met me back when
You can meet me now inside this song

'Cause I don't wanna sleep alone again

There's a lot of lonely people tonight
Trying to make it through 'til the morning light
There's me and you, babe, that's alright
'Cause there's a lot of lonely people
So many lonely people

There's a lot of lonely people all over the world
Even little children and beautiful girls
Yes, there's me and you, babe, but that's alright
'Cause there's a lot of lonely people tonight

/Lyrics from The Harry Chapin Archive at harrychapin.com\
Thanks for the corrections hcitydave.

Harry Chapin - Woman Child

5:24

Dripping streetlights
darkened buildings
wandering
head hung down low.
Where will she go?

Woman child, your eyes are wild.
The rain runs down your hair.
Woman child, mercy mild.
What will you tell your teddy bear?

I turned you on my solid body
my electric Gibson guitar.
My clever fingers searched
and found exactly where you are.
You went too far.

I was an early morning phone call.
What news have I received.
A halting voice is telling me,
what we have both conceived,
asking how the dilemma,
how can it be releived?

I will give you money, Honey.
I will set up a time.
But you got to go there on your own babe,
'cause I don't know that it's mine.

Oh woman child
mama's little angel's been defiled.
Took a taxi to the clinic
where they do the modern thing.
The white coat doctor
laid her out said

You won't feel a thing.
You get the sweet salvation
that little old knife can bring.
You don't have to worry 'bout no offspring.
That's that.
Go Home and take a nap.
It's just a two hundred dollar mishap.
It don't mean a thing.
It's all over now
you can tell your singer to sing.

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

Harry Chapin - Odd Job Man - 10/21/1978 - Capitol Theatre

5:20

Harry Chapin - Odd Job Man
Recorded Live: 10/21/1978 - Capitol Theatre - Passaic, NJ
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Personnel:
Harry Chapin - vocals, guitar
Chevy Chase - vocals on Flowers Of Red
Audience Volunteers - vocals on Mr. Tanner

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