# Tell Us Your Favourite Ballad Or Story Telling Songs



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Most songs tell a story of some kind or another but some songs stand out as a "story telling" song.

List some of your favourites with videos if you can. We'll likely all get some reminders of songs we haven't heard or even thought about in a long time.

Here's one from Neil Young to get the ball rolling.

The Needle and The Damage Done
[video=youtube;Hd3oqvnDKQk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd3oqvnDKQk[/video]


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## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

Great idea for a thread. Thanks Steadfastly. Long black veil is a great one that has been done by a ton of people. Here's one of my favorite versions by the Proclaimers, probably because it was the first I had heard.

[video=youtube;edrssJSq3EE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edrssJSq3EE[/video]


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Here is a funny one by one of my favourite guitar players, Junior Brown.

[video=youtube;DaEzT5MusFs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEzT5MusFs[/video]


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## Vox71 (Mar 25, 2008)

Shameless, I know, lol...... http://www.soundcloud.com/vox71/the-ballad-of-rosie


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## Vox71 (Mar 25, 2008)

OK, here is my real choice http://youtu.be/IcQKtl3MGCE


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Hard to beat this one...

[video=youtube;iHxOego2Sso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso&amp;feature=player_detailpage[/video]


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

[video=youtube;4fhU58tCCOc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fhU58tCCOc[/video]


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I don't know if this fits what you are looking for, but the song has always affected me.

[video=youtube;qGpwKQo5_Z0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGpwKQo5_Z0[/video]


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## bscott (Mar 3, 2008)

I've always liked Alice's Restaurant!!

B


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Hitting some great songwriters/storytellers. I'll add this one

[video=youtube;350Pj8Q5d1Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=350Pj8Q5d1Y[/video]


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

and because I am indecisive

[video=youtube;x86zOI3NMPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x86zOI3NMPs[/video]


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Acadian Driftwood - The Band

[video=youtube;fZwkxHYM7lI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZwkxHYM7lI[/video]


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Racing In The Street '78 - Bruce Springsteen

[video=youtube;50kAd7iC2X8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50kAd7iC2X8[/video]


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Not a ballad _*at all*_, but for a song that tells a story, I was always kind of partial to Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs' "Oh That's Good, No That's Bad".

[video=youtube;uheHQ23dTw4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uheHQ23dTw4[/video]

Okay, back to ballads.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

GONE


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

My favorite super group...

[video=youtube;ReQsRgQXgQY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQsRgQXgQY[/video]


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

[video=youtube;AxKTzwaEa2o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxKTzwaEa2o[/video]


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

who loves a good story more than me? thought about posting ballad of dwight frye, but really that story gets told across more than one song. in the end, i chose this one for it's melding of many styles used during this period.

[video=youtube_share;3E_lNoS0aIY]http://youtu.be/3E_lNoS0aIY[/video]


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

Sneaky said:


> Hard to beat this one...
> 
> [video=youtube;iHxOego2Sso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso&amp;feature=player_detailpage[/video]


Cool...I have never heard that song before, but I had to listen to it a few times over...
-Mikey


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Taxi by Harry Chapin


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Here's one I remember as a kid. I always thought it was sad but hey, a lot of ballads are.

[video=youtube;24IfD-0VUu4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24IfD-0VUu4&amp;feature=related[/video]


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

This one tells a story
[video=youtube;9LjbMVXj0F8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LjbMVXj0F8[/video]


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## cbg1 (Mar 27, 2012)

http://youtu.be/AxKTzwaEa2o


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Sneaky said:


> Hard to beat this one...
> 
> [video=youtube;iHxOego2Sso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso&amp;feature=player_detailpage[/video]


holy smokes dude! that was bad-ass!


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

How about some Canadiana,,,,,,, Gordon Lightfoot........ Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

urko99 said:


> How about some Canadiana,,,,,,, Gordon Lightfoot........ Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald


Here you go.

[video=youtube;9vST6hVRj2A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vST6hVRj2A[/video]


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

urko99 said:


> How about some Canadiana,,,,,,, Gordon Lightfoot........ Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald


Perth County Conspiracy ?
[video=youtube;7er1FXXVVD0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7er1FXXVVD0[/video]


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

sulphur said:


> My favorite super group...
> 
> [video=youtube;ReQsRgQXgQY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReQsRgQXgQY[/video]


In Kingston anything's legal as long as you don't get caught.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> urko99 said:
> 
> 
> > How about some Canadiana,,,,,,, Gordon Lightfoot........ Ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald
> ...


That song still gets to me every time, I hate to hear it first thing in the a.m. because it bums me out for the better part of the day. Gord's lyrics do a great job of capturing the inevitability those sailors likely felt & the lead lines, albeit simple, have such a haunting feel to them. Un vrai chef d'oeuvre!


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Hard to pick one but last spring one of our golfing budies passed away and at his funeral, a bunch of his old time country music friends gathered to play the worst version of Tenessee Waltz I have ever herd. It was very emotional and that song has become my favorite song. I cant explain why but when we play it I get all sad inside. Its from the 50's and I think Patty Page did a great version of it.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm sort of partial to Warren Zevon when it comes to story tellers.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=WhRRWwH3Fro


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Non-mobile link.
[video=youtube;9dyUzUxE_2w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dyUzUxE_2w[/video]

Excellent choice, Mike.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Thanks Keto. I could never figure out how to imbed clips.

how about this?

Mark Cohn "Silver Thunderbird"
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T2L9N7XsWhk


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

you need the full url to embed, surrounded by [video] [/video (and I left out the last square bracket). I do it manually, as the forum tool doesn't seem to be working (same as with pics, I manually use tags). Also, I'm not certain if the mobile versions will work for embedding.
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T2L9N7XsWhk[/video] ----->nope.

Here's the non-mobile again :)
[video=youtube;1-JZFxpuEnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-JZFxpuEnw[/video]


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## JHarasym (Mar 27, 2007)

This one makes me think about my Dad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsocZrEcp0Y


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

Three ballads come to mind...

Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez

Spring Song by Bruce Cockburn

Only the Black Rose by the Yardbirds

Roads to Moscow by Al Stewart


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

rollingdam said:


> Taxi by Harry Chapin


 Yup, anything by Harry C.
Here's my all time story fav.
BIG BAD JOHN ~ Jimmy Dean 1961 - YouTube
Cheers, d


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

loudtubeamps said:


> Yup, anything by Harry C.
> Here's my all time story fav.
> BIG BAD JOHN ~ Jimmy Dean 1961 - YouTube
> Cheers, d


how's about Big Bruce ? 

[video=youtube;UH6GaZzNX8U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH6GaZzNX8U[/video]


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

from the past few years I dig this one
my daughter likes the 'angels' singing

[video=youtube;hqp12b61pFo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqp12b61pFo[/video]

a few other story type songs I haven't seen mentioned:
Bob Dylan - The Hurricane
Judas Priest - Beyond the Realms of Death
Iron Mained - Ryme of the Ancient Mariner

my favorite ballad per-se would be
Scorpions - Still Loving You


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

One of the masters of stories in song

[video=youtube;3RA4MykPm4s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RA4MykPm4s[/video]


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Sneaky said:


> Hard to beat this one...
> 
> [video=youtube;iHxOego2Sso]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHxOego2Sso&amp;feature=player_detailpage[/video]


 Great tune and well done, eh? Thanks for posting it.
Just thought of another goodie.
The Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down to Georgia (live) - YouTube


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## Silent Otto (Sep 2, 2012)

[video=youtube_share;Ii81rD-xDyM]http://youtu.be/Ii81rD-xDyM[/video]


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## Silent Otto (Sep 2, 2012)

The best bar band ever!
[video=youtube_share;Qe01Bvvzt6U]http://youtu.be/Qe01Bvvzt6U[/video]


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

surprised no one mentioned this one

[video=youtube_share;4u7ow7pft8E]http://youtu.be/4u7ow7pft8E[/video]

and seein as how i did mention it, i suppose i should also post the song that inspired it

http://youtu.be/s90lsh3U3qI


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

David Bromberg plays a version of Mr. Bojangles, with an interlude midpoint of song when he tells the tale behind the songs origin, the song being written by Jerry Jeff Walker. The story within the story enhances the song itself. I've heard various tellings from Bromberg, and here is one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWH7Bk9kULU&amp;sns=em


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

I have a couple...I've always enjoyed Ian Anderson's lyrical stories so how about
Too Old to Rock and Roll...Too Young to Die

And here's a weird but timely one...

The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins by Leonard Nimoy. Wouldn't Sheldon Cooper love that... for any Big Bang fans.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

dradlin said:


> David Bromberg plays a version of Mr. Bojangles, with an interlude midpoint of song when he tells the tale behind the songs origin, the song being written by Jerry Jeff Walker. The story within the story enhances the song itself. I've heard various tellings from Bromberg, and here is one...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWH7Bk9kULU&amp;sns=em


that's great


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## NGroeneveld (Jan 23, 2011)

Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water!!


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

The Winner

One of my fav's. This one's going out to all the people who have to *"win"* at all cost.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Again with the Warren Zevon?

Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money - David Sanborn Show, 1989 (HD) - YouTube


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play?

[video=youtube;7a4DCxAi020]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a4DCxAi020&amp;feature=related[/video]


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Six pages and no-one posts this one?

[video=youtube;uAsV5-Hv-7U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U[/video]


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

[video=youtube;zqx5j-FuqeI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqx5j-FuqeI[/video]


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Brad Paisley - He Didn't Have To Be

This song has a personal side in it for me.

[video=youtube;tf0RXtnmRWI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf0RXtnmRWI[/video]


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

J S Moore said:


> Six pages and no-one posts this one?


Or this one?
[video=youtube;hEcjgJSqSRU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU[/video]


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Awesome. Absolutely awesome.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"

[video=youtube;sO8GhA8OdyQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO8GhA8OdyQ[/video]


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

J S Moore said:


> Awesome. Absolutely awesome.


I agree. Al is a brilliant guy.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Milkman said:


> I agree. Al is a brilliant guy.


[video=youtube;fj7c3vBZ7jA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj7c3vBZ7jA[/video]


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