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New Category: Songs About Getting Away


Carl

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Hungry Heart ~ Bruce Springsteen

"Got a wife and kids in Baltimore jack I went out for a ride and I never went back. Like a river that just keeps on flowing, I took a wrong turn and I just kept going"

Lodi - Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Rode in on the Greyhound but I'll be walkin' out if I go ..... Oh lord I'm stuck in Lodi again"

Although Creedence hasn't quite figured out how to get away. ;)

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You know those songs where the singer is trapped in some good-for-nothing town or otherwise undesirable situation but then finds the strength to leave it all behind? We're starting a category for those - songs like "Born To Run" and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place." What are some songs that fit this category?

"I Take My Chances" by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Don Schlitz

:confused:

I read the lyrics that you posted with this song but I don't see where in the song is she getting away from anything.

I can see she's not being fearful of things and how she's taking what life has dealt her and dealing with it by being strong.

She's not leaving it all behind, she's staying where she's at and taking her chances.

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My favorite, and one of the most beautiful getting away songs:

Back to the Island ~ Leon Russell

Now the day is gone and I sit alone and think of you, girl

What can I do without you in my life?

I guess that our guessing game just had to end that way

The hardest one to lose of all the games we played

But the time is past for living in a dream world

Lying to myself can't make that scene

Of wondering if you love me or just making a fool of me

Well I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

Chorus:

And watch the sun go down (sit and watch the sun go down)

Hear the sea roll in (listen to the sea roll in)

But I'll be thinking of you (yes, and I'll be thinking of you)

And how it might have been (thinking how it might have been)

Hear the night birds cry (listen to the night birds cry)

Watch the sunset die (sit and watch the sunset die)

Well I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

Well all the fun has died, It's raining in my heart

I know down in my soul I'm really gonna miss you

But it had to end this way with all the games we played

Well I hope you understand I just had to go back to the island

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Of course Roger's got a couple. Not necessarily "get away" as in things are horrible at home, but getting away and wanting to STAY away.

Wake Up Call

RCPM

Well there were covert conditions surrounding our mission when we were called to go

And the powers that be summoned you and me to help prove what they think they know

Estamos borracheros y cancioneros, verified and tried and true

So Special Ops issued us flip flops, a guitar and a week or two

We found a place that's not a where

A time that's not a when

Where there is not a why in sight at all

And the speed of light is the pace of the sun's rise and fall

And in this place that's not a where,

This time that's not a when,

Where there is not a why in sight at all

We'd like to extend our stay…cancel our wake up call

The insertion point was a lively little joint where operations would begin

So we filled our cups so as to loosen up and to blend right in

We told HQ, "We'll contact you, should we need you anymore"

"We'll send official word, yeah fly you the bird!"

"That's the homing pigeon!!!!"

"Or by semaphore…right!"

The good guys and the bad guys, they never work past noon 'round here

We made our mark upon the map but the ink just disappeared

Well our final report, in code, five-letters-short was written out by hand

it was truthful, subversive, on purpose, in cursive, scribbled seaside in the sand

Well we made quite clear we volunteer to stay right where we are

Belay the extraction, we're missing in action, and F*U*B*A*R!

We found a place that's not a where

A time that's not a when

And there is not a why in sight at all

The speed of the light is the pace of the sun's rise and fall

And in this place that's not a where,

this time that's not a when,

where there is not a why in sight at all

We'd like to extend our stay

Got dreamin' to do today

Just doin' our job anyway… now cancel our wake up call

and

Counterclockwise (songfacts)

RCPM

Bought a pancho and sandals

I threw away my shoes

Brought a toothbrush and a razor

I probably won’t use

Hit the track, turned my back

on the Headline News

On my way to meet the moon on the bay

Where she’s risin’ big and full and blue

Where the gringo boys got their dark sunglasses

And the girls on the beach

are all shakin’ their fingers

Cause no matter how dark the lenses

They can see that the eyes

and the minds of the boys

are somewhere they ain’t supposed to be….

The breeze is blowin’ me a new perfume

It’s givin’ my heart a little elbow room

And the kids are lightin’ firecrackers

Boom! Boom! Boom!

No one recalls when the clock on the wall

stopped wavin’ its hands all day

Maybe it died of loneliness or boredom

Rest in peace, you know it’s better this way

The breeze is blowin’ me a new perfume

It’s givin’ my heart a little elbow room

And the kids are lightin’ firecrackers

Boom! Boom! Boom!

And all my friends are laughin’

at each other’s lies

And the sea is singin’ lullabies

And everything’s slowin’ down

flowin’ counterclockwise

Some of the Americans are ugly Americans

But we know we ain’t all that way

So we nod and we smile

and we wait a little while

Because they never stay anywhere

very long, anyway

The breeze is blowin’ me a new perfume

It’s givin’ my heart a little elbow room

And the kids are lightin’ firecrackers

Boom! Boom! Boom!

And all my friends are laughin’

at each other’s lies

And the sea is singin’ lullabies

And everything’s slowin’ down

flowin’ counterclockwise…

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Traction in the Rain - David Crosby

It's hard enough, I know

To find the strength to go

Back to where it all began

It's hard to enough to gain

Any traction in the rain

You know it's hard for me to understand

CHORUS #1:

Hard to find a way

To get through another city day

Without thinking about

Gettin' out

Now the strangest thing I've seen

Was a t-shirt turning green

In envy of turtle dove

The dove's lady was the cause

Or maybe it was the olive branch she held in her claws

Or maybe he could see they were in love

CHORUS #2:

You know it's hard for me to find a way

To get through another city day

Without thinking about

Gettin' out

( Guerrilla Music/BMI)

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Hold That Train - Otis Rush

Hold your train conductor

Please don't let that engineer start

Hold your train conductor

Please don't let that engineer start

While I want to ride your train this morning

Just to ease my aching heart

Every morning before daybreak

Before I get outta my bed

Every morning before daybreak

Before I get out of my bed

I can hear your whistle blowing

It almost drives me out of my head

I'll pay my fare when I get there

I've got your money right here in my hand

I'll pay my fare when I get there

I've got your money right here in my hand

I won't go back and get a ticket

But I'm afraid to take a chance

Going out to California

Old Mississippi is outta sight

Going to take a trip out to California

I'm gonna catch a train and ride

Going nowhere Baby until you treat me right

:cool:

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Dear Jill - Blodwyn Pig

Sorry babe, but I won't be home,

won't be home tomorrow.

Sorry darlin' but I got to let you

Gotta let you down

Your wasten' my time

got no love

love left to give you anymore.

I gotta look for, I gotta find me a brand new

find me a brand new woman

You know I gotta find, the one that won't

The one that won't run around

You took everything I had, but I got no love,

love left to give you anymore.

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Carl,

Where's "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina?

It's not on that list.

3 of the 4 songs I posted aren't on SongFacts at all but "Bye Bye" is.

We have songfacts for the song but the lyrics weren't submitted yet so that's why I used a link to a site that had them already.

The link above is for the songfacts.

We just need to add the lyrics to our site.

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The lyric to "Small Town Boy" by Bronski Beat, which I posted earlier in the thread.

(To set the record straight: I mistakenly credited it to Jimmy Somerville's subsequent project, The Communards. :doh: )

Small Town Boy

You leave in the morning

With everything you own

In a little black case

Alone on a platform

The wind and the rain

On a sad and lonely face

Mother will never understand

Why you had to leave

But the answers you seek

Will never be found at home

The love that you need

Will never be found at home

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Pushed around and kicked around

Always a lonely boy

You were the one

That they'd talk about around town

As they put you down

And as hard as they would try

They'd hurt to make you cry

But you never cried to them

Just to your soul

No you never cried to them

Just to your soul

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Cry , boy, cry...

You leave in the morning

With everything you own

In a little black case

Alone on a platform

The wind and the rain

On a sad and lonely face

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

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"Wand'rin' Star" by Lee Marvin is surely an example of an "absolutely must get away" song.

I was born under a wandrin' star

I was born under a wandrin' star

Wheels are made for rolling, mules are made to pack

I've never seen a sight that didn't look better looking back

I was born under a wandrin' star

Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry

Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry

Home is made for coming from, for dreams of going to

Which with any luck will never come true

I was born under a wandrin' star

I was born under a wandrin' star

Do I know where hell is, hell is in hello

Heaven is goodbye forever, its time for me to go

I was born under a wandrin' star

Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com

A wandrin' wandrin' star

(Mud can make you prisoner and the plains can bake you dry)

(Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry)

(Home is made for coming from, for dreams of going to)

(Which with any luck will never come true)

(I was born under a wandrin' star)

(I was born under a wandrin' star)

When I get to heaven, tie me to a tree

For I'll begin to roam and soon you'll know where I will be

I was born under a wandrin' star

A wandrin' wandrin' star

Link to a youtube clip of this utterly fantastic song. They don't come much better than this.

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Carl,

Where's "Bye Bye" by Jo Dee Messina?

It's not on that list.

3 of the 4 songs I posted aren't on SongFacts at all but "Bye Bye" is.

We have songfacts for the song but the lyrics weren't submitted yet so that's why I used a link to a site that had them already.

The link above is for the songfacts.

We just need to add the lyrics to our site.

Yeah, my example wasn't posted either. Only song lyrics already submitted to SongFacts can be listed?

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itsabeautifulday-1.jpg

White Bird - It's a Beautiful Day

White bird,

in a golden cage,

on a winter's day,

in the rain.

White bird,

in a golden cage,

alone.

The leaves blow,

Across the long black road.

To the darkened skies,

in its rage

But the white bird just sits in her cage,

alone.

White bird must fly

Or she will die

White bird,

dreams of the aspen trees,

with their dying leaves,

turning gold.

But the white bird just sits in her cage,

growing old.

White bird must fly or she will die.

White bird must fly or she will die.

The sunsets come, the sunsets go.

The clouds pile high,the air moves slow.

And the young bird's eyes do always know.

She must fly,

She must fly,

She must fly.

White bird,

In a golden cage,

On a winter's day, in the rain.

White bird,

In a golden cage alone.

White bird must fly or she will die.

White bird must fly or she will die.

White bird must fly or she will die.

:cool:

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BF, BA, and Farin - you guys do realize that YOU could add the lyrics and submit the Songfacts, right? :beatnik:

I guess so, but the way I see it is this: Carl requested our suggestions of songs on the theme of "having to get away". We have responded to his request. Beyond that, once I have made my suggestion(s), it's no longer my concern. Presumably Carl has some intention of making use of our suggestions. Otherwise, why would he ask in the first place?

Personally, even though the song isn't what I would call a "personal favourite", I suggested Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" because it is probably unique in achieving "top chart hit" status, while addressing the decidedly uncommercial themes of "queer-bashing" and homophobic familial rejection. Many "got to get away" songs deal with smalltown small-mindedness, the sense of having outgrown the home-town, the impulse to seek out the bright lights of the big city; these have become cliches. "Smalltown Boy", on the other hand, is pretty much out on its own, where its subject matter is concerned. (As far as I know.)

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