Lost Art of the Final Lyrical Twist

[BillF]

The one I remember is Gershwin's 'But not for me'. I don't know if these were the words Ira wrote

Reminds me that I was at a gig on Monday where the Liverpudlian MC introduced a Gershwin tune as "by George, not his Irish terrorist brother, IRA"

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh yes, the other song is 'I should care' ending 'I should care, and I do'.

MG

[Dan Gould]

Dear Dad, don't get mad,

What I'm asking for

Is by the next semester

Can I get another car ?

This one here is sick'ning

On a wide dual road.

I might as well be walking

As to drive this old Ford.

<snip>

Well Dad, send the money,

See what I can see,

Try to find a Cadillac,

A Sixty-two or three.

Just something that won't worry us

To keep it on the road.

Sincerely, your beloved son,

Henry Junior Ford

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

And 'I laughed at love' ('but love was laughing at me'), just occurred to me.

MG

Dear Dad, don't get mad,

What I'm asking for

Is by the next semester

Can I get another car ?

This one here is sick'ning

On a wide dual road.

I might as well be walking

As to drive this old Ford.

<snip>

Well Dad, send the money,

See what I can see,

Try to find a Cadillac,

A Sixty-two or three.

Just something that won't worry us

To keep it on the road.

Sincerely, your beloved son,

Henry Junior Ford

Nice one Dan

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Percy Mayfield's 'Hide nor hair' has an unexpected twist in the middle:

'Well I called the police department,

To find out what they knew.

They said "No by heck, but we will get her yet,"

Because they were looking for her too.'

MG

[Dan Gould]

Modern country seems to do this quite a bit, I think. Or at least the modern country I listened to when I worked in country radio. Here's a favorite from Joe Diffie, "Third Rock from the Sun":

She walks into Smokey's one hip at a time

Like a broken field runner slippin' through the line

He likes the way she looks so he calls the little wife says

"Don't wait up for me I'll be workin' late tonight"

Wife hangs up the phone, bursts into tears

Calls her sister up and cries "Get over here"

Sister tells her boyfriend be back in awhile

Boyfriend wants a beer, the store is just a mile

He leaves the motor running he'll only be a minute

His car drives away with teenagers in it

The driver tells his buddies, got one life to live

They scream into the night "Let's get it over with"

'Cause and effect, chain of events

All of the chaos makes perfect sense

When you're spinning round, things come undone

Welcome to Earth 3rd rock from the Sun

The kid guns the gas, the car starts to swerve

Heads for a semi truck, jumps the curb

Truck hits a Big Boy in the Shoney's parking lot

And flies through the air takes out the bank clock

Clock strikes a light pole, transformer sparks

Lines go down, town goes dark

Waitress calls the cops, says she saw it all

Swears a giant alien has landed at the mall

Cops ring up the mayor says there's panic in the streets

"We hate to wake you up but we can't find the chief"

Mayor says "Use your head if he ain't in his car

He's hiding from his wife, down at Smokey's Bar"

[AllenLowe]

a classic, after Ernest Hogan:

All Whites Look Alike to Me

I live in dis great country

From sea to shining sea

And one thing that I gotta say:

All whites look alike to me

Dose blond and blue-eyed virgins

Who stand on every street

They daddys all are surgeons

They dress so fine and neat

But every time they drop their drawers

To show me ‘fore and lee,

I gotta say, you silly ofay.

All whites look alike to me

I was married to a yeller gal

From the old, old count-a ree

We lived in quiet bliss

I loved dat gal, you see –

One day she went to her ma’s

For just two weeks or three

But then she stayed for a buzzard’s age

Near Washington and Lee

Then one Spring I heard a knock,

The turn of a old key –

She didn’t know I changed the lock

While she was dancin’ free.

She yelled, she screamed, to let her in

She cried like a baby

I said, you look good mama, but –

All whites look alike to me

All whites look alike to me

[Noj]

'Cause if my baby don't love me no more, I know her sister will.