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Sunday, March 13, 2016

New Featured Unknown/Underrated Song: Harry Chapin's "Taxi"

He may be best known for his classic "Cat's In The Cradle", but before that, Harry Chapin recorded this great song:

"Taxi"
Harry Chapin

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;
She 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 a 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 'til my time, runs out.

(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 lawn.

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've 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.

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