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Quiz about The Story Songs of Harry Chapin

The Story Songs of Harry Chapin Quiz

Harry Chapin left this world at much too young an age, but he left behind a wealth of great music. He liked to refer to his songs as "Story Songs", and, indeed, that's what they are. I will give you a partial lyric...see if you can identify the song.

A multiple-choice quiz by LeeRoyBoy. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
LeeRoyBoy

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
193,881

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
902

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. From which Chapin classic does this lyric come?
"He also was a baritone, who sang while cleaning clothes
He practiced scales while pressing tails, and sang at local shows" Hint

Mr. Tanner

Dance Band on the Titanic

Boy in the Band

Corey's Coming

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which of Harry's songs contained the following words?
"Well, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain" Hint

Lady Blue

Taxi

Any Kind of Night

Stop Singing Those Sad Songs

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which of Harry's songs contained the following lyric?
"Don't you know that you don't have to grow up all alone?" Hint

Tangled-up Puppet

Short Stories

Cats in the Cradle

On the Road to Kingdom Come

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. From which song is the following lyric taken?
"You know I'm just a dirt man from the North Dakota plain" Hint

Mail Order Annie

What Made America Famous

The Wind in your Hair

Sniper

5. From which song does this lyric come?
"Don't ask me if I made love to her, or which one of us started to cry,
Don't ask me why she wouldn't take the money that I left,
If I answered at all, I'd lie." Hint

Sequel

Corey's Coming

Taxi

I Wanna Learn a Love Song

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. From which song did this lyric come?
"I wish that I was beautiful, or that you were halfway blind
And I wish I weren't so doggone fat, and I wish that you were mine" Hint

Lonely Nights

A Better Place to Be

The Watchman

The Mayor of Candor Lied

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. From which song does this lyric come?
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See ya later, can I have them, please" Hint

Vacancy

My Son

Cats in the Cradle

Shooting Star

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. From which song does this lyric come?
"There's no clear cut beginning, and so far, no dead ends" Hint

Beginnings

She Sings Songs Without Words

A Place in my Heart

Circle

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. From which song does this lyric come?
"Old John Joseph was a man with two first names
They left him in the railroad yard when they took away the trains" Hint

Old John Joseph

Dogtown

The Shortest Story

Corey's Coming

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. From which song does this lyric come?
"I whistled 'round today, and I skipped off a footloose jig,
To the hurdy-gurdy music of the street" Hint

Sarah's Song

Footloose

Any Old Kind of Day

Something's Left Behind

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. From which Chapin classic does this lyric come? "He also was a baritone, who sang while cleaning clothes He practiced scales while pressing tails, and sang at local shows"

Answer: Mr. Tanner

From the LP "Short Stories", "Mr. Tanner" told the tale of a dry cleaner who dreamed of stardom as a singer. The song's chorus, originally sung in counterpoint by bassist John Wallace, contains a passage from the Christmas carol, "O Holy Night". Interesting listening, indeed.

2. Which of Harry's songs contained the following words? "Well, where you going to, my lady blue It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain"

Answer: Taxi

"Taxi" was Harry Chapin's breakthrough hit, although, clocking in at about 6 1/2 minutes, it was too long for most radio stations' playlists.

3. Which of Harry's songs contained the following lyric? "Don't you know that you don't have to grow up all alone?"

Answer: Tangled-up Puppet

Written from a father's point of view, the song observes the growing pains of a teen-aged girl.

4. From which song is the following lyric taken? "You know I'm just a dirt man from the North Dakota plain"

Answer: Mail Order Annie

The tale of a sod buster from North Dakota's first meeting with his mail-order bride, "Mail Order Annie" first appeared on Harry's "Short Stories" LP.

5. From which song does this lyric come? "Don't ask me if I made love to her, or which one of us started to cry, Don't ask me why she wouldn't take the money that I left, If I answered at all, I'd lie."

Answer: Sequel

Written and released shortly before Harry's death, "Sequel" was a follow up on the characters from "Taxi", Harry and his erstwhile lover Sue, and how they had changed in the ten years or so since "Taxi" first introduced them to us.

6. From which song did this lyric come? "I wish that I was beautiful, or that you were halfway blind And I wish I weren't so doggone fat, and I wish that you were mine"

Answer: A Better Place to Be

"A Better Place to Be" tells the tale of a midnight watchman who stops after work at an early morning bar and tells the lonely barmaid the story of his lost love. A very touching story, indeed.

7. From which song does this lyric come? "What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys See ya later, can I have them, please"

Answer: Cats in the Cradle

Co-written with his wife Sandy, this song tells the story of a father's indifference toward his son, which turns in later years, to the son's indifference toward him. A very ironic, well written song, it was by far Harry's biggest hit.

8. From which song does this lyric come? "There's no clear cut beginning, and so far, no dead ends"

Answer: Circle

Harry wrote this song for his brother Tom's children's TV show, "Hot Dog", and it became a sing-along staple of Harry's concerts. As of October, 2004, Tom Chapin is still performing.

9. From which song does this lyric come? "Old John Joseph was a man with two first names They left him in the railroad yard when they took away the trains"

Answer: Corey's Coming

From the LP "On the Road to Kingdom Come", this song tells the story of an old hermit who insists that someone named Corey (perhaps his daughter?) will return to him one day. One of Harry's lesser-known songs, it tells a great story nonetheless.

10. From which song does this lyric come? "I whistled 'round today, and I skipped off a footloose jig, To the hurdy-gurdy music of the street"

Answer: Any Old Kind of Day

First released on Harry's LP "Heads and Tales", this is the tale of a fairly ordinary day, but one which leaves the singer thinking.

Source: Author LeeRoyBoy

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