Harry Chapin — Taxi
Album: Gold Medal CollectionAvg rating:
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Length: 6:30
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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 the 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
But it's not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'till my time, runs out
Baby's so high that she's skying
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 lawns
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 have 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
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 the 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
But it's not what my life's about,
Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'till my time, runs out
Baby's so high that she's skying
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 lawns
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 have 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
Comments (111)add comment
jkamm14 wrote:
Surely you're familiar with the Bill Shatner version?
Oh, lord, thankfully I'd been spared up until this moment.
Surely you're familiar with the Bill Shatner version?
Oh, lord, thankfully I'd been spared up until this moment.
bseib wrote:
Didn't agree with the rest of the post but the picture and story are cool.
BTW, here's "Sue":
https://www.wsj.com/articles/clare-macintyre-ross-woman-who-inspired-song-taxi-1943-2016-1458343327
https://www.wsj.com/articles/clare-macintyre-ross-woman-who-inspired-song-taxi-1943-2016-1458343327
Didn't agree with the rest of the post but the picture and story are cool.
I'm surprised I haven't heard Chapin here before...
That is one long painful taxi ride...
Ever find an old poem in the attic that you wrote when you were a kid? It was so awesome in your head back when you wrote it. But then reading it aloud today makes you re-evaluate how great you thought it was. Somehow, that's how Taxi strikes me. Wonder what Harry would think today.
BTW, here's "Sue":
https://www.wsj.com/articles/clare-macintyre-ross-woman-who-inspired-song-taxi-1943-2016-1458343327
BTW, here's "Sue":
https://www.wsj.com/articles/clare-macintyre-ross-woman-who-inspired-song-taxi-1943-2016-1458343327
Master storytelling through song!
RabbitEars wrote:
Surely you're familiar with the Bill Shatner version?
Surely you're familiar with the Bill Shatner version?
ugh, 2. This song and Cat's In the Cradle make my flesh crawl. His cousin Mary Chapin Carpenter -- much more uptempo,
kimschoice wrote:
I agree wholeheartedly. I never got the chance to see him live, but I know it would have been one of the top concert experiences in my live. May he be resting in piece, knowing that he set the bar high for future storytelling musicians.
Can't hear this too often, but it is a masterpiece of lyrics....who doesn't know these words growing up in the 70's?
I agree wholeheartedly. I never got the chance to see him live, but I know it would have been one of the top concert experiences in my live. May he be resting in piece, knowing that he set the bar high for future storytelling musicians.
WHOA - It's been YEARS since I've heard this song. Kind of reminds me of the one that got away. Nice, Bill.
Can't hear this too often, but it is a masterpiece of lyrics....who doesn't know these words growing up in the 70's?
And can anyone else here shades of Billy Joel's "Piano Man" in here??
There's a lot going on in this song. Story telling=9. Song composition=8. Vocals=2. I want to hear Neil Diamond sing this...or maybe Cat Stevens.
To me, this is about life's regrets and missed opportunities and sadly in my life there have been more than a few.
I don't understand how this is rated less than a 8, much less not even a 7. I get it that people have different opinions about music, but come on. Anyone who lived and loved music when this song was on the airwaves must remember how great it was. No?
Oh no, not again ...
westslope wrote:
I was intrigued by the question, so ... maybe one of these.
My money's on Party Tyme Karaoke.
I know this song. But I believe that I am familiar with a cover of this song.
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
I was intrigued by the question, so ... maybe one of these.
My money's on Party Tyme Karaoke.
Above all, Harry Chapin was a good person and should be remembered that way.
westslope wrote:
I've never heard anyone else do it. Maybe this will help.
I know this song. But I believe that I am familiar with a cover of this song.
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
I've never heard anyone else do it. Maybe this will help.
I'm somehow hearing Neil Diamond sing this. It would have worked too. But Harry...is perfect.
I can't help it. As smaltzy (is that a word?) as this song is it gets to me every....single...time.
Ever have regrets? Yeah...me too.
This song always pulls up that (memory) trunk I'd stashed away in the sub-basement of my mind and slaps me across the face with all the stuff it contains, too. *SNIFF!* You live long enough I guarantee you'll experience it.
So long Harry...you died waaaay too soon. You went and left all the rest of us alone in this here cab we just keep riding within....I guess that's just the way it goes....
Highlow
American Net'Zen
Ever have regrets? Yeah...me too.
This song always pulls up that (memory) trunk I'd stashed away in the sub-basement of my mind and slaps me across the face with all the stuff it contains, too. *SNIFF!* You live long enough I guarantee you'll experience it.
So long Harry...you died waaaay too soon. You went and left all the rest of us alone in this here cab we just keep riding within....I guess that's just the way it goes....
Highlow
American Net'Zen
I know this song. But I believe that I am familiar with a cover of this song.
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
Who would have covered/popularized this song?
dpvest wrote:
thanks for that link, nice to know the backstory, he died way too young
thanks for that link, nice to know the backstory, he died way too young
This isn't really necessary, is it? It hasn't gotten any better ,,,
CLASSIC !
I had to take time out of my hurried day to stop and listed to this... brilliant!
Haven't heard Harry in years....which is sad in someways. Always liked him. Saw him in concert in maybe 79 or 80. Good show even though my GF at the time was pissed at me.
The instrumentation on this song is hauntingly cool.
His epitaph, from one of his songs:
Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world
Indeed.
c.
Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world
Indeed.
c.
It's been well over a decade since I heard this. PLay it more often, it's worthy.
Echos of private moments when the radio told stories in songs like this...
Sometimes it isn't the song itself, but the memories it stimulates. This is one of those songs for me. Spring of 1972, and this song was part of the sound track. Thank you, RP!
Thank you for playing this. This story is captivating.
Jeeze, I just got a shiver. Been a long long time since I've heard this one.
I have a fond memory of sailing with friends around Cayuga Lake belting this out (among with songs of a certain ilk....Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald comes to mind). Our theme was 'save these songs'....
"I stuffed the bill in my shirt."
"I stuffed the bill in my shirt."
"Harry, keep the change".
I usually dislike this kind of stuff and would say the story drags out a bit, but this is an exception. Granted, the middle section could be deleted and the arrangement mildly simplified in good taste, but its a likeable classic. Thanks RP!
Thank you so much for playing this song. Harry was an amazing storyteller. Looking forward to hearing more by him.
lotus_65 wrote:
John Denver was an outstanding songwriter and musician with an absolutely pitch perfect voice. An enormous influence on other artists, many of whom had huge hits with his material. You've disqualified yourself here.
This song has suffered the worst fate I can think of - to be dismissed from the playlists of even the worst "classic rock" stations. That is how pathetic it is. Next, will we be hearing from John Denver?
Look, Mr. Chapin was good in his time, but he's dated, kitchy & corny now. I don't listen to this station for him or Bob Seger or any of the dozen or so artists of that ilk. I've heard enough of them already...
Look, Mr. Chapin was good in his time, but he's dated, kitchy & corny now. I don't listen to this station for him or Bob Seger or any of the dozen or so artists of that ilk. I've heard enough of them already...
John Denver was an outstanding songwriter and musician with an absolutely pitch perfect voice. An enormous influence on other artists, many of whom had huge hits with his material. You've disqualified yourself here.
Amazing story teller - lost far too early in life
There is a special appreciation in hearing this song for anyone who ever had the delight of seeing the Chapin brothers in concert. They were incredibly talented musicians and storytellers that made every concert a magical and unforgettable experience.
...And why not another 14?
This poor song is so over-produced.
I saw him at the college I was attending just a couple of months before he died... Was a very nice concert...
Now do Jim Croce. Please.
Yeah, corny to today's ears. Chapin was considered a great storyteller in his day, though.
Maybe we should be reminded of this song once every 14 years. Those who choose to ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
Maybe we should be reminded of this song once every 14 years. Those who choose to ignore the past are doomed to repeat it.
I like the way Harry finally points out to all us dullards that flying is a metaphor for getting stoned. Thanks, Harry! We would have never figured that out on our own.
JrzyTmata wrote:
Keep it buried for another 14 years.
I've got this on my regular rotation on my phone, I enjoy it.
Keep it buried for another 14 years.
According to Sandy Chapin, Harry really was a cab driver for a while. He wrote Taxi after imagining the people from his life getting into his cab. One of those was his old girlfriend.
It's not a bad song.... well, bad in the sense that it isn't "eeevil". But it's like Alice's Restaurant, it's okay to hear it about once every two years.
It's too bad we can't rate songs on two scales -> "quality of song" and "how often I'd like to hear the song and keep my ears from bleeding".
Timo
My rating just kept going down as this song progressed from dated to sappy to that horrible background vocal section. Sorry , really can't get into this particular song.
Nahhh...sorry, it stinks...the stones and beatles don't date...this does.
It's crap
I like this. The kind of artist you'd never be hearing over here in Euroland.
lotus_65 wrote:
This song has suffered the worst fate I can think of - to be dismissed from the playlists of even the worst "classic rock" stations. That is how pathetic it is. Next, will we be hearing from John Denver?
Look, Mr. Chapin was good in his time, but he's dated, kitchy & corny now. I don't listen to this station for him or Bob Seger or any of the dozen or so artists of that ilk. I've heard enough of them already...
:iamwith:
This song is excellent. Its absence on classic rock stations is a testament to how good it is, not the opposite. I'd explain reality to you further, but the fact that you compare Harry Chapin to Bob Seger demonstrates that you clearly don't know what you are talking about and are probably beyond educating This stands up against anyone in contemporary folk.
Play on, RP!
Platypus wrote:
sappy and boring. move on!
and best left in the past. just dropped my rating from 4 to 2.
lotus_65 wrote:
This song has suffered the worst fate I can think of - to be dismissed from the playlists of even the worst "classic rock" stations. That is how pathetic it is. Next, will we be hearing from John Denver?
Look, Mr. Chapin was good in his time, but he's dated, kitchy & corny now. I don't listen to this station for him or Bob Seger or any of the dozen or so artists of that ilk. I've heard enough of them already...
Gotta agree with you there M8
If I didn't already know how old this was, the mention of a "$2.50 fare" would have given it away. Don't know anywhere you can even step into a cab for that.
This is a weird song for me...I used to love it, and I guess I still like it, and still have to admit it's an incredible piece of song writing.
I guess it's just the sound of it that invokes a creepy subconcious feeling of memories from the 70's: Mary Tyler Moore music, bell bottoms, and other things I would rather not think about.
This song has suffered the worst fate I can think of - to be dismissed from the playlists of even the worst "classic rock" stations. That is how pathetic it is. Next, will we be hearing from John Denver?
Look, Mr. Chapin was good in his time, but he's dated, kitchy & corny now. I don't listen to this station for him or Bob Seger or any of the dozen or so artists of that ilk. I've heard enough of them already...
i had never heard this song before and I almost started crying
sheer fucking poetry
i'm not so into the voice or the melody, but the words....(long sigh)
Harry Chapin was one of the greatest musical story tellers of all time. If you've never heard his live album, run, don't walk, run, and get it. The real power of his presentation comes through in the live work far more than the studio stuff.
On another note, for some reason I was just singing this song to myself just the other day, and had made a note to dig up my copy of the album. Now I don't need to. Thanks RP!
dave_porter wrote:
Thanks for the links. I remember the reports of his death but I was only 14 at the time and knew nothing of his philanthropy.
I don't want to give this classic a low rating, so I won't rate it at all. Still, I've had enough trips down memory lane with this lately. Back into the deep freeze?
Illustr8r wrote:
Anyone know what the singy-voice is saying during the one break in this song?
And am I mistaken, or did he also do a sequel to this song?
Lyrics are here for Taxi.
Yep, he did a sequel - called just that. Lyrics are here .
As he said when he did a radio show over here one time: "So long, Harry - and keep the change"...
Went by Big John. I always wondered what happened to him after Harry passed on.
Harry Chapin also did Mr. Tanner.
There is a sequel to this song (called "Sequel" I believe, not nearly as good as this.
sIllustr8r wrote:
Anyone know what the singy-voice is saying during the one break in this song?
And am I mistaken, or did he also do a sequel to this song?
"Illuminated my Mind" ...
Between great lyrics and "Big John" singing the Alt parts, what a terrific song. Big John never failed to bring down the house when he sang this part live (Mr. Tanner too).
s
Blackjack wrote:
I dunno. I think that "if you had to be there" to get it, then perhaps it was more the moment than the song that made an impact on the listener.
I wasn't there, and I'm not getting it.
I was there, and I'm not getting it. This song is okay about once every ten years. Any more than that is too much.
Anyone know what the singy-voice is saying during the one break in this song?
And am I mistaken, or did he also do a sequel to this song?
This song is like a less-seasonal "Same Auld Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg...
DoowopDan wrote:
I wish RP would play some of his many other songs. Taxi was never one of my favorites (and Banannas works better live). How 'bout "Mail Order Annie?"
Mr Tanner
"He came home to Dayton and was questioned by his friends.
Then he smiled and just said nothing and he never sang again,
excepting very late at night when the shop was dark and closed.
He sang softly to himself as he sorted through the clothes."
And you can just see this guy, in the back room of his cleaning shop...
Just one of the best writers of story-songs ever. His family have set up this web site which is well worth a visit.
TedJames wrote:
Don't we all have someone we want to see from our past, wondering "what if"? Each time I hear it, it reminds me that sometimes it is best to leave the angelic image in my mind, because the truth/reality is probably not so wonderful. Great poetry.
Well said.
Don't we all have someone we want to see from our past, wondering "what if"? Each time I hear it, it reminds me that sometimes it is best to leave the angelic image in my mind, because the truth/reality is probably not so wonderful. Great poetry.
I dunno. I think that "if you had to be there" to get it, then perhaps it was more the moment than the song that made an impact on the listener.
I wasn't there, and I'm not getting it.
Yes.
Jimmy86 wrote:
... Man, we sure could use Harry Chapin today...
Frawg wrote:
Great song but the live version beats this one soundly (pun).
s
True, but it still rates top marks for its soul
Great song but the live version beats this one soundly (pun).
s
I second all the positive comments made so far. It's true; you had to be there. I saw him twice, in LI in the late '70s with his brother Tom and Pete Seeger, and in Raleigh in 1980 with Tom, both times solo acoustic (but his band was awesome, esp the cellist and the bass player who sang falsetto). His following was almost cultish; he loved his fans and they loved him back.
I wish RP would play some of his many other songs. Taxi was never one of my favorites (and Banannas works better live). How 'bout "Mail Order Annie?"
If you can't say something nice... Well, never mind.
Maybe if I had seen him perform, like so many others of you have, I'd appreciate him. But I always thought his stuff was a little hokey, and a bit saccharine-phony sweet.
At least he was popular at the time of his death, and he accomplished more than I have...
Speed it up, and add a few years, and you have Meat Loaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Light! Same idea.
sappy and boring. move on!
And off we go to the LRC...
I can handle this song once in a while, maybe once a year, but more than that and I'm running for the hills.
Easily one of Chapin's worst songs. Every lame rhyme (and they're all lame) has the subtlety of a cinder block hitting a concrete floor. And the "I STUFFED THE BILL IN MY SHIRT!" line is truly laughable.
hobbitt wrote:
Harry was an absolutely wonderful live performer. To hear him sing this song with just a guitar under a single spotlight on an otherwise dark stage was an incredible experience.
I totally agree. I saw Harry in 1977, and scored my first musical artist autograph after the show. Harry just stood out in the front of the theater autographing books he was selling to raise money for his world hunger charity. He was so cordial and sweet to his fans, and I'll never forget that night of wonderful music.
Whenever my Harry's Chapin, I find a little talc fixes the problem.
I remember being in the car, my mother driving, when the news came over the radio that Harry had died in a car accident. She pulled over and we just sat there, on the side of the road, in silence for what seemed an eternity. Losing him was like losing a family member.
Through the years I have continued to listen to his music and have never grown tired of his songs and stories. As my son gets older I plan on introducing him to Harry and hope that maybe he will find some of the same inspiration and joy his music has brought to me throughout my life.
Thank you RP for helping keep his music and spirit alive!!
blerg. 
What disk spinning?!! This song is a tough call and RP really got it right. It stays just this side of the line of maudlin to stay poignant and moving.
There really was a Harry in our crowd who spent the summer of '72 driving a cab after finishing high school. He died in a crash before August was over. A score of his friends still cringe whenever we hear this. Whew.
Harry was an absolutely wonderful live performer. To hear him sing this song with just a guitar under a single spotlight on an otherwise dark stage was an incredible experience.
there's something about this song ... I don't know ... it's touching ...
Biichan wrote: When I was a little kid, I used to hate Harry Chapin. My Dad had a tape of him and he used to play that damn song about the bananas over and over again when he'd take us driving.
Now I have my own copy of this CD!
Funny, huh? Rest in peace, Mr Chapin.
I go flyyyyying so hiiiiiigh when I'm stoooooned....
I was introduced to Harry late. Oh sure, I knew Cat's In The Cradle, and I knew he was a very popular singer-songwriter, and I remember seeing him perform "Sequel" on Solid Gold in 1981, just weeks before he was killed in a car crash. I just never paid much attention to him.
But a few years back, I was listening to Frank Sontag on KLOS 95.5, Los Angeles (late night talk show host, who would play the occasional musical break, completely different from the rock station's format), and he played "Flowers Are Red" (also found on "The Gold Medal Collection"). Maybe it was the plaintive mood I was in, but the song really struck me! A short time later, I picked up "Gold Medal" & started really exploring Harry's music & stories. Boy, had I been missing out!
Now, the "Bananas" song... I first heard this one a couple of years ago, when I found a CD called "The Bottom Line: Encore Collection", which is a live 2-CD set recorded in January 1981. There is an absolutely hilarious version of "Thirty Thousand Pounds of Bananas" on it, that blows away the studio version. It is some 9-10 minutes long, and Harry has the crowd joining him in the "Harry... it sucks!" part that will have you rolling on the floor!
Man, we sure could use Harry Chapin today...
Daveinbawlmer wrote:
:goodvibes: 
AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH 
Chapin makes me wanna hurl
Geez Dude, get a heart, get a soul.
Chapin makes me wanna hurl :goodvibes:
AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH
Chapin makes me wanna hurl
Chapin makes me wanna hurl
You had to be there.
I was recently thinking about Harry Chapin and wondering if he was still making music. I didn't know he had passed on. I think he'd have some very insightful things to say about the world today. The lyrics to "Cat's in the Cradle" are timeless -- it'd be great to hear it if it's in the library.
coyotexxx2 wrote:
No more rah, please.
AMEN!!!!! :nodhead: :nodhead:
Snowstorm outside the door tonight...this seems like an appropriate mood song for the moment...thanks for playing this classic.
As for me, there are precious few songs that can tell such a good story in so few words. What a storyteller and singer.
He played at my alma mater Vassar in the late 70's. The concert was in the chapel, a great place to hear music. There was a bomb scare in the middle of the show. We had to clear the place, and Harry came out in front of the chapel and finished the show on the lawn.
Nice guy.
Harry, keep the change.
the only reason why i like this song is because there is a guy in my office that is named harry chapin. we like to make fun of him.
rah wrote:
no more harry chapin, please.
No more rah, please.
Liked the little theme going with the last three songs.
This has always been a favorite of mine from Harry Chapin.
(pimp)
no more harry chapin, please.
We just looked at each other and started laughing
This song takes me back to that memory like it happened last week....
That friend....still my bestie