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Supertramp — Goodbye Stranger
Album: Breakfast in America
Avg rating:
7.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1734









Released: 1978
Length: 5:41
Plays (last 30 days): 2
It was an early morning yesterday
I was up before the dawn
And I really have enjoyed my stay
But I must be moving on

Like a king without a castle
Like a queen without a throne
I'm an early morning lover
And I must be moving on, yeah, yeah

Now I believe in what you say
Is the undisputed truth
But I have to have things my own way
To keep me in my youth

Like a ship without an anchor
Like a slave without a chain
Just the thought of those sweet ladies
Sends a shiver through my veins

And I will go on shining
Shining like brand new
I'll never look behind me
My troubles will be few

Goodbye, stranger, it's been nice
Hope you find your paradise
Tried to see your point of view
Hope your dreams will all come true

Goodbye, Mary, goodbye, Jane
Will we ever meet again?
Feel no sorrow, feel no shame
Come tomorrow, feel no pain

Sweet devotion (Goodbye, Mary)
It's not for me (Goodbye, Jane)
Just give me motion (Will we ever)
To set me free (Meet again?)
In the land and the ocean (Feel no sorrow)
Far away (Feel no shame)
It's the life I've chosen (Come tomorrow)
Every day (Feel no pain)
So goodbye, Mary (Goodbye, Mary)
Goodbye, Jane (Goodbye, Jane)
Will we ever (Will we ever)
Meet again? (Meet again?)

Now some they do and some they don't
And some you just can't tell
And some they will and some they won't
With some it's just as well

You can laugh at my behaviour
And that'll never bother me
Say the devil is my saviour
But I don't pay no heed

And I will go on shining
Shining like brand new
I'll never look behind me
My troubles will be few

Goodbye, stranger, it's been nice
Hope you find your paradise
Tried to see your point of view
Hope your dreams will all come true

Goodbye, Mary, goodbye, Jane
Will we ever meet again?
Feel no sorrow, feel no shame
Come tomorrow, feel no pain

Sweet devotion (Goodbye, Mary)
It's not for me (Goodbye, Jane)
Just give me motion (Will we ever)
To set me free (Meet again?)
In the land and the ocean (Feel no sorrow)
Far away (Feel no shame)
It's the life I've chosen (Come tomorrow)
Every day (Feel no pain)

So now I'm leaving (Goodbye, Mary)
Got to go (Goodbye, Jane)
Hit the road (Will we ever)
I'll say it once again (Meet again?)
Oh, yes, I'm leaving (Feel so sorrow)
Got to go (Feel no shame)
Got to go (Come tomorrow)
I'm sorry, I must dash (Feel no pain)
So goodbye, Mary (Goodbye, Mary)
Goodbye, Jane (Goodbye, Jane)
Will we ever (Will we ever)
Meet again? (Meet again?)

Oh, I'm leaving
I've got to go
Comments (160)add comment
One of my fantasies: Walk into a music store, pick up a Strat and plug it into something, then rip this guitar solo note for note. "Yeah, baby!"



 maxjboxer wrote:

Thankfully tattoos were not popular when i was 22 because i would be like, why did I get this Supertramp tattoo?
Still like em but probably not tattoo worthy:)



I don't have any tattoos either (only bikers, cons, and sailors had them in my youth) BUT if I did have one, I think "Supertramp" would be a great one to have.  It has so many interpretations, including a band name.  And, if I were ever homeless, God forbid, wouldn't it make you king of the camp? 
People I grew up with whined that Crime was too 'out there', that Crisis was 'too serious', and that Breakfast was 'just right'. I've always loved most of their catalog, at different times, for different reasons. Piano, sax, horns, drums, and epic video...mmmm!
Never expected Supertramp to follow Ella Fitzgerald! Works for me...Thanks, William.
It's a nice enough song but I just cannot past that falsetto backing that keeps repeating! It spoils the whole thing for me.
 aspicer wrote:

Amazing album - I think it has held up over the years - still pause and enjoy these tunes!

agreed.

My very rich former boss had Roger play his birthday party. He was fantastic. It was a really special gig for about 500 people. 
Epic, memorable, sweet 70’s rock. Ahhhmazing
Back when this was new I bought tickets to a Supertramp  show at the university I was attending.  The seating was assigned by random drawing and I got 2nd row center!  And then they cancelled because the facility couldn't support the lights they apparently wouldn't play without.  Very disappointing.  -1 for that but still a 7.
Heard this song at DFW Airport August 1, 1979, shortly before boarding a 707 to San Francisco.  Quite the song for jetting to the West Coast in a different era.
 curtlichter wrote:

Am I the only one who wishes the guitar solo at the end would continue for another two minutes?




just think that - oh please
Love their music.
Definitely a stop-what-you’re-doing-and-listen kind of songs. A high 10 song. And even though I played it all the time on the air when it came out it still sounds fantastic.
This is but another example of Bill’s brilllance. His musical selections take me down old paths and new.
 RabbitEars wrote:

I would absolutely regret any tattoo I got in my teens or twenties. Thankfully I embroidered dungaree jackets instead. 

Overachiever. I just ironed peace sign patches on my jean jacket.
This tune is simply toe-tapping pleasant. I’d vote it among the best “C’Ya!!” songs written!
Am I the only one who wishes the guitar solo at the end would continue for another couple minutes?
 max_p wrote:

nothing 'dropped' in 1979
 

I remember rain dropping, I dropped my bike a few times, I dropped in on people and they dropped in on me, I dropped a few acid tabs, I could go on..
 maxjboxer wrote:
Thankfully tattoos were not popular when i was 22 because i would be like, why did I get this Supertramp tattoo?
Still like em but probably not tattoo worthy:)
 
I would absolutely regret any tattoo I got in my teens or twenties. Thankfully I embroidered dungaree jackets instead. 
My brother once had the Supertramp Greatest Hits CD.  The liner notes to that album were one of the greatest examples of creative writing I ever saw. It became  something of a legend in our college.  I sure wish I could find it now.  Something about "whirling dervishes of electric buzz-saw guitar" and "erudite gentleman" and "if ever there was a band meant for CD technology, that band is Supertramp."   God, I wish I could lay my hands on it somehow.
 max_p wrote:

nothing 'dropped' in 1979

 
Forgive me, but back in the early 1980s I did some freelance work briefly for a friend who was promotions director for a Detroit radio station. He introduced me to the term.  
Love this!
 aspicer wrote:
Amazing album - I think it has held up over the years - still pause and enjoy these tunes!

 
Absolutely - same here! {#Wave}
Just like when it was released, an over produced pile of junk.
Amazing album - I think it has held up over the years - still pause and enjoy these tunes!
Hard to stay gloomy and doomy in the face of this little tune ain't it?  It reflects a rather cheery point of view when it comes to livin'.  And that ain't bad...it ain't bad t'all.  Just keep your face to the future, and be as happy as you can be!   Goodbye Mary... {#Motor}

Highlow
American Net'Zen
 kingart wrote:
Very nice tune, of the decent top 40 or easy rock FM species. In those days, I heard about 6,716 times. Can't listen to it again. 
 

 
Sounds good again.  I heard it 6,717 times, but not in several years...
Very nice tune, of the decent top 40 or easy rock FM species. In those days, I heard about 6,716 times. Can't listen to it again. 
 
 GeminiGirl wrote:
Saw them in concert twice - fantastic performances! 

 
Saw them once in Calgary, 1975 I think.  The screaming teenage girls ruined it.

Enjoyed the earlier album.  This one.... not so much. 
 CHuLoYo wrote:

And don't forget Asylum. Art and inspiration 

 
cant agree more.  Crime still stands up... Quietest  Moments was also outstanding but this was basically fluff
 AndyJ wrote:
Fog and rain come from offshore, turns to mist over the mountains... Some nights when it's very foggy, misty, rainy you can hear the time warp creak and crack open... Not sure how it happens but suddenly you are surrounded by the once long gone past...

Tonight is one of them time warp kinda nights. I can smell patchouli riding the fog low to the ground...


 Timey warpy kinda night
Yes!  And yes the patchouli scent is nothing if not evocative





To my ears, a tribute to Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons... and they took the sound even further in the same direction!
It's all part of the evolution of rock.  {#Smile}
 horstman wrote:
 bronorb wrote:
Totally bored with this. It was ok when it came out but frequent radio play has soured me on this forever.

 Are there any radio stations that still play this to death? Cause I'm thinking the answer is no, and one of the only places you'll hear this is on this station....


 I guess it depends on where one lives or how often one listens to the radio.  I hear this song (or part of it before switching the station) at least three times a month on the car radio (either the "classic rock" station or the "oldies" station) when I'm driving home from work.  Considering I only listen for thirty or forty minutes a day - that's pretty frequent.  I don't even want to think about how often I heard it when it was first released - but I remember it made my high school years more unpleasant than they already were - though that is a tasty guitar solo at the end.
Love this guitar work.
 yofitofu wrote:

Not true. Their first major album, Crime of The Century, is a work of art, especially School and Bloody Well Right.

 
And don't forget Asylum. Art and inspiration 
 max_p wrote:

nothing 'dropped' in 1979

 
Good one, just as silly as "back in the day".
 Grammarcop wrote:

The album was released in 1979. I was in Tampa the day it dropped. Remember it well.

1978 was still a pretty good year! 

 
nothing 'dropped' in 1979
 horstman wrote:
 bronorb wrote:
Totally bored with this. It was ok when it came out but frequent radio play has soured me on this forever.

 Are there any radio stations that still play this to death? Cause I'm thinking the answer is no, and one of the only places you'll hear this is on this station.

Sure it's poppy as it gets, and totally late 70s but still has a nice ring to it. Maybe cause I'm partial to this band to begin with. Grew up with this band. They were great in concert for this tour back in 79-80.

Nice guitar solo at the end.



 
Wander over to about any Classic Rock station, and they play this and Breakfast. and that is about all one will hear of ST. There was once a station in LaRose La, that played deeper cuts, but it changed programing.
I don't listen to much commercial any longer, and tend to newer stuff than Classic Rock if I do, so I don't get to hear this as much. Tis a good tune.
Glad Bill tosses it in here from time to time.
Saw them in concert twice - fantastic performances! 
Fog and rain come from offshore, turns to mist over the mountains... Some nights when it's very foggy, misty, rainy you can hear the time warp creak and crack open... Not sure how it happens but suddenly you are surrounded by the once long gone past...

Tonight is one of them time warp kinda nights. I can smell patchouli riding the fog low to the ground...

please play some of Roger Hodgson's solo stuff, has some really good albums from the mid 80s.. Thx {#Biggrin}
 maxjboxer wrote:
Thankfully tattoos were not popular when i was 22 because i would be like, why did I get this Supertramp tattoo?
Still like em but probably not tattoo worthy:)

 

I can look back a couple of decades and think of quite a few things I'm grateful I didn't get tattoo'd. I count myself lucky rather than imbued with unusual foresight.
Thankfully tattoos were not popular when i was 22 because i would be like, why did I get this Supertramp tattoo?
Still like em but probably not tattoo worthy:)
Rhâââââââ Lovely
 4merdj wrote:
1978 ... what a year! {#Devil_pimp}

 
The album was released in 1979. I was in Tampa the day it dropped. Remember it well.

1978 was still a pretty good year! 
 Tippster wrote:
Supertramp = nice music, but never "wow."

 
Not true. Their first major album, Crime of The Century, is a work of art, especially School and Bloody Well Right.
This why PSD was developed...
 bronorb wrote:
Totally bored with this. It was ok when it came out but frequent radio play has soured me on this forever.

 Are there any radio stations that still play this to death? Cause I'm thinking the answer is no, and one of the only places you'll hear this is on this station.

Sure it's poppy as it gets, and totally late 70s but still has a nice ring to it. Maybe cause I'm partial to this band to begin with. Grew up with this band. They were great in concert for this tour back in 79-80.

Nice guitar solo at the end.


Yes, song was over played-I remember how risqué it was that they said Mary Jane in their song!
Totally bored with this. It was ok when it came out but frequent radio play has soured me on this forever.
Supertramp = nice music, but never "wow."
One of my fantasies: Walk into a music store, pick up a Strat and plug it into something, then rip this guitar solo note for note.  "Yeah, baby, I'm a badass."
 sirdroseph wrote:


Amen!

 
Yep!
 agkagk wrote:
Is it just me, or is this version sped up about 5% or so?

 
Nope.  My upload, ripped from the original CD release.
It's a pity there is nothing on RP from their best album IMO... "Crisis? What Crisis?"... quality album!
 4merdj wrote:
1978 ... what a year! {#Devil_pimp}

 

Amen!
 agkagk wrote:
Is it just me, or is this version sped up about 5% or so?

 
Or you were stoned when you last heard it.
 d48m02h1918 wrote:
I don't care what any of you say...this song is fantastic...from an all-around solid and excellent album!!! {#Cheesygrin}

 

I have to agree though things like this are so subjective.  I totally get why someone would not want to hear anything from this album again, I am just not one of them.  I never get tired of it.
overplayed
Cheese - but I guess at the time, it wasn't? Unfortunately it now sounds like the soundtrack to a really bad 70's sitcom. 
Not their best moment imho, but I've never been much of a disco fan.
 fuzzy wrote:
 Boy_Wonder wrote:
Reminds me why punk was so necessary and right!

And short-lived.

 
Short-lived?  Now that's funny!
i hate this commercial song. your better than that bill
As part of an album...this is great. On it's own...it's just a victim of overplayed radio fluff.
Guitar solo rips every single time I hear it.
 fuzzy wrote:
 Boy_Wonder wrote:
Reminds me why punk was so necessary and right!

And short-lived.
 
Amen.
This has become one of my favorite albums of all time.  
I don't care what any of you say...this song is fantastic...from an all-around solid and excellent album!!! {#Cheesygrin}
Love that cover.
Is it just me, or is this version sped up about 5% or so?
Reminds me why punk was so necessary and right!
 winotron wrote:

Probably because it is IN the movie Magnolia.  :)  This song is in the background when Donnie is in the bar fantasizing about the handsome bartender.  If I remember right, there is at least one other Supertramp song on the soundtrack as well.

Good song, by the way.
  see? i knew there was a reason. thanks!


 lily34 wrote:
i love this. reminds me of my exhusband, but in a good way. also it reminds me of the movie magnolia, but i'm not altogether sure why...
 
Probably because it is IN the movie Magnolia.  :)  This song is in the background when Donnie is in the bar fantasizing about the handsome bartender.  If I remember right, there is at least one other Supertramp song on the soundtrack as well.

Good song, by the way.
 yofitofu wrote:
Hey yo, you got that right.

This album it too cutsey.

The early Supertramp was GREAT and NOT overplayed in vancouver or anywhere. Crime of The Century and Crisis What Crisis remain audiophile classics.
 


 On_The_Beach wrote:
Supertramp got played TO DEATH in Vancouver back in the day. I could happily live the rest of my life and and never hear another one of their songs.
 

The early Supertramp was GREAT and NOT overplayed in vancouver or anywhere. Crime of The Century and Crisis What Crisis remain audiophile classics.
Supertramp got played TO DEATH in Vancouver back in the day. I could happily live the rest of my life and and never hear another one of their songs.
yeppa I love this one :)
I never really cared for Supertramp much.  I'd written them off as Clear Channel classic rock filler.  I heard them here and figured I'd give them a second look, this album has turned into one of my favorites.  
{#Bananajam}
 romeotuma wrote:


This is a great song, and this whole album is really special...  I have the original vinyl...  love it...


 
 

I agree, I love every song on this album.
i love this. reminds me of my exhusband, but in a good way. also it reminds me of the movie magnolia, but i'm not altogether sure why...
 4merdj wrote:
1978 ... what a year! {#Devil_pimp}
 
hated it then, still hatin' it now. . . 
 
 4merdj wrote:
1978 ... what a year! {#Devil_pimp}
 
That's the year I was born.  Betcha feel old now.

 fingerpin wrote:

Whenever a photo was taken of the NYC skyline prior to 9/11, the Twin Towers are predominantly visible in the pic. {#Stupid} {#Rolleyes}

 

Maybe because they were really really tall?
 denmom wrote:
BAD flashback!!  BAD BAD BAD.
 
Great flashbacks for me!  Ah, the memories...


sampson and delijawon
hahah hahaha

SinisterDexter wrote:
No, I don't see Sampson and Olajuwon anywhere.

/obscure
 
You Houston types think the rest of the world is just the suburbs of Texas, but I enjoyed your reference.
Hannio
(Austin, TX)


Goodbye Toby!
Yes i also can say 1978 what a wonderful year+ and what an album
 fingerpin wrote:

Whenever a photo was taken of the NYC skyline prior to 9/11, the Twin Towers are predominantly visible in the pic. {#Stupid} {#Rolleyes}

 
Well, after 1973.  It's odd to think that they had only been completed for five or so years when this album came out.

1978 ... what a year! {#Devil_pimp}
Ahh...rides to the beach with this song blaring and singing all the way...how did I get so damn old so fast?

 SinisterDexter wrote:
No, I don't see Sampson and Olajuwon anywhere.

/obscure
 
You Houston types think the rest of the world is just the suburbs of Texas, but I enjoyed your reference.
 unclehud wrote:

Say what you want about overplayed, trite, whatever ... this guitar solo is quite good.


 
Yes, it is.
 SmackDaddy wrote:
After reading the lyrics, it seems to me this song is all about someone who is quiting smoking pot. Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Jane. Anyone else come to that conclusion?
 
Nope.  It is about a "love 'em and leave 'em" type.  No strings, no commitments, no names to recall.  Not ashamed of it, either. 

 unclehud wrote:

Say what you want about overplayed, trite, whatever ... this guitar solo is quite good.


 

Agreed, and it comes quite unexpectedly at the what I always think is the end of this song.
and I thought it was about a lose lover. SmackDaddy wrote:
After reading the lyrics, it seems to me this song is all about someone who is quiting smoking pot. Goodbye Mary, Goodbye Jane. Anyone else come to that conclusion?
 


{#Stop}Hey. Who turned the frigging knob while I was out of the car?
 Alpine wrote:
See the twin towers on the album cover?
 

No, I don't see Sampson and Olajuwon anywhere.

/obscure

Say what you want about overplayed, trite, whatever ... this guitar solo is quite good.


 Poacher wrote:
Yep. But I can't quite see building 7. . . which is the one people should be focusing on. https://www.ae911truth.org/
 
OK - Building 7  - https://www.debunking911.com/pull.htm

 Poacher wrote:

Yep. But I can't quite see building 7. . . which is the one people should be focussing on. https://www.ae911truth.org/
 

Pinhead.

 cakkafracle wrote:

egads, I've never noticed that either!! i've looked at it for 30 years! 
 
And did one notice that the vantage point is from an airliner window?
 Alpine wrote:
See the twin towers on the album cover?
 
Whenever a photo was taken of the NYC skyline prior to 9/11, the Twin Towers are predominantly visible in the pic. {#Stupid} {#Rolleyes}

 Alpine wrote:
See the twin towers on the album cover?
 
Yep. But I can't quite see building 7. . . which is the one people should be focussing on. https://www.ae911truth.org/
Boring. I've never been a big falsetto fan either.

Roger Hodgson at Istanbul by ~BulentBurgac
©2007-2010 ~BulentBurgac

ilk Fotograf Deneyimim.


I was quite a huge "Tramp" fan back in the day & I have to say that their live shows were quite awesome.  Especially the "Crime of the Century" tour.  Here in Vancouver they were the "biggest thing ever" for a few months.  So, when I hear their tunes on RP, I really enjoy them.  I know that many Classic Rock stations probably play their hits to death, but since I literally NEVER listen to pedestrian radio, I really appreciate hearing tunes like Goodbye Stranger.  I'd love to hear something from "Crisis, What Crisis" or "Rudy" from COTC. Thanks Bill.  As always - a great mix.  :-)
You suggesting Osama got the idea from a Supertramp album cover?

 
Alpine wrote:
See the twin towers on the album cover?
 

This whole album was completely saturated by commercial radio......and they couldn't have picked a finer one for airplay! Love the whole album and it never gets old!{#Cheers}

 Alpine wrote:

See the twin towers on the album cover?

And so what, deny this cover?

 




See the twin towers on the album cover?
{#Dancingbanana}
 Papernapkin wrote:
A friend's cat walks on piano keys, and the first time it was funny. After a while, though, it's like, 'Okay, I get it. You like Supertramp.'
 
I'd like to see that cat play "Fool's Overture." Please post it on YouTube at your earliest convenience. What's that?? Cat's got your tongue?? ;)

 lysisphere wrote:
Disgusting. Even more so following the lovely Imogene Heap.

 

geeze, don't hold back. For me, if I have to be stuck working Easter Monday, I'd rather do it listening to something light like this {#Roflol}
A friend's cat walks on piano keys, and the first time it was funny. After a while, though, it's like, 'Okay, I get it. You like Supertramp.'
Disgusting. Even more so following the lovely Imogene Heap.

Wow. Nice choice of a classic—was not expecting this to come out of my computer speakers!
just right for tonight, thank you
 Hodgatola wrote:
Covered by Classic Radio a lot - but, sprinkled in with the Radio Paradise mix, this works.
It's not that you're from my home town that I agree. But it's quite cool that you are.
Haven't heard this for some time ... and it does fit tonight, Bill.

Covered by Classic Radio a lot - but, sprinkled in with the Radio Paradise mix, this works.
 Excellent use of this song in movie Magnolia!