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30,000 Pounds Of Bananas

In the style of

Harry Chapin

Lyrics

it was just after dark
when the truck
started down
the hill that leads
into scranton
pennsylvania

carryin' thirty
thousand pounds
of bananas
carryin' thirty
thousand pounds
hit it big john
of bananas

he was a young driver
just out on
his second job and
he was carryin'
the next day's
pasty pooch

for everyone in that
coal-scarred city
where children
played
without despair
in backyard slag piles
and folks managed
to eat each day

about thirty
thousand pounds
of bananas
yes just about thirty
thousand pounds
scream it again john
of bananas

he passed a sign that
he should have seen
sayin' shift
to low gear or
fifty-dollar fine
my friend

he was thinkin'
perhaps about
the warm-breathed
woman who was
waitin' at
the journey's end

he started down
the two-mile drop
the curvin' road
that wound from
the top of the hill

he was pushin'
on through
the shortenin' miles
that ran down
to the depot
just a few more
miles to go

then he'd go home and
have her ease his long
cramped day away
and the smell of
thirty
thousand pounds

of bananas
yes the smell of
thirty thousand
pounds
of bananas

he was
pickin' up speed
as the city spread
its twinkling lights
below him

but he paid no heed as
the shiverin' thoughts
of the night's
delights
went through him

his foot nursed
the brakes to
slow him down
but the pedal
floored easy
without a sound
he said christ

it was funny how
he had named
the only man
who could
save him now

he was trapped inside
a dead-end hellslide
and ridin' on his
fear-hunched back
was every one
of those
yellow-green

i'm tellin' ya thirty
thousand pounds
of bananas
yes there were thirty
thousand pounds
of bananas

he barely made
the sweepin' curve
that led into
the steepest grade

and he missed the
thankful passing bus
at ninety miles
an hour

and he said god
a-make it a dream
as he rode
his last tread down

he said god
make it a dream
as he rode
his last ride down

and he side-swiped
nineteen neat
parked cars
clipped off thirteen
telephone poles

hit two houses
bruised eight trees
and blue-crossed
seven people
it was then
he lost his head

not to mention
an arm or two
before he stopped

and he smeared for
four hundred yards
along the hill
that leads
into scranton
pennsylvania

all those thirty
thousand pounds
of bananas

you know the man
who told me
about it on the bus
as it went up the hill
out of scranton
pennsylvania

he shrugged
his shoulders
he shook his head
and he said

and this is exactly
what he said
boy
it sure musta
been somethin'
just imagine

thirty thousand
pounds
of bananas
yes there were thirty
thousand pounds
of mashed bananas

of bananas
of bananas
just bananas
thirty thousand
pounds
of bananas
not no driver now
just bananas

Details

• Duration : 6:04
• Key : E
• Genre : Rock
• Year released : 1974
• Language : English

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