30,000 POUNDS OF BANANAS - HARRY CHAPIN

[EmetophileGuy]

BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE IN MINNES- wait.

[bsman44]

one of the cars he hit was my grandma and grandpa while my grandma was holding my mom in the front. she was thrown from the car and found in a pile of bananas by a nurse and my grandpa needed 100 stiches in his head but that kid driving the truck saved everyones life except his own and did one hell of a job to do that

[rtinny987]

my dad just told me to look this up... :)

[LoonyLovesTheChosen1]

@rtinny987 mine 2. coinsidence?

[rtinny987]

@LoonyLovesTheChosen1 haha :) yup

[cvirga1]

i really wish that there was this sort of talent today

[NibblerToes]

@cvirga1 Amen.

[MOCARA52]

I had a Green T-shirt that said, 'Harry, it sucks!" that was sold to benefit World Hunger. I miss Harry and his wonderful wonderful concerts. May he RIP.

[goatman069]

@MOCARA52 Harry mentioned during a show that he had hoped those shirts wouldn't sell..... but he still urged folks to buy one on their way out, and he promised to sign anything you bought.

[MaeNotEast]

p.s. It kinda freaked me out that Chapin died the way he did - in a collision with a big rig. Weird.

[MaeNotEast]

YeeHaw! I haven't heard this song since my 8-track player died over 10 years ago!! I held on to it just so I could listen to 2 Chapin 8-tracks that I had - LOL

[Aleksandr2002]

My parents used to play Chapin's music during car rides--and my father would always start to dangerously speed when this song came on. Thankfully we've never went the way of 30,000 smashed bananas!

[saoirse56]

makes me think of my Dad!! I love you Da!

[curt84403]

this song, if it wasn't based on a tragic incident that really happened in Scranton, Pa, would probably be one of the funniest, most exciting songs that Harry ever did. The three endings that are included in this version of the song make it even funnier.

[MrOldskoolmetal]

best line: "It was funny how he'd named the only man who could save him now"

[navyantiques1886]

nice memories of my dad , lvu you , rip!!

[stuie18]

to all the dislikers on here you all suck big bananas cause you dont know what true story telling songs are all about you are more likely fans of the wannabe teen fuckers who cant sing so grow the fuck up and listen to true music k thanks :)

[CaitlinMckinnon38]

Rip the audio from this vid at speedyconversion doht cohm.

[JKevorkian]

This is one of the best songs I have ever heard.The first song I heard from Harry and Ive fallen in love with his music since.

[SusanBa69]

He was such a great story-teller. I love all of his songs. Ironically, I saw him in Rochester, NY, then moved to Long Island, where he died, and then moved to PA and lived between Wilkes-Barre & Scranton. My husband (now ex), worked in Scranton and he's the one who showed me the hill where the accident happened. He actually lived just outside of Scranton at the time of the accident. Talk about strange coincidences!!! Thanks, so much for sharing this song. I haven't heard it in years:-)

[bravo723]

I lost this album but I sure don't recall the song being 11min. RIP Harry.......... I can't believe 2 people dislike this song.

[Okysho]

I love this version of the song. My father had the cassette and it somehow just feels incomplete without the 33 or 4 different endings with all the Chapin's saying "Harry, it sucks".

Ah the memories...

[Okysho]

@Okysho 3, not 33

[pa420jeepster]

On March 18, 1965, a 35-year-old truck driver named Gene Seski[2] was on his way to deliver a load of bananas to Scranton, Pennsylvania. and was returning from the boat piers at Weehawken, New Jersey where he picked up his load. Seski was driving a 1950s Brockway diesel truck tractor with a 35-foot semi-trailer while and was headed down Rt. 307 when he suddenly lost control. The "two-mile" descent extends from Lake Scranton down to the bottom of Moosic Street

[pa420jeepster]

@pa420jeepster ontinued: ....

where the truck eventually crashed at the SW corner of Moosic St and S. Irving Ave. For some reason, the truck cruised into Scranton at about ninety miles-per-hour sideswiping a number of cars before it crashed, killing the driver and spilling bananas everywhere when the rig came to rest. The road was then closed for cleanup as Johnson's Towing Company helped out in the recovery. Trucks over 21,000 lb (9,500 kg) are no longer allowed to travel that route.

[filthyphillyboy]

This is about PA route 115 where it goes south down a real long hill into Scranton. The road is closed to big trucks now, but I remember in the early 70's when it was open to big rigs. There were runaway truck ramps every mile or so. A trucker friend friend of mine used to drive it occasionally & said it was a notoriously dangerous truck route. Guess that's why they closed it to trucks.

[pa420jeepster]

@filthyphillyboy FYI 115 Doesnt run into Scranton, It goes into Wilkes-Barre

[MisterMoccasin]

I've found this song thanks to Weird Als stylistic parody of this song called, "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" you guys should go check it out.

[bravo723]

@MisterMoccasin i was a big fan of Weird Al's first couple albums but I wasn't into the majority of the newer music he started to parody so I miss out on a remake of an older song, thank you for the info.

[selatik1]

Chapin's songs tell such amazing stories.

[pippyspot]

My brother used to have this CD and we'd listen to Harry's songs for hours before my brother moved out :P 6-7 years later I'm still word perfect ^^

Thanks for sharing <3

[bethra13]

@pippyspot Ditto!



[trollman591]

This is why I love youtube. I have not heard or even thought of this song in years. I was lucky enough to see him in concert shortly before he died. I got to sing this with the rest of the crowd.

[SusanBa69]

@trollman591 Where did you to see him play? I was also lucky enough to see him not long before he died - when he played in Rochester, NY. It was 1979 or 80 - I was a freshman at Brockport State Univ.. Then, a year later, I transferred to Adelphi Univ. in Garden City, NY - on Long Island - which is where he died. I was so sad when I heard. I think he had a heart attack while driving his car (a VW Beetle??) on the Long Island Expressway. It was a great loss - I miss his stories & his music.

[trollman591]

@SusanBa69 I saw him in Green Bay, Wi. It must have been the summer of 79.

[MrSkeezie]

This cassette got played a lot on road trips when I was a little kid....still classic today!!

[DarkKetzerisch]

Featured on TV Tropes! =D

[katiesweeney00]

stoneygraved, thanks for posting you've brought back some great memories. My big sister had this album and introduced me to Harry, I'm sitting at my desk in sunny Queensland in Australia listening to Harry 'blarring' out of my office......lol.

Thanks, and take care. xx

[mdumas43073]

When I was a kid my parents had a cassette of this album that they'd play on car trips. I remember how Mom would always reach to fast-forward the tape past "Harry, it sucks" lest our tender young ears be corrupted.



[Khelsow]

"something about motherhood this time, as the song already had a truck" ... have to laugh every time I hear it ...

[KunoichiRaiu]

I....don't know what I just listened to, but I like it. I think I'll have to play it again to hear clearly what was going on...

[thumper0045]

my old man playes this for my for years while i grew up. in one swift swing of stupidity i mucked up his old vinyl of there classics. glad i got the chance to get them for him on CD. still feel like shit for that

[waynemegaman]

Probably the best collection of live recordings by Harry Chapin and even better than the studio versions. I've been listening to this album since it came out. I've had it on cassette and now CD. Its one of those have to have albums!

[Cortinajet]

@waynemegaman Agreed. By far, my favorite Harry Chapin Collection.

[nutballgazette]

This song from this album is what got me to go see harry Chapin in Concert the 1st time, WDRC-FM in Hartford CT would play several cuts off of this album along with comedy of Robert Klein, along with all the other great album acts of the time

[Brinehawk]

I remember when the family went on vacation to KS from WA mom had ejected this tape to flip it over when the news broke in to announce the crash

[Lijiah]

I'm proud to come from Scranton, Pennsylvania.

[psakref]

@Lijiah The only time Scranton was hopping was when WW2 ended, and when Harry came to town.

[Lijiah]

@psakref Sucks how far we've sunk since then. Scranton used to be the 2nd NYC, now we're in massive debt and keep re-electing a douchebag for mayor.

[zZRaikouZz]

My dad played this on his CD player (Yup, that's what we had back then!) when we were on a flight to San Fransisco when I was a child. The second Big Joe or whoever he was sang "Of Bananassss" I laughed so hard I woke up everyone on the plane. xD

[gripperm]

@zZRaikouZz My dad played this on a 8 track player

[ThCakISAlie]

favorite song from my childhood!! thank you for my memorys harry!! miss you!!

[av8tor17b]

thinking of you, Harry. Miss you.

[babyfoo92]

this song is just cute!!

[pinkfu]

Mashed bananas