Harry Chapin's Story of a Life Live (High Quality)

One of Harry Chapin's best songs.

Lyrics:
I can see myself it's a golden sunrise
Young boy open up your eyes
It's supposed to be your day.
Now off you go horizon bound
And you won't stop until you've found
Your own kind of way.
And the wind will whip your tousled hair,
The sun, the rain, the sweet despair,
Great tales of love and strife.
And somewhere on your path to glory
You will write your story of a life.


And all the towns that you walk through
And all the people that you talk to
Sing you their songs.
And there are times you change your stride,
There are times you can't decide
Still you go on.
And then the young girls dance their gypsy tunes
And share the secrets of the moon
So soon you find a wife.
And though she sees your dreams go poorly
Still she joins your story of a life.


So you settle down and the children come
And you find a place that you come from.
Your wandering is done.
And all your dreams of open spaces
You find in your children's faces
One by one.
And all the trips you know you missed
And all the lips you never kissed
Cut through you like a knife.
And now you see stretched out before thee
Just another story of a life.


So what do you do now?
When she looks at you now?
You know those same old jokes all the jesters tell
You tell them to her now.
And all the same old songs all the minstrels sang
You sing 'em to her now.
But it don't matter anyhow
'Cause she knows by now.


So every chance you take don't mean a thing.
What variations can you bring
To this shopworn melody.
And every year goes by like a tollin' bell.
It's battered merchandise you sell.
Not well, she can see.
And though she's heard it all a thousand times
Couched in your attempted rhymes
She'll march to your drum and fife.
But the question echoes up before me
Where's the magic story of a life?


Now sometimes words can serve me well
Sometimes words can go to hell
For all that they do.
And for every dream that took me high
There's been a dream that's passed me by.
I know it's so true
And I can see it clear out to the end
And I'll whisper to her now again
Because she shared my life.
For more than all the ghosts of glory
She makes up the story,
She's the only story
Of my life

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Harry
• Chapin

[cgargiul]

Have there been better artists or singers than Harry Chapin? Of course. But has there EVER been a songwriter or a performer who has simultaneously written more songs that inspired me and moved to the verge of tears? Not even close. Almost 30 Years later, and you are still Loved and Missed!

[virtualstrangers60]

Excellent! What a loss when he went.

[JCLII]

From what I understand, Harry was driving a Volkswagon b and was in the blind spot of a tractor trailer. The guy switched lanes and never saw him. Harry and Jim Croce. Both taken too soon.

[unartistic]

Why does this not have more likes than this?

[NIBIRUROCK]

a great songwroter

[f2benny]

I don't think there's any alcohol related connection to Chapin's death as far as I've read. Still a good idea to avoid drunk driving, but not due to his death.

[Lulufen89]

This man is my number one reason for not driving drunk... The man who crashed into him and killed him stole a talent that can never be replaced...

[schneidsgame]

Shannon loves Harry too and she kissed Big John Wallace on the lips in St. Petersburg circa 1992.

[71morehead]

@terife PBS put the Hamilton concert on years ago and this is the opening song of that concert, I believe...it has been a long time since I have seen that tape.

[Philpotts24]

I saw him sing this at the Dominion - must have been 1981. Loved it since.

[nicheprof]

What is the story of your life going to be? Ahh...that is the question

[rustywrh]

Imagine the songs this guy would have undoubtedly written about some of the events since his death... Katrina, 911, etc..... I saw him live once at the college I was attending not too long before he passed. Great show, great memory.