Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away (Hartford)

Subject: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: robomatic
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 10:19 PM

I heard this a few times when I was a kid in California, sung with Mexican 'hacienda' sounding accompaniment, it's a love song by a guy who can't stay because he's double parked:

Chorus:
I'd like to drink your coffee my love
I'd like to stay all day
But I must kiss you quick and run my love
Before they tow my car away

Say you haven't got change for a quarter?

I'd sure like to hear a copy of this and learn who wrote/ sang it.

---

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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: Charley Noble
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 10:24 PM

Be patient. It does look familar. I'm sure someone was discussing this song on another thread a few months ago. Have you tried a "thread search" using the chorus?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Sep 01 - 10:48 PM

It's John Hartford......only thing in the DT/Forum is this, which is mostly the same as this request. Resident Hartford Xspurt, harpgirl, where are you???

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: robomatic
Date: 24 Sep 01 - 12:11 AM

Thank Thank Thank you! That earlier request was also posted by moi, only I didn't have the savvy at the time to put a tracer on it and I lost it. I now have an album to trace. Prolly haven't heard the thing for thirty years!

I love and respect you all! robo

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: harpgirl
Date: 24 Sep 01 - 07:29 AM

I'm not aware that he sang such a song....sorry....hg

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: harpgirl
Date: 24 Sep 01 - 07:33 AM

...oh wait, let me wake up from my fifteen mile canoe trip on the Suwannee yesterday (and Falmouth Spring swim)....ah yes...it is from Iron Mountain Depot. I'll try to decipher it tonight, if the record isn't too scratchy...sorry hg

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: robomatic
Date: 24 Sep 01 - 11:25 AM

hg I'd love to get a copy of Iron Mt. Depot. What's the best approach?

Subject: Lyr Add: BEFORE THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY(John Hartford
From: harpgirl
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 06:45 AM

BEFORE THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY
by John Hartford

Today I felt the cruel world
Through the skin of your rose colored touch
And an hour was better than nothing at all
In the knowing that that wasn't much
I'd like to eat your pretzels my love
I'd like to stay all day
But I must kiss you quick and run my love
Before they tow my car away
You haven't got change for a dollar
Besides it won't work after four
Just as soon as I lace up my work shoes
I think I should head to the door
I'd like to drink your coffee my love
I'd like to stay all day
But I must kiss you quick and run my love
Before they tow my car away




But my album even has liner notes and the person who owned it before me was Michael B. Bleecker
recorded on Iron Mountain Depot, RCA, 1970 hmmmm...not particuarly melodic is it?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: robomatic
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 10:25 AM

Thank you so much. It had a lovely vaguely hispanic melody. I certainly haven't heard it for thirty years yet it echoes....

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: harpgirl
Date: 25 Sep 01 - 10:29 PM

...oh, sorry if I've inadvertantly insulted your taste robomatic. I will listen to this album seriously again. I confess it isn't one of my favorites.

When John used David Bromberg to produce Aero Plain, I really started liking his stuff.I thought these early albums were overproduced but I think he was in the process of finding his voice after coming off a Hollywood writing career. But I could also be wrong about that, as well.

David seemed to be good at helping him with finding his true musical self on that record. But then I'm still a besotted fan of both of these guys...

Subject: Lyr Add: UNTIL THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 26 Sep 01 - 01:53 AM

I took a look at the thread title, and this is what just came out. The manufacturer makes no warranty as to quality, expressed or implied.

UNTIL THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY

You're not a blonde, you're a redhead -- at least, today
I'm not a hunk, I have a gut and a toupee
But if you hand me that guitar, well I can play
And we can sing, until they tow my car away

Our songs are different, you like to rock, I'm into folk
And when we met, you thought my mustache was a joke
But here we are, with Haagen Dasz and Diet Coke
So let's just sing, until they tow my car away

Don't stop now, keep the beat
Forget that red light flashing, in the street

This song of mine gets kind of boring at the end
But there's a note in the last line that you can bend
And it can sound so very sweet, if we pretend
That we're real good -- until they tow my car away

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Sep 01 - 02:04 AM

I think you should apologize to Buffy Ste. Marie, Mark. The same tune went through my head as I read the lyrics.
Harpgirl, what IS the tune for this song? Something familiar, or a Hartford original?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: harpgirl
Date: 26 Sep 01 - 07:04 AM

well, Joe the melody to John's song is a slow waltz with a strong bass line and drums. It has nothing really distinctive and doesn't sound even vaguely hispanic to me.

Hmmm, let's speed it up to 45.

The opening to the song has bells or triangles in it! Geez, they are all through it...Well it does sound very vaguely hispanic in a couple spots....The end is a guitar walk down that sounds hispanic, sorta.

I can't call out each note in the melody though Joe. I play with my ears, but my neck gets tired...

Mark is in Hawaii. The melody sounds hispanic. Robomatic is from California. I vote for the other song. What's the melody to it?

Are you from Longbeach, robo?*wink*

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: harpgirl
Date: 26 Sep 01 - 07:10 AM

...oh I see robo knows the words...I'm a mess before nine am, I guess.
I can play the melody so maybe I should play it and then tell you what the notes are...duh...tonight when I get home.

PM me about the album, robomatic. He does play his face on the album but with all that orchestration, his style is obscured.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: robomatic
Date: 28 Sep 01 - 12:11 PM

This has become a great thread, with newly invented lyrics, wonder how they'd go with the tune.

I can't speak much to the tune, I think I remember it but I don't remember much by way of instrumentation, haven't heard the song since it came out and was played most likely in 1970 or 71 on WCRB out of Waltham, Massachusetts. They were a formal classical station but on Saturday nights they let their hair down and the Veep of the station (Or assistant manager) Richard L. Kaye would play Goon shows, Bob Newhart, and songs like that which initiated this thread. They would always have a cake and invite listeners over for Beethoven's Birthday, which was in December. He had a buddy who ran a radio station in Cleveland and they would both celebrate Hinkley Buzzard Day (March 15). There was a song associated with that:

Incidentally I live in Alaska, not Calif., but I've got Calif. ties.

When the Buzzards come back
Come back to Hinkley
[line]
[line]

I remember that day
That day in Hinkley
Oh I never will forget
It was raining we were wet

When the buzzards appeared
Appeared in Hinkley
Hand in hand we scanned the sky
We were happy, she and I

Chorus:

Though the morning may be murky
Suddenly a turkey
Buzzard will circle the sky
And once more, we'll be together, she and I

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 28 Sep 01 - 06:13 PM

As Joe hinted, my words go to Buffy Ste. Marie's song, "Until It's Time for You to Go", to which he kindly made a link. And since I just made it up on the spot, I have no problem with anybody liking the other song better! It's actually the first song I've written (well, half-written, since I used Buffy's tune) in over 10 years, and certainly not a gem---but I thank you, robo, for starting this thread and getting me off my songwriting butt! Maybe now you should write "When the Eagles Come Back to Haines"? Of course, they never really leave, do they, so they couldn't actually come back...hmmm...

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: Lyr Add: BEFORE THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY (J Hartford)
From: harpgirl
Date: 03 Oct 02 - 11:01 PM

BEFORE THEY TOW MY CAR AWAY
By John Hartford

Today I felt the cruel world
Through the skin of your rose colored touch
And an hour was better than nothing at all
In the knowing that that wasn't much

I'd like to eat your pretzels my love
I'd like to stay all day
But I must kiss you quick and run my love
Before they tow my car away

You haven't got change for a dollar
Besides, it won't work after four
Just as soon as I lace up my work shoes
I think I should head to the door

I'd like to drink your coffee my love
I'd like to stay all day
But I must kiss you quick and run my love
Before they tow my car away

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 6-Oct-02.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Before They Tow My Car Away (Hartford)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Oct 02 - 11:09 PM

Anybody have the lyrics to "Baby You Can Tow My Car"?
[grin]
-Joe Offer-