Subject: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Charley Noble Date: 30 May 03 - 08:56 AM I'd love the words to this 1960 Limeliters hit song. I can't seem to come up with the words in the DT or the threads, or with a Google search but they're probably still rattling around someone's head. The song appeared on their first album, Elektra EKL 180. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Charley Noble Date: 31 May 03 - 10:55 AM Well, I didn't think this request would be that difficult! Sure, I couldn't find the lyrics when I did a web search but I'm easily confounded. Let's try to focus on this critical search, gang, before Mudcat goes down again. Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Jim Dixon Date: 07 Jun 03 - 05:26 PM I transcribed this much from a sound sample at Yahoo! Shopping - Music. The tune is Rosin the Beau (a.k.a. Acres of Clams). He rose before dawn ev'ry mornin' To dreamily fall into line And follow that bumper before him To be on the job before nine. His dream house of crumbling stucco Was more like a nightmarish load. His weekends were spent in hard labor. He dug and he pruned and he mowed. One night, an electrical failure... AMG says this song was written by "Bagby/Davis". Bagby seems to have written several songs on that album. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Charley Noble Date: 08 Jun 03 - 12:44 PM Thanks so much for your effort, Jim. I would have thought someone would have committed these precious verses to memory. There's at least three more verses missing in action. Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: EtV@work Date: 09 Jun 03 - 11:00 AM Charlie was raised in the city. He scoffed at the suburban life. 'till one day whilst dressed as a salesman, .Saturn bewitched and bewildered his wife. He told her the pleasures of rural life and barB q's under the trees And so for a mere 30.000 He purchased his dream house with ease. Please wait until I get home, then I'll do me best to remember the rest. I learnt it in about 1969, and have sung it several times, but not lately Cheers |
Subject: DTADD: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Eric the Viking Date: 09 Jun 03 - 12:28 PM Charlie rose early each morning to eagerly fall into line and lift up the bumper before him to be on the job before nine. His dream house of crumbling stucco Was more like a nightmarish load. His weekends were spent in hard labor. He dug and he pruned and he mowed. 'till one night an electrical failure blacked out every light on his track our Charlie/hero drove up in confusion but could not locate his new shack Each cracker box looked like the one before as far as the eye could see he thought/mused to himself as he wondered Oh where in the hell could it be. He searched until one looked familiar And fitted his key in the lock to Charlie's relief the door opened but poor Charlie was in for a shock He strode to the bed of his sleeping love then kissed her and backed off in fright for the woman he kissed was a stranger who screamed and ran into the night. They caught him a few minutes later still quacking and shaking with fear they called him the midnight marauder and they put him away for a year They put him away for a year..ear They put him away for a year they called him the midnight marauder and they put him away for a year. When a salesman comes touting suburbia He's doing it purely for pelf just remember the story of Charlie and tell him to go there himself yes tell him to go there himsel....elf just tell him to go there himself just remember the midnight marauder and tell him to go there himself. ! As far as I can remember it, pretty much word for word, I don't sing it now, as it seems to be a song that is not timeless, but dated to a particular era, however with the right introduction...I might start singing it again. Hope this is right. Please, someone clever put it into right order and verses with chorus, with proper spaces! then add it to the DT Thanks Eric |
Subject: Lyr Add: CHARLIE THE MIDNIGHT MARAUDER From: Charley Noble Date: 09 Jun 03 - 01:07 PM I knew you guys could do it! I agree, Eric, this is definitely a period piece. I'll do an add when I'm more convinced we've settled on the lyrics. Here's my working draft from above:
Words by "Bagby/Davis © 1960 CHARLIE THE MIDNIGHT MARAUDER
He rose before dawn ev'ry mornin'
His dream house of crumbling stucco
Charlie rose early each morning
Charlie was raised in the city.
He told her the pleasures of rural life
'Till one night an electrical failure
Each cracker box looked like the one before
He searched until one looked familiar
He strode to the bed of his sleeping love,
They caught him a few minutes later,
They put him away for a year-ear
When a salesman comes touting suburbia
Yes, tell him to go there himsel-elf My secret plan, by the way, is to make a parody of this song so as to describe what our neighbor's cat is up to as he visits neighboring houses via the cat doors and scarfs up leftover goodies. But in order to start the parody I thought it would be common courtesy to review the original verses.
Cheerily, |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Eric the Viking Date: 09 Jun 03 - 05:18 PM Charley, you've got verses mixed up there a bit. Unless you are collecting all until a final version can be built.I'm fairly certain what I've given you is almost if not all correct. Cheers,P>Eric |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: EtV@work Date: 10 Jun 03 - 10:50 AM Changes; He cursed to himself as he pondered" instead of mused "When the devil comes touting suburbia" instead of when a salesman etc. Other than that I think it definately correct, but will wait and see if anyone else knows better. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: GUEST Date: 10 Jun 03 - 01:03 PM For the record, the correct spelling is "Limeliters", not "Limelighters".
-Joe Offer- |
Subject: Charlie, The Midnight Marauder From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego Date: 25 Aug 08 - 05:25 PM With all the homeowner woes in the states these days, I thought it might be instructive to revisit the Limeliters' old song, "Charlie, The Midnight Marauder." This tale, based on a supposedly true event, speaks to the plight of a poor soul who has purchased a new home in a large suburban development. When the power goes out one evening, he parks in the driveway, tries his key, goes in a plants a big wet one on his sleeping love, who turns out to be a total stranger - the title is the name he was given by the police. It brazenly stole the tune from "Rosin The Beau." |
Subject: Lyr Add: CHARLIE THE MIDNIGHT MARAUDER From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 25 Aug 08 - 05:43 PM CHARLIE, THE MIDNIGHT MARAUDER (Bagby / Davis) The Limeliters Calling car 41 Calling car 41 Investigate a code 7 At 116 west 14th St. and report Looks like Charlie's at it again Oh Charlie was raised in the city He scoffed at the suburban life Til Satan disguised as a salesman Bewitched and bewildered his wife She heard of the pleasures of rural life With barbecues under the trees And so for a mere forty thousand He purchased their dream house with ease He rose before dawn every morning To dreamily fall into line (yawn) And follow that bumper before him (Beep Beep) To be on the job before nine His dream house of crumbling stucco Was more like a nightmarish load His weekends were spent in hard labor He dug and he pruned and he mowed One night an electrical failure Blacked out every street in the track Our hero drove up in confusion But couldn't locate his new shack Each cracker box looked like the one next door As far as the eye could see He cursed to himself as he pondered Now where in the world can it be He searched til a door looked familiar Than tried out his key in the lock The door open wide and he entered Poor Charlie was on the wrong block He strode to the couch of his sleeping love He kissed her and backed off in fright The girl he had kissed was a stranger Who screamed and ran out in the night They caught him a few minutes later Still rooted and shaking with fear They called him the midnight marauder And put him away for a year And put him away for a yea-ea-ear And put him away for a year They called him the midnight marauder And put him away for a year When a salesman is taunting suburbia He's doing it purely for help Remember the story of Charlie And tell him to move there himself And tell him to move there himsel-el-elf And tell him to move there himself Remember the story of Charlie And tell him to move there himself |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Charley Noble Date: 25 Aug 08 - 08:20 PM Thanks for the memories! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Rumncoke Date: 26 Aug 08 - 05:28 AM When we moved house fifty years ago, the first time my dad came home from work he walked into the wrong house - it was not usual to lock the doors then - and surprised a neighbour's wife, though it was in the kitchen not the bedroom, and at a distance!! The houses on the road were all identical. Later the front doors were painted in different colours. Four or five, done in sequence all along the road. It still made very little difference in the dark. |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: Eric the Viking Date: 27 Aug 08 - 12:38 PM When a salesman is taunting suburbia He's doing it purely for help Remember the story of Charlie And tell him to move there himself
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French pelfre booty http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pelf Still a great song. Cheers |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: BrooklynJay Date: 31 May 17 - 06:46 PM For some reason, this song has been invading my head for the last few days. While it is a bit dated, it could probably be brought up to date... or maybe performed as a period piece. (I would begin by changing the "forty thousand" reference to "half a million" for starters!) Don't think I'd use the spoken intro, though... One correction: the line is touting suburbia rather than taunting. I'm also curious as to who actually wrote this song; "Cal Bagby" was actually an alias for Lou Gottlieb of The Limeliters. Who the "Davis" is, I haven't the foggiest. Jay |
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Charlie the Midnight Marauder From: leeneia Date: 01 Jun 17 - 11:05 AM People in those days were awful worried that if your house wasn't individual, then you would lose your own individuality. It never seemed to occur to critics that one could buy a tract house and plant different flowers, put up a fence or paint the trim. Remember the song that said, "They all get put in boxes, little boxes just the same"? Fast forward to today. I just read a newspaper column that referred to people who are LGBTIA. (I don't even know what I and A are!) What's your sex life? It defines you. Figure it out and get in your box! |
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