Nonsensical Song Lyrics, The Kingston Trio
				
	Check out the index or search for other performers.
	
 Capitol Years album at Amazon.com
It is quite well known you've become a clone
A person can't change into a clone of himself or herself.
Submitted by: Candy Welty
 
Can this be a king? His room is but a manger.
 Humbly born is He, yet safe from earthly danger.
Lovely song generally, but the part about "safe from earthly danger" never fails to baffle me. If he WERE safe from earthly danger, why would his mom and dad soon have to flee with him to Egypt, to save him from Herod's deadly wrath?
Submitted by: Ingrid McCannless
 
Pretty flowers were made for bloomin'.
 Pretty stars were made to shine.
  Pretty girls were made for boys to love.
 Surely Maggie was made for mine.
  Oh, well, yonder stands little Maggie with a dram glass in her hand.
 She's drinkin' away her troubles, oh, Lord,
 And foolin' another man.
It doesn't make sense for the singer to declare, on the one hand, that "Surely Maggie was made for mine," while on the other hand asserting that she is "fooling' another man." Sounds more like Maggie is a bane to multiple men than like she and the singer could be remotely dreamed to be "made for each other".
Submitted by: Karen Smith
 
Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square station 
 And he changed for Jamaica Plain 
 When he got there the conductor told him "One more nickel" 
 Charlie couldn't get off of that train 
 But did he ever return? No, he never returned 
 And his fate is still unlearned 
 He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston 
 He's the man who never returned 
 Charlie's wife goes down to the Sculley Square station 
 Every day at quarter past two 
 And through the open window she hands Charlie a sandwich 
 As the train comes rumbling through
Why didn't Charlie ask a fellow passenger for another nickel so he could pay his fare and get off the train? Surely someone would have given him one. And why didn't Charlie's wife include some money with a sandwich she handed him, which would have enabled Charlie to pay his fare? The whole concept of a man not being allowed to get off a train for many days is simply absurd.
Submitted by: Candy Welty
 
My true love's in Memphis town --
 Pretty little thing named "Sally Brown".
 Travels around on a riverboat,
 Shares her room with a billy goat.
Would riverboat travelers ever share their rooms with goats? Well, I'VE never heard of any such thing! I could well surmise that in the last line quoted above they were just saying anything for a rhyme.
Submitted by: Karen Smith
 
Five hundred dollars don't seen like much, 
 But try to find someone to touch!
By the time this song came out, the Trio had at least one gold record out...even within the lyrics they ask that their mail go to the jail. Heck, their agent could have wired them the 0 from their bank!  And another thing: In my own life, back in the late 80's my cousin rode to Tijuana with some friends, and another group...to make a long story short, the others were arrested in Tijuana for trying to sell a stolen car, and my cousin was jailed with them. The American consul office got him released without a dime changing hands.
Submitted by: Doug Montgomery
 
	New entries in this section are currently reviewed by nally. Previous editors (if any) are listed on the editors page.