I love the song “The Ghost of Vicksburg,” by the Stone Coyotes. It’s a great story-telling song for Civil War buffs. While listening to it this weekend, I mused about other songs that tell a story–famous songs. Here are my ten favorite (only one per performer):

• “Cats in the Cradle,” by Harry Chapin.
• “A Boy Named Sue,” by Johnny Cash.
• “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” by Gordon Lightfoot.
• “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” by Vicki Lawrence.
• “The 8th of November,” by Big & Rich.
• “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” by Charlie Daniels.
• “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown,” by Jim Croce.
• “One Tin Soldier,” by the Original Caste.
• “Smoke on the Water,” by Deep Purple.
• “Mississippi Squirrel Revival,” by Ray Stevens.
• “Billy Don’t be a Hero,” by Paper Lace.
• “Convoy,” by CW McCall.

Okay, I’ve got to add a second song by Paper Lace, “The Night Chicago Died.” I heard that one a lot during my formative teen years in the 1970s. Along with over half of the other songs in the list–Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, Deep Purple, Original Caste, CW McCall, Gordon Lightfoot, and Vicki Lawrence. Amazing how songs from your high school years stay with you.