The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Charlie Freak had but one thing to call his own
Three weight ounce pure golden ring no precious stone
Five nights without a bite
No place to lay his head
And if nobody takes him in
He'll soon be dead
On the street he spied my face I heard him hail
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale
Poor man, he showed his hand
So righteous was his need
And me so wise I bought his prize
For chicken feed
Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind
Poor kid, he overdid
Embraced the spreading haze
And while he sighed his body died
In fifteen ways
When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay
'Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A.
Yes Jack, I gave it back
The ring I could not own
Now come my friend I'll take your hand
And lead you home
Three weight ounce pure golden ring no precious stone
Five nights without a bite
No place to lay his head
And if nobody takes him in
He'll soon be dead
On the street he spied my face I heard him hail
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale
Poor man, he showed his hand
So righteous was his need
And me so wise I bought his prize
For chicken feed
Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind
Poor kid, he overdid
Embraced the spreading haze
And while he sighed his body died
In fifteen ways
When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay
'Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A.
Yes Jack, I gave it back
The ring I could not own
Now come my friend I'll take your hand
And lead you home
Lyrics submitted by montresor, edited by xHenryChinaski
Charlie Freak Lyrics as written by Walter Carl Becker Donald Jay Fagen
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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I agree with everything except for the idea that the speaker is talking to another homless man. I think "Now come my friend I'll take your hand And lead you home" is addressed to Charlie, and "home" is referencing that he can finally rest.
Very very eerie and moving song. Sends a shiver down my spine with the lyric "when he sighed his body died in 15 ways." What could be a great film script is played out in a song lasting 2:45. Was there no end to these guys creativity?
i've always seen this as a dark humored reference to wonder bread building strong bodies 15 ways.
Man, all these years I thought that Fagen was singing "while he sighed his body died in FIFTY ways." Does anybody think that my interpretation alters the meaning of the song at all?
@Danfan @dabbindan has it -- it's a Wonder Bread reference.
Incredible song.
You're absolutely right, Booyacka. A song about a homeless man is so rare in a pop context, and what's extremely rare, is the way it is told : with so spiritual and deeply moving words, not condescending at all, not filled with conventional pity. Who said that Steely Dan were always cynical ? I'm still struck by the tragic double meaning of the line "Five nights without a bite" : the horror of both hunger and drug withdrawal.
Then, the musical richness of this 2:45 song is just unbelievable : the dramatic crescendo created by the successive additions of an eerie guitar part, then the sleighbells, and those heartbreaking strings in the final, everything led by a wonderful piano melody. If one wants to know what "songcraft" means, he must listen to "Charlie Freak"
Thank you for writing what is on my mind every time that I hear this song. Homelessness is a subject that is almost never addressed in music. The only other example I can think of is Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise". While heartfelt and moving, it is not nearly so good a track as "Charlie Freak".
One of the most artfully crafted "pop" tunes I've ever heard. I believe this song is about the narrator being an angel of death, literally to the "charlie freak" (heroin addict). At first we cringe from the narrator's seemingly callous pride at taking advantage of the homeless guy's dire straits. The gold ring with no precious stone is probably the guy's own wedding ring - he was happy at least once, and now he has no wife for whatever reason. By the end they assault us with the reality that the narrator neither wanted nor needed the ring, nor was he being selfish by liberating it. He enabled the addict to buy just enough dope to O.D., thus ending his misery. The bells that begin at the moment of death sound to me like the "angel earing his wings" bells, especially as they peal, almost joyously, at the end. The music is especially hymn-like. Lots of possible double meanings: "without a bite", "takes him in", "lead you home".
A great song - what musical skill on that piano Donald. This is a haunting and lovely melody. Well the friend of Charlie Freak was a day late and a dollar short with his compassion. He helped out old Charlie by taking his ring off his hands and making a great trade. In his wisdom he gave Charlie just enough for a couple of meals or something else and got himself a killing in the bargain. When he found out that Charlie died of an OD he felt guilty and all compassionate. So he throws the ring down at the dead body. His compassion - too little too late. Instead of doing something really significant for Charlie he relieves him of his valuable ring. How typical of the human mentality. "Come my friend now take my hand I'll lead you home." I'll ride in with you to the morgue. What lessons in this for us all.
Oops, I meant this as a new post - not a reply. Sorry olegnad.
I first heard this song when I was about 12, and it was one of the songs out of my dad's tape that really moved me and filled me with a kind of blue. I was going off on a train ride and I sat on the night train and played the song in my head over and over again. It made think about the homeless people I see everyday, and was kinda glad somebody wrote a song about them.
What just about everyone here said, about a homeless drug addict, but the line, poor KID, leads me to believe that "Charlie" was probably a runaway teenage boy rather than an adult.
I see a guy who finds a homeless man in great need of money for some addiction. So the guy takes advantage of him to get something valuable (His ring) for little money. Charlie gets the stuff he needs and OD's and dies. When the guy who bought his ring hears about this he's wracked with guilt. He goes to the hospital to give the ring back to his dead body.
Now here's where I'm not sure. "Ill take your hand and lead you home" sounds like the guy commits suicide and joins Charlie in the afterlife. He feels he has to care for Charlie in the afterlife and make sure he gets to heaven.
Great song. Very moving. Basically it's one person telling a story to a homeless person about how he met a homeless man (Charlie Freak) and bought his only possession (gold ring) from him for a little money so he could eat. But Charlie was also an addict and bought drugs with it instead and overdosed and died. When he heard about it he couldn't stand the guilt and gave the ring back to him. So he brings this person home with him to try and help him rather than giving him money.
It's so spiritual..."Now come my friend, I'll take your hand and lead you home."
How final.
And the sleighbells and ostinato piano (snow falling?) make it seem kind of eerie, as if it was wintertime and Charlie froze to death in the snow obviously in combination with an OD on some drug of choice.
If the sadness of Charlie's predicament and ultimate demise doesn't move you, then perhaps the fact that the protagonist had a heart after all and realized that there was no one else in Charlie's life to take him to his final resting place. I'm thinking he sold said ring for cash ("Yes Jack, I gave it back") to at least give him a decent burial.
Chills.
Charlie is also another term for coke or heroin. I think in this case, it is heroin. Charlie is not his name, but he is a charlie freak. This song reminds me of walking through the streets of Rome.