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


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

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Charlie Freak song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    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.

    Gimpy Jimon March 15, 2005   Link

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