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M.T.A. Lyrics

Well, let me tell you of the story,
Of a man named Charlie,
On a tragic and fateful day,
He put ten cents in his pocket,
Kissed his wife and family,
Went to ride on the M.T.A.

Well, did he ever return,
No, he never returned,
And his fate is still unknown,
He may ride forever,
‘Neath the streets of Boston,
He’s the man who never returned.

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.

Now, all night long,
Charlie rides through the station,
Crying, what will become of me?
How can I afford to see,
My sister in Chelsea,
Or my cousin in Roxbury?

Charlie’s wife goes down,
To the Scully Square station,
Everyday at quarter past two,
And through the open window,
She hands Charlie a sandwich,
As the train comes rumbling through.

Now, you citizens of Boston,
Don’t you think it’s a scandal,
How the people have to pay and pay?
Fight the fare increase,
Vote for George O’Brien,
Get poor Charlie off the M.T.A.

Or else he’ll never return,
No, he’ll never return,
And his fate is still unknown,
He may ride forever
‘Neath the streets of Boston,
He’s the man who never returned.
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Cover art for M.T.A. lyrics by Kingston Trio, The

This is a great song, but few people know about it. It's a political song. All the people are fictitious except for George O'Brien, who was running for office at that time.

Actually the candidate's name was Walter O'Brien, but since he was a Socialist, the Kingston Trio changed his first name to "George" for the recording. And this really is a great song - I surprisingly learned it in a music class back in elementary school.

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