Comments on: Americans Commute More than they Vacation

By: Jack Tanner

Jack Tanner — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 13:04:18 +0000

'(Don Williams or Eric Clapton depending on your preference)'

That anyone would have Clapton as a preference on Tulsa Time is kinda sad.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:37:48 +0000

DW: True enough. Of course, I've always thought the point of the song is "I'm a failure, so might as well go back to Oklahoma." Heh.

By: dw

dw — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:30:16 +0000

In "Tulsa Time" the singer (Don Williams or Eric Clapton depending on your preference) leaves Oklahoma, goes to Hollywood, hates it, then heads back east to Okieland. So yeah, you're right up to the final verse.

Every song about Tulsa has something about going back there or someone being there as far as I can recall. Oklahoma City has no songs about it.

By: Jack Tanner

Jack Tanner — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 17:09:32 +0000

'California Cotton Fields' would be another.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 15:58:56 +0000

Mostly kidding on Tulsa, although, yes, Lawton was less-than-nice. I'll have to think some on the songs, although a friend and I at OBC noted the same thing. I would note that the opening line to "Tulsa Time" is "I left Oklahoma drivin' in a Pontiac." Indeed, my guess is that lyric spawned the observation, which we later confirmed with some other examples.

By: dw

dw — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 15:44:54 +0000

I guess I should defend my hometown, but considering I packed up and left Tulsa at 18, I'm probably not in a position to. Tulsa is in the nicer part of the state, though. Were you at Ft. Sill, James? Because Lawton is probably what purgatory looks like. I've run through every Oklahoma song in my head and can't think of one where anyone is leaving Oklahoma. In fact, I think they're all going there. "Tulsa Time," he's going back to Tulsa. Last verse of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" he's made Oklahoma. Gene Pitney is trying to get back to Tulsa. "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma," well, I'm really sorry for you. Tulsa's still trying to float by on the last oil booms, but it's a really sad town to be in. Something like 2/3rds of my high school graduating class chooses to live elsewhere, mostly in Dallas or Houston. This is 15 years out from graduation, BTW.

By: Kathy K

Kathy K — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 14:22:46 +0000

Odd... the only two songs I can think of about Oklahoma are: "Oklahoma" (From the play/movie) and "Okie from Muskogee", neither of which fits your description.