Album: Danny O'Keefe (1970)

Charted: 9

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• Everybody's goin' away
  Said they're movin' to LA
  There's not a soul I know around
  Everybody's leavin' town
  Some caught a freight, some caught a plane
  Find the sunshine, leave the rain
  They said this town's a waste of time
  I guess they're right, it's wastin' mine
  Some gotta win, some gotta lose
  Good time Charlie's got the blues
  Good time Charlie's got the blues
  Ya know my heart keeps tellin' me
  "You're not a kid at thirty-three"
  "Ya play around, ya lose your wife"
  "Ya play too long, you lose your life"
  I got my pills to ease the pain
  Can't find a thing to ease the rain
  I'd love to try and settle down
  But everybody's leavin' town
  Some gotta win, some gotta lose
  Good time Charlie's got the blues
  Good time Charlie's got the blues
  Good time Charlie's got the blues
  (whistling to end) Writer/s: Danny O'Keefe
  Publisher: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 24

• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenCorrecting an erroneous post I made long ago: It wasn’t O’Keefe who sang “The Scotsman” onstage; it was Bryan Bowers. But it’s still a riot.
• Bilohak from Hampton, VirginiaAny way to identify the flute player in O'Keefe's Good time Charlie?
• Mwalimu from CaThis is one of the most beautiful, heart-felt songs I've ever head/read. My favorite renditions: Earl Klugh/Earl Klugh and Chet Atkins. I remember it. I was 26 at the time, but didn't really pay much time to the lyrics. So beautiful.
• Janet A. from Mentor, OhThe first version I heard of this was Charlie Rich's.
  
  The line about people moving to LA, could, if I am reliably informed, be reversed these days, about everyone LEAVING LA.
• Steve from SeattleAlways thought this song referenced the Boeing bust in Seattle in the late sixties and early seventies. The freeway out of town had a billboard that read ...”will the last person leaving turn out the lights”
• Atticus from West Coast I was just about to enter college in 1972 when this great record was released. I bought the 45 (ask Gramps and Meemaw to describe them to you) and have always loved this melancholy song. I have been frustrated, though, trying to find that original 45 release on CD (Everybody’s gone away/Said they’re movin’ to LA). I have purchased three Danny O’Keefe CDs (Home; O’Keefe; and Breezy Stories) with Home promising the original version, but all 3 have the other recording. Any suggestions my friends? CDs to me are the state of the art....I don’t download tinny recordings via smart phones or other inferior devices.
• Seventhmist from 7th HeavenO'Keefe could be very funny onstage. His cover of "The Scotsman" is a riot.
• Susan from Atlanta, GeorgiaI saw Danny in concert during his tour with the Hollies and the Raspberries; I was 15 and a male relative I love was 19, but I really saw him in the role of Good Time Charlie. He is 65 now and complains about not having any money put away for retirement. Seems I was right. (You're not a kid at 65, either.)
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 27th 1972, "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" by Danny O'Keefe entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #87; and on October 29th, 1972 it peaked at 9 {for 1 week} and spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
  It was his only Top 100 record.
• Gary from Scotland, United Kingdomcome on....we all know who wrote the song...Peter Allen...stole it ...but he is a good man...should have sued you!
• Human from Anywhere, DeMy best friend, Charley, committed suicide last week. He was 47. Now I can't get this damned song out of my head. Too many of the lines are too chillingly applicable to his life. Rest in peace, Charley. I love you.
• Terry from Colchester, VtHere's a new link to a video montage with O'Keefe's "Ghosts of the Ascent". There is also an excellent explanation by O'Keefe about the song and the deep feelings that drove him to pen it.
  http://tgstars.blogspot.com/2010/12/ghosts-of-ascent-mt-everest-deaths.html
  
• Camille from Toronto, OhThis song was popular when I was a teen. My parents both suffered from depression but it wasn't something anyone at the time knew much about. In hindsight, this song seemed to reflect the underlying feelings of our household at the time. It has bittersweet memories for me.
• Buck from San Francisco, CaOne version (the "most played" one) has the beginning lyric "Everybody's gone away, said they're movin' to LA". It also has slightly lusher instrumentals including harmonica and some kind of hand drum.
  
  The other version has the beginning lyric "Everybody's gone away, I believe this time they're gonna stay". (No harmonica or hand drum that I could hear.)
• Scotty from Cheyenne, WyChet Atkins and Earl Klugh did a gorgeous instrumental of this on the TV special "A Tribute to Chet Atkins." I the show is still available on DVD.
• Cindy from N Yarmouth, AlbaniaI have a brand new 2 month old granddaughter, Sat I was driving home and I heard Good Time Charlies Got the Blues and it stuck in my head, when I got home my grandchildren were there, and I was holding the baby and started singing this and she smiled and cooed like I hadn't seen her do before, I think she also likes the song or else it was for a brief time I was 18 again!
• Mrcleaveland from Cleveland,Don Meredith sang a bit of this song during a Monday Night Football telecast. Hilarious.
• Timothy from Worcester, MoWow! I haven't heard this song since high school and I'm 53! The song has always crept up in my brain, trying to recollect all the lyrics. Of course, the chorus, "Some gotta win, some gotta lose, good time charlie's got the blues" was easy, and the line "ya play around you lose your wife, you play too long you lose your life" came back. I haven't heard it until now, and I will probably listen a few more times. This is a great site!
• Ted from Phoenix, AzThis is one of my favorite songs (I guess I like sad pieces). The chorus, "Some gotta win, Some gotta lose, Goodtime Charlie's got the blues," classically expresses the feelings I hold about the U.S. economic system.
• Reed from New Ulm, MnFred from Laurel,MD-----Was wondering if you have ever heard one he wrote called " The Road " ?
  Jackson Browne covered it excellently on the Running on Empty album---if you get a chance, listen to it.
• Frank Luna from Tucson, AzHi there & Greetings from Tucson!:
  
  .....aah, what memories this song brings ...both good and bad. I can see here that I'm not the only one who likes this song. For those of you who are looking for a copy, it's on Rhino's "Have a nice Day" cd series, vol.17 and also on some time-life compilations as well. This song was released on "Signpost" records. NOTE: there are Two (yes!) versions of this song. the 1st. (and the most played) is the LP version, which was also the single released. The second is what was released on the CD's I just mentioned. The differences between the two is the the second version has "more music" added to it and is longer than the 1st. version/Lp version. I'm lucky to have them both. If you get a chance to listen to them, try to listen to them both. It's amazing how different yet the same. Either way, this is a song that's always a treat to listen to. Enjoy!
  
• Jodi from London, OnFred: I found a free download of "Ghosts of the Ascent" at Danny's website. Here you go:
  
  http://www.dannyokeefe.com/writes_ghost.html
• Fred from Laurel, MdThis is an excellent song, and he has quite a few more, some of them better. His album, Breezy Stories (1973), has several, including "Angel Spread Your Wings" (also covered by Judy Collins), "Magdelena," and "She Said, 'Drive On, Driver.'" While searching for some others of his songs, I happened upon the lyrics to "Ghosts of the Ascent," and was floored. I've never heard the song, and can't seem to find the album it's on, but I'd love to hear it. Anybody know where it is?
• Jim from Gainesville, TxThis song is also on Dwight Yoakum's "Under the Covers"-excellent version.

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