Last Trip To Tulsa

Album: Neil Young (1969)
Play Video
  • Well, I used to drive a cab, you know
    I heard a siren scream
    Pulled over to the corner
    And I fell into a dream
    There were two men eating pennies
    And three young girls who cried
    The west coast is falling
    I see rocks in the sky
    The preacher took his bible
    And laid it on the stool
    He said with the congregation running
    Why should I play the fool?

    Well, I used to be a woman, you know
    I took you for a ride
    I let you fly my airplane
    It looked good for your pride
    'Cause you're the kind of man, you know
    Who likes what he says
    I wonder what's it's like
    To be so far over my head
    Well, the lady made the wedding
    And she brought along the ring
    She got down on her knees
    And said, "let's get on with this thing"

    Well, I used to be a folk singer
    Keeping managers alive
    When you saw me on a corner
    And told me I was jive
    So I unlocked your mind, you know
    To see what I could see
    If you guarantee the postage
    I'll mail you back the key
    Well, I woke up in the morning
    With an arrow through my nose
    There was an Indian in the corner
    Trying on my clothes

    Well, I used to be asleep, you know
    With blankets on my bed
    I stayed there for a while
    'Til they discovered I was dead
    The coroner was friendly
    I liked him quite a lot
    If I hadn't've been a woman
    I guess I'd never have been caught
    They gave me back my house and car
    And nothing more was said

    Well, I was driving down the freeway
    When my car ran out of gas
    Pulled over to the station
    But I was afraid to ask
    The servicemen were yellow
    And the gasoline was green
    Although I knew I couldn't
    I thought that I was gonna scream
    That was on my last trip to Tulsa
    Just before the snow
    If you ever need a ride there
    Be sure to let me know

    I was chopping down a palm tree
    When a friend dropped by to ask
    If I would feel less lonely
    If he helped me swing the axe
    I said, "no, it's not a case of being lonely
    We have here
    I've been working on this palm tree
    For eighty seven years"

    I said, no, it's not a case of being lonely
    We have here
    I've been working on this palm tree
    For eighty seven years"
    He said, "go get lost"
    And walked towards his Cadillac
    I chopped down the palm tree
    And it landed on his back Writer/s: Neil Young
    Publisher: Hipgnosis Songs Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Torty from TucsonDick - Interesting connections! Plus you didn't even mention the most obvious piece of Tulsa mentioned in the title and song, probably because it is so obvious. I would not be at all surprised if the Massacre influence the song but I also believe the above, that it's not about any specific thing, just influenced by whatever was in his mind at the time.
  • Dick Turpin from Easy StreetThis song could be about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

    Consider this:

    Neil Young mentions a sirens screaming. Check. The exceptional brutality of the massacre centers around the fact that airplanes were used to drop explosives on these businesses, setting them ablaze. Sirens as in air raid siren, sirens as in firetruck sirens, ambulance sirens, police sirens.

    He mentions pennies. Check. The massacre happened in what was called "Black Wall Street", a prosperous financial district owned and operated by many of the black citizens of Tulsa. See?

    He mentions three young girls crying. Check.

    He mentions an airplane. Check. (see above)

    And there's a lot more I could say but I don't really feel like it right now.

    But maybe I'm just making false connections - it might not have anything to do with that. Whatever. Shut up.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.