Album: The Carroll County Accident (1968)

Charted: 92

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• Carroll County's pointed out as kind of square
  The biggest thing that happens is the county fair
  I guess that's why it seemed like such a big event
  What we all call the Carroll County accident
  
  The wreck was on the highway just inside the line
  Walter Browning lost his life and for a time
  It seemed that Mary Ellen Jones would surely die
  But she lived long enough for her to testify
  
  Walter Browning was a happy married man
  And he wore a golden wedding ring upon his hand
  But it was gone, nobody knew just where it went
  He lost it in the Carroll County accident
  
  Mary Ellen testified he flagged her down
  Said he was sick and could she drive him into town
  No one even doubted what she said was true
  'Cause she was well respected in the county too
  
  I went down to see the wreck like all the rest
  The bloody seats, the broken glass, the tangled mess
  But I found something no one else had even seen
  Behind the dash, in Mary's crumpled up machine
  
  A little match box circled by a rubber band
  And inside, the ring from Walter Browning's hand
  It took a while to figure out just what it meant
  The truth about the Carroll County accident
  
  By dark of night, I dropped the ring into a well
  And took a sacred oath that I would never tell
  The truth about the Carroll County accident
  'Cause the County ordered dad a marble monument
  
  I lost him in the Carroll County accident Writer/s: Bob Ferguson
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

• Tom from TulsaListen to the song folks. Mary Ellen picked up Walter Browning. He flagged her for a ride into town. He was sick. Except he wasn’t. That’s just was Mary Ellen said. They were having an affair. Last few lines of the song, singer says the throw the ring into the well. Also says that “the county ordered dad a marble monument. Yes. Walter Browning was married to his mom. Yes Walter was his dad. He covered up the fact he found his dad’s wedding band in a matchbox in Mary Ellen’s car after the accident.
• Da from Denver, CoOK, so they were having an affair, but that doesn't tell the truth about the accident, how/why did it happen? Did they get run off the road, did Mary Ellen take her eyes off the road and wreck the car? Were they arguing and Mary Ellen purposely wrecked?
• Randy from InIt seems strange that he would take his wedding band off and hide it in her car to hide from her the fact that he was married to someone else.
• Anonymous from CaliforniaGreat song and thats how it was
• Dee Frazier from PennsylvaniaPeople, read the last two lines for your answers.
• Brad In Wi from WiWhy was the ring in a match box?
  In her car, behind the dash?
  They obviously "knew" each other.....
• Sonja from GaTo Peter from Kalgoorlie: The narrator says "I lost him in the Carroll County accident",so he apparently was a relation of Walter Browning.
  To Rod from Al: Walter may have been lying about his marital status to his mistress.
• Peter from KalgoorlieWhere in the lyrics does it say the narrator is Browning's son?
• Kerry from TxI first heard the song in elementary school and understood what was going on immediately. It's not that hard!
• Rod From Al from Alabama I don’t get it. If the two were having an affair and they were the only two in the car, why hide the wedding band? And was she wearing a wedding ring? Makes no sense!
• Sharon from TnWalter Browning was the passenger, not Mary Ellen Jones. It was her car, he flagged her down to pick him up.

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