Public transport fares are going up today for commuters in Brisbane and our long-suffering counterparts in Sydney.
I find it regrettable that these new slugs are being introduced without some cultural-political resistance by our songwriters - similar to that offered by US songwriters Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes, and Progressive Party mayoral candidate Walter A. O’Brien, in the 1948 mayoral election in Boston. O’Brien’s campaign song opposing the train fare increase subsequently became a huge hit single for the Kingston Trio - but not before O’Brien himself had been execrated as a communist and blacklisted from employment over his campaign against the fare increase, which was imposed in the form of an “exit fare” (payment of which was compulsory in order to disembark from the train) because Boston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority didn’t want to spend money to install new turnstiles which could receive the increased fare.
The version recorded by The Kingston Trio includes the chorus after each verse. Words in italics indicate the changes made by The Kingston Trio in their later recording. Parentheses indicate backing vocals.
Let me tell you 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 MTA
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 could not get off that train.
Chorus:
Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn’d
He may ride forever
‘neath the streets of Boston
He’s the man who never returned.
Now all night long
Charlie rides through the tunnels
the station
Saying, “What will become of me?
Crying
How can I afford to see
My sister in Chelsea
Or my cousin in Roxbury?”
Charlie’s wife goes down
To the Scollay Square station
Every day at quarter past two
And through the open window
She hands Charlie a sandwich
As the train comes rumblin’ through.
As his train rolled on
underneath Greater Boston
Charlie looked around and sighed:
“Well, I’m sore and disgusted
And I’m absolutely busted;
I guess this is my last long ride.”
{this entire verse was replaced by a banjo solo}
Now you citizens of Boston,
Don’t you think it’s a scandal
That the people have to pay and pay
Vote for Walter A. O’Brien
Fight the fare increase!
And fight the fare increase
Vote for George O’Brien!
Get poor Charlie off the MTA.
Chorus:
Or else he’ll never return,
No he’ll never return
And his fate will be unlearned
He may ride forever
‘neath the streets of Boston
He’s the man (Who’s the man)
He’s the man who never returned.
He’s the man (Oh, the man)
He’s the man who never returned.
He’s the man who never returned.
The background to the song is provided here.
Another version of the story has it that the “exit fare” was imposed by the MTA to fund its buyout of an unprofitable private transit provider at share prices grossly in excess of market value. If this is correct Walter A. O’Brien, far from being a communist, was a campaigner for economic rationalism against crony-capitalist statism!
Bostonians may be singing the song again soon … the MBTA (previously the MTA) is looking at a $70 million budget shortfall for 2007 and wants to increase fares by about 20 per cent. And, this time, they’re happy to pay for the new (electronic) turnstiles.
With the cost of fuel going up significantly, is it surprising at all that public transport fares would also go up?
But wait, you didn’t tell me what happened to the guy after he returned.
HE NEVER RETURNED,
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED,
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED…
Yes yes, I understand all that. But I’m talking about *afterwards.* You know, when the guy returned.
BUT HE NEVER RETURNED,
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED,
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED!
HE MUST RIDE FOREVER
NEATH THE STREETS OF BOSTON
HE’S THE MAN WHO NEVER RETURNED.
Right, yes, very cute. I get it, I get it. But now that you’ve made your point, can you just tell me what happened when he returned?
BUT HE NEVER RETURNED,
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED,
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED…
Okay, look. I understand. But it’s like this. I’ve got appointments later on today, and a dinner date, and… well, we’ll all just be able to leave here sooner, if you’ll just stop playing the freaking games and tell me what happened when he returned.
HE NEVER RETURNED,
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED,
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED…
(loads revolver, points at own temple, sighs.)
Public transport fares are subsidised out of the public purse to a helluva degree. (I recall somewhere it’s estimated at about $2/ride here in SA) Now if fares are on the rise due to fuel in particular, we may need to revise the way govts subsidise its citizens. With an aging population now, isn’t it time public policy shifted the cost burden onto its aged? ie no discounts for fares, rates, rego, etc on the basis of old age. This would reduce the tax burden, or increase the subsidy for the young. Why shouldn’t the baby boomers cough up in their old age to support those homemakers and childrearers from now on?
Yes, yes, tax the baby boomers, all for it, sign me up. Now, can we get back to the really imporant matter here: when did the guy return?
HE NEVER RETURNED,
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED,
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED!
HE MUST RIDE FOREVER
NEATH THE STREETS OF BOSTON
HE’S THE MAN WHO NEVER RETURNED!
Oh for Christs sake…
This is one of those rather interesting examples where a political issue yields a sort of fossilized structure that survives it.
I don’t know anybody with very strong detailed opinions about financing for public transportation; but, much to my displeasure, I DO know a cadre of very determined 10-year-olds, who appear to hold certain rather inflexible opinions concerning the status of a particular missing individual. I blame the lefty-biased media.
Personally I am quite neutral in the matter; but as a consistent trade-unionist, I do at least hope that this unfortunate fellow was able to sue for back-pay and corresponding benefits, after he finally returned.
BUT HE NEVER RETURNED!
NO, HE NEVER RETURNED!
AND HIS FATE IS STILL UNLEARNED!
HE MUST RIDE FOREVER
NEATH THE STREETS OF BOSTON…
Okay, that’s it, I give up. Have a good week, everyone.
To answer the question raised by a number of posters, the exit fare was abolished in the 1980s, so a much-aged Charlie would then have been allowed to disembark at the station nearest to Jamaica Plain, report to the Jamaica Plain police station and inform his wife of his whereabouts. One assumes that by this time a combination of financial necessity and changing societal attitudes would have led to her taking a paid job and being able to afford both the return fare for herself and the one-way fare from Jamaica Plain to Kendall Square for Charlie.
great info.
I’ve sung Charlie at least 1,000 times over the past 40-years, and always thought it said
“Vote for George O’Reilly, and get Charlie off the M.T.A.”
VOTE FOR George O’Reilly —- not Walter O’Brien.
WHAT GIVES?
did I hear that vinyl 33-1/3 album wrong?
mebbe the K-Trio changed his name simply for phonetic reasons???
mean gene
in Prescott, AZ
Hi Gene,
The story goes that when the Kingston Trio decided to record the song they contacted Walter A. O’Brien who asked them not to use his name as he was still concerned about possible threats to his employment if his past as a Progressive Party candidate and (falsely) alleged communist came to renewed prominence as a result of the song’s popularity. Hence “George” replaced “Walter”.