Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues - Live at Brandeis University, Waltham, MA - May 1963

I saw it advertised one day

Bear Mountain picnic was comin' my way

"Come along 'n' take a trip

We'll bring you up there on a ship

Bring the wife and kids

Bring the whole family"

Yippee!

Well, I run right down 'n' bought a ticket

To this Bear Mountain Picnic

But little did I realize

I was in for a picnic surprise

Had nothin' to do with mountains

I didn't even come close to a bear

Took the wife 'n' kids down to the pier

Six thousand people there

Everybody had ticket for the trip

"Oh well." I said, "it's a pretty big ship

Besides, anyway, the more the merrier."

Well, we all got on 'n' what d'ya think

That big old boat started t' sink

More people kept a-pilin' on

That old ship was a-slowly goin' down

Funny way t' start a picnic

Well, I soon lost track of m' kids 'n' wife

So many people there I never saw in m' life

That old ship sinkin' down in the water

Six thousand people tryin' t' kill each other

Dogs a-barkin', cats a-meowin'

Women screamin', fists a-flyin', babies cryin'

Cops a-comin', me a-runnin'

Maybe we just better call off the picnic

I got shoved down 'n' pushed around

All I could hear there was a screamin' sound

Don't remember one thing more

Just remember walkin' up on a little shore

Head busted, stomach cracked

Feet splintered, I was bald, naked

Quite lucky to be alive though

Feelin' like I climbed outa m' casket

I grabbed back hold of m' picnic basket

Took the wife 'n' kids 'n' started home

Wishin' I'd never got up that morn

Now, I don't care just what you do

If you wanta have a picnic, that's up t' you

But don't tell me about it, I don't wanta hear it

'Cause, see, I just lost all m' picnic spirit

Stay in m' kitchen, have m' own picnic

In the bathroom

Now, it don't seem to me quite so funny

What some people are gonna do f'r money

There's a bran' new gimmick every day

Just t' take somebody's money away

I think we oughta take some o' these people

And put 'em on a boat, send 'em up to Bear Mountain

For a picnic