Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (25th September 1930 – 10th May 1999) was a… Read Full Bio ↴Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (25th September 1930 – 10th May 1999) was an American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books.
Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Crouchin' on the Outside
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey, Elaine, you're a little too late,
I'm standin' on the outside lookin' in at you on the inside,
Lookin' out at me on the outside lookin' in;
Through the window of my madness at a place I never been,
And you say you understand just what my trouble's all about,
But you're sittin' on the inside, playin' on the win side,
While I'm freezin' on the outside, in the what's-it-all-about side,
Lookin' in at you on the inside lookin' out.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey, Jim, let's talk about hate,
I'm walkin' on the white side lookin' 'round at you on the brown side,
Lookin' back at him on the black side lookin' down.
And we're mouthin' words of freedom but we don't make any sound,
And we clasp our hands in brotherhood and then go wash our hands,
While you're stayin' on the brown side, on the go-ahead-and-put-me-down side,
While I'm standin' on the white side, on the got-me-way-up-tight side,
Lookin' back at him on the black side lookin' back.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey, Claude, don't bother to wait,
You're cruisin' on the gay side, lookin' straight at me on the straight side,
Lookin' way at you on the gay side lookin' straight;
And you're screamin' from the rooftops 'bout the pleasures that won't wait,
And your closet's full of queenly gowns for extra special dates,
And you're campin' on the gay side, on the c'mon-out-and-play side,
While I'm over on the trick side, on the got-to-find-a-chick side,
Lookin' way at you on the gay side lookin' straight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey Miss, hallucinate,
You're boppin' on the hip side,
Laughin' at me on the flip side,
Chasin' after you on the hip side losin' my grip;
And you're walkin' on a tightrope and you're tryin' not to slip,
And you say you found out where it's at and give it all a try,
So you're groovin' on the hip side, in the come-and-take-a-trip side,
While I'm movin' on the square side, in the show-me-when-and-where side,
Chasin' after you on the hip side lookin' high.
Hey, Elaine, you're a little too late,
I'm standin' on the outside lookin' in at you on the inside,
Lookin' out at me on the outside lookin' in;
Through the window of my madness at a place I never been,
And you say you understand just what my trouble's all about,
But you're sittin' on the inside, playin' on the win side,
While I'm freezin' on the outside, in the what's-it-all-about side,
Lookin' in at you on the inside lookin' out.
Hey, Jim, let's talk about hate,
I'm walkin' on the white side lookin' 'round at you on the brown side,
Lookin' back at him on the black side lookin' down.
And we're mouthin' words of freedom but we don't make any sound,
And we clasp our hands in brotherhood and then go wash our hands,
While you're stayin' on the brown side, on the go-ahead-and-put-me-down side,
While I'm standin' on the white side, on the got-me-way-up-tight side,
Lookin' back at him on the black side lookin' back.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey, Claude, don't bother to wait,
You're cruisin' on the gay side, lookin' straight at me on the straight side,
Lookin' way at you on the gay side lookin' straight;
And you're screamin' from the rooftops 'bout the pleasures that won't wait,
And your closet's full of queenly gowns for extra special dates,
And you're campin' on the gay side, on the c'mon-out-and-play side,
While I'm over on the trick side, on the got-to-find-a-chick side,
Lookin' way at you on the gay side lookin' straight.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
Hey Miss, hallucinate,
You're boppin' on the hip side,
Laughin' at me on the flip side,
Chasin' after you on the hip side losin' my grip;
And you're walkin' on a tightrope and you're tryin' not to slip,
And you say you found out where it's at and give it all a try,
So you're groovin' on the hip side, in the come-and-take-a-trip side,
While I'm movin' on the square side, in the show-me-when-and-where side,
Chasin' after you on the hip side lookin' high.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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