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.
The Smoke Off
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lived a girl named Pearly Sweetcake you probly knew her well
Shed been stoned fifteen of her eighteen years and
the story was widely told
That she could smoke 'em faster than anyone could roll
Her legend finally reached New York that Grove Street walk-up flat
Where dwelt The Calistoga Kid a beatnik from the past
With long browned lightnin fingers he takes a cultured toke
So a note gets sent to San Raphael For the Championship of the World
The Kid demands a smoke off well bring him on says Pearl
I'll grind his fingers off his hands he'll roll until he drops
Says Calistog I'll smoke that chick till she blows up and pops
So they rent out Yankee Stadium and the word is quickly spread
Come one come all who walk or crawl price just two lids a head
And from every town and hamlet over land and sea they speed
The world's greatest dopers with the Worlds greatest weed
Hashishers from Morocco hemp smokers from Peru
And the Shamnicks from Bagun who puff the deadly Pugaroo
And those who call it Light of Life and those that call it boo
See the dealers and their ladies wearing turquoise lace and leather
See the narcos and the closet smokers puffin all together
From the teenies who smoke legal to the ones who've done some time
To the old man who smoked reefer back before it was a crime
And the grand old house that Ruth built is filled with the smoke and cries
Of fifty thousand screaming heads all stoned out of their minds
And they play the national anthem and the crowd lets out a roar
As the spotlight hits The Kid and Pearl ready for their smokin' war
At a table piled up high with grass as high as a mountain peak
Just tops and buds of the rarest flowers not one stem branch or seed
Maui Wowie Panama Red and Acapulco Gold
Kif from East Afghanistan and rare Alaskan Cold
Sticks from Thailand Ganja from the Islands and Bangkok's Bloomin' Best
And some of that wet imported shit that capsized off Key West
Oaxacan tops and Kenya Bhang and Riviera Fleurs
And that rare Manhatten Silver that grows down in the New York sewers
And there's bubblin' ice cold lemonade and sweet grapes by the bunches
And there's Hersheys bars and Oreos 'case anybody gets the munchies
And the Calistoga Kid he sneers and Pearley she just grins
And the drums roll low and the crowd yells go and the
worlds first Smoke Off begins
Kid flicks his magic fingers once and zap that first joints rolled
Pearl takes one drag with her mighty lungs and woosh that roach is cold
Then The Kid he rolls his Super Bomb thatd paralyze a moose
And Pearley takes one super hit and slurp that bomb defused
Then he rolls three in just ten seconds and she smokes 'em up in nine
And everybody sits back and says this just might take some time
See the blur of flyin fingers see the red coal burnin bright
As the night turns into mornin and the mornin fades to night
And the autumn turns to summer and a whole damn year is gone
But the two still sit on that roach-filled stage smokin' and rollin' on
With tremblin hands he rolls his jays with fingers blue and stiff
She coughs and stares with bloodshot gaze and puffs through blistered lips
And as she reaches out her hand for another stick of gold
The Kid he gasps Goddamn it bitch there's nothin' left to roll
Nothin left to roll screams Pearl Is this some twisted joke
I didn't come here to fuck around man I come here to smoke
And she reaches cross the table and grabs his bony sleeves
And she crumbles his body between her hands like dried and brittle leaves
Flickin' out his teeth and bones like useless stems and seeds
And then she rolls him in a Zig Zag and lights him like a roach
And the fastest man with the fastest hands goes up in a puff of smoke
In the laid-back California town of sunny San Raphael
Lives a girl named Pearly Sweetcake you probly know her well
She's been stoned twenty-one of her twenty-four years
and the storys widely told
How she still can smoke 'em faster than anyone can roll
While off in New York City on a street that has no name
There's the hands of the Calistoga Kid in the Viper Hall of Fame
And underneath his fingers there's a little golden scroll
That says Beware of Bein' the Roller When There's Nothin' Left to Roll
The Smoke Off is a story about two people competing in a smoking competition. Pearly Sweetcake, who has a reputation for being able to smoke excessively fast, and The Calistoga Kid, who is known for his ability to roll joints quickly. Their legend has spread throughout the United States, and they end up competing in Yankee Stadium. Piles of high-quality marijuana are gathered from different parts of the world, and the competition begins. Pearly and The Kid compete against each other by rapidly smoking and rolling marijuana until they run out. In the end, Pearly is declared the winner, but The Kid is left with a golden scroll warning against rolling when there is nothing left to roll.
The Smoke Off is a satirical song ridiculing the drug culture of the 1960s. The song refutes the notion that marijuana is just an innocent drug and pokes fun at those who are overly consumed by it. The song also criticizes the 'stoner' culture for lacking ambition and being too laid back. While on the surface the song seems to be just about a smoking contest, it's actually a commentary on the prevalent drug culture of the time.
Line by Line Meaning
In the laid back California town of sunny San Raphael
The song is set in a carefree part of California called San Raphael.
Lived a girl named Pearly Sweetcake you probly knew her well
The singer of the song is a woman called Pearly Sweetcake, who is quite famous.
Shed been stoned fifteen of her eighteen years and the story was widely told
Pearly is rumored to have started smoking marijuana when she was a teenager and she has done it regularly since then.
That she could smoke 'em faster than anyone could roll
People say that Pearly can inhale marijuana faster than anyone can prepare it.
Her legend finally reached New York that Grove Street walk-up flat
Pearly's reputation has even spread to New York City's Grove Street.
Where dwelt The Calistoga Kid a beatnik from the past
At Grove Street, there's a beatnik called The Calistoga Kid, who is interested in challenging Pearly.
With long browned lightnin fingers he takes a cultured toke
The Calistoga Kid is skilled at rolling marijuana.
And says Hell I can roll 'em faster Jim than any chick can smoke
The Calistoga Kid boasts he can roll marijuana faster than Pearly can consume it.
So a note gets sent to San Raphael For the Championship of the World
The Calistoga Kid challenges Pearly to a competition to find out who is the best at smoking marijuana.
The Kid demands a smoke off well bring him on says Pearl
Pearly agrees to the contest.
I'll grind his fingers off his hands he'll roll until he drops
Pearly is confident that she will win and jokes about punishing The Calistoga Kid if he loses.
And the grand old house that Ruth built is filled with the smoke and cries
The competition takes place at Yankee Stadium and many people show up to watch and cheer.
Of fifty thousand screaming heads all stoned out of their minds
The stadium is filled with people who are high.
And from every town and hamlet over land and sea they speed
Marijuana users from all over the world come to watch the competition.
The world's greatest dopers with the Worlds greatest weed
The attendees bring the best strains of marijuana from different parts of the world.
See the dealers and their ladies wearing turquoise lace and leather
The dealers who provide the marijuana are accompanied by their partners, who are clad in fancy clothing.
See the narcos and the closet smokers puffin all together
Even the police officers and the secretive smokers are smoking together at the competition.
With tremblin hands he rolls his jays with fingers blue and stiff
The Calistoga Kid's hands begin to shake and he struggles to roll joints as he grows tired.
She coughs and stares with bloodshot gaze and puffs through blistered lips
Pearly is experiencing the negative side effects of excessive smoking.
And she crumbles his body between her hands like dried and brittle leaves
Pearly wins the competition by breaking The Calistoga Kid into small pieces.
And then she rolls him in a Zig Zag and lights him like a roach
Pearly rolls The Calistoga Kid's body into a joint and smokes it.
And the fastest man with the fastest hands goes up in a puff of smoke
The Calistoga Kid is defeated and gone.
While off in New York City on a street that has no name
The Calistoga Kid becomes a mythical figure in New York City.
There's the hands of the Calistoga Kid in the Viper Hall of Fame
The Calistoga Kid's hands are memorialized as a legendary object at a place called Viper Hall.
And underneath his fingers there's a little golden scroll
There's an inscription underneath the golden hands, which serve as a warning.
That says Beware of Bein' the Roller When There's Nothin' Left to Roll
The message warns people to avoid being overly confident in their abilities.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@debbieritter1551
The Smoke Off -- Lyrics
In the laid back California town of sunny San Rafael
Lived a girl named Pearly Sweetcake, you prob'ly knew her well.
She'd been stoned fifteen of her eighteen years and the story was widely told
That she could smoke 'em faster than anyone could roll.
Her legend finally reached New York, that Grove Street walk-up flat
Where dwelt The Calistoga Kid, a beatnik from the past
With long browned lightnin' fingers he takes a cultured toke
And says, â??Hell, I can roll â??em faster, Jim, than any chick can smoke!â??
So a note gets sent to San Rafael, â??For the Championship of the World
The Kid demands a smoke off!â?? "Well, bring him on!" says Pearl,
"I'll grind his fingers off his hands, he'll roll until he drops!"
Says Calistog, "I'll smoke that twist till she blows up and pops!â??
So they rent out Yankee Stadium and the word is quickly spread
"Come one, come all, who walk or crawl, price â?? just two lids a head
And from every town and hamlet, over land and sea they speed
The world's greatest dopers, with the Worlds greatest weed
Hashishers from Morocco, hemp smokers from Peru
And the Shamnicks from Bagun who puff the deadly Pugaroo
And those who call it Light of Life and those that call it boo.
See the dealers and their ladies wearing turquoise, lace, and leather
See the narcos and the closet smokers puffin' all together
From the teenies who smoke legal to the ones who've done some time
To the old man who smoked â??reeferâ?? back before it was a crime
And the grand old house that Ruth built is filled with the smoke and cries
Of fifty thousand screaming heads all stoned out of their minds.
And they play the national anthem and the crowd lets out a roar
As the spotlight hits The Kid and Pearl, ready for their smokin' war
At a table piled up high with grass, as high as a mountain peak
Just tops and buds of the rarest flowers, not one stem, branch or seed.
Maui Wowie, Panama Red and Acapulco Gold.
Kif from East Afghanistan and rare Alaskan Cold.
Sticks from Thailand, Ganja from the Islands, and Bangkok's Bloomin' Best.
And some of that wet imported shit that capsized off Key West.
Oaxacan tops and Kenya Bhang and Riviera Fleurs.
And that rare Manhatten Silver that grows down in the New York sewers.
And there's bubblin' ice cold lemonade and sweet grapes by the bunches.
And there's Hershey's bars, and Oreos, â??case anybody gets the munchies.
And the Calistoga Kid, he sneers, and Pearly, she just grins.
And the drums roll low and the crowd yells â??GO!â?? and the world's first Smoke Off begins.
Kid flicks his magic fingers once and ZAP! that first joint's rolled.
Pearl takes one drag with her mighty lungs and WOOSH! that roach is cold.
Then The Kid he rolls his Super Bomb that'd paralyze a moose.
And Pearley takes one super hit and SLURP! that bomb' defused.
Then he rolls three in just ten seconds and she smokes 'em up in nine,
And everybody sits back and says, "This just might take some time."
See the blur of flyin' fingers, see the red coal burnin' bright
As the night turns into mornin' and the mornin' fades to night
And the autumn turns to summer and a whole damn year is gone
But the two still sit on that roach-filled stage, smokin' and rollin' on
With tremblin' hands he rolls his jays with fingers blue and stiff
She coughs and stares with bloodshot gaze, and puffs through blistered lips.
And as she reaches out her hand for another stick of gold
The Kid he gasps, "Goddamn it, bitch, there's nothin' left to roll!"
"Nothin' left to roll?", screams Pearl, "Is this some twisted joke?â??
â??I didn't come here to fuck around, man, I come here to SMOKE!"
And she reaches 'cross the table And grabs his bony sleeves
And she crumbles his body between her hands like dried and brittle leaves
Flickin' out his teeth and bones like useless stems and seeds
And then she rolls him in a Zig Zag and lights him like a roach.
And the fastest man with the fastest hands goes up in a puff of smoke.
In the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael
Lives a girl named Pearly Sweetcake, you prob'ly know her well.
She's been stoned twenty-one of her twenty-four years, and the story's widely told.
How she still can smoke them faster than anyone can roll
While off in New York City on a street that has no name.
There's the hands of the Calistoga Kid in the Viper Hall of Fame
And underneath his fingers there's a little golden scroll
That says, Beware of Bein' the Roller When There's Nothin' Left to Roll.
@nelly4014
مرررريمممم بيا جايزه اتتتت!🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑
Now in the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael
Lived a girl named Pearly Sweetcake - you probably know her well
She was stoned 15 of her 18 years, and her story was widely told
that she could smoke them faster than anyone can roll
Well, her legend finally reached New York, that Grove Street walk-up flat
where dwelt the Calistoga Kid, a beatnik from the past
He's been rolling dope since time began, now he took a cultured toke
and said "Jim, I can roll them faster than any CHICK can smoke"
So a note gets sent to San Rafael for the championship of the world
the Kid demands a smoke-off; "Well bring him on!" says Pearl
"I'll grind his fingers off his hands! He'll roll until he drops!"
says Calistog, "I'll smoke that chick till she blows up and pops".
So they rent out Yankee Stadium, and the word is quickly spread
come one, come all, who walk or crawl, tickets just two lids a head
and from every town and hamlet, over land and sea they speed
the world's greatest dopers, with the world's greatest weed.
Hashishins from Morocco, hemp smokers from Peru
and the Shashniks from Bagun (who smoke the deadly Pu-ga-ru)
and those who call it "light of life"
and those that call it "boo".
See the dealers and their ladies, wearing turquoise lace and leather
See the narcos and the closet smokers, puffing all together
from the teenies who smoke legal, to the ones who've done some time
to the old man who smoked "reefer", back before it was a crime.
And the grand old House That Ruth Built is filled with the smokes and
cries
of fifty thousand screaming heads, all stoned out of their minds
and they play the national anthem, and the crowd lets out a roar
as the spotlight hits the Kid and Pearl, ready for their smoking war.
At a table piled up high with grass, as high as a mountain peak
just tops and buds of the rarest flowers, not one stem branch or seed
I mean, Maui Wowie, Panama Red, Acapulco Gold
Kif from East Afghanistan, and that rare Alaska Cold
and there's sticks from Thailand, ganj from the island, and Bangkok's
blooming best
(and some of that wet imported shit that capsized off Key West).
There's Oaxacan tops and Kenya bhang, and Riviera fleurs
and that rare Manhattan Silver, that grows down in the New York sewers.
And there's bubbling ice cold lemonade, and sweet grapes by the bunches
and there's Hershey bars and Oreos (in case anybody gets the munches)
And the Calistoga Kid he smiles, and Pearly she just grins :-)
and the drums roll low, and the crowd yells "GO GO GO!!"
and the world's first smoke-off begins.
Well, the Kid he flicks his fingers once, and ZAP that first joint's
rolled
Pearl takes one toke with her famous lungs, and WHOOSH that roach is cold
Then the Kid he rolls his super-bomb, that would paralyze a moose
and Pearl takes one mighty hit, and ...... that bomb's defused
and then he rolls three in just ten seconds, and she smokes them up in
nine
and everybody sits back and says "Hey.... this just might take some time"
See the blur of flying fingers, see the red coal burning bright
as the night turns into morning, and the morning fades to night
and the autumn turns to summer, and a whole damn YEAR is gone
and the two still sit, on that roach-filled stage, smoking, and rolling
With trembling hands he rolls his Js, with fingers blue and stiff
She coughs and stares with bloodshot gaze, and puffs through blistered
lips
And as she reaches out her hand for another stick of gold
the Kid, he gasps, "Damn it, bitch! There's nothing left to roll!"
"NOTHING LEFT TO ROLL!" screams Pearl. "IS THIS SOME TWISTED JOKE?"
"I DIDN'T COME HERE TO FUCK AROUND, MAN, I COME HERE TO SMOKE!"
And she reaches 'cross the table and grabs his bony sleeves
and crumbles his body between her hands, like dry and brittle leaves
flicking out his teeth and bones like useless stems and seeds
Then she rolls him in a Zig-zag, and lights him like a roach
and the fastest man, with the fastest hands, goes up in a puff of smoke.
In the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael
Lives a girl named Pearly Sweetcake - you probably know her well
She been stoned 21 of her 24 years, and her story is still widely told
how she still can smoke them faster than any dude can roll
While, off in New York City, on a street that has no name
there's the hands of the Calistoga Kid, in the Viper Hall of Fame
and underneath his fingers, there's a little golden scroll
that says
"Beware of being the roller
When there's nothing left to roll".
@TheHirnklops
During music class, teacher wanted us to perform something. I lend me a guitar from my cousin (had only been playing Tuba and Trumpet), taught myself a few chords with the help of a very old book and did this song here in class. I even imitated his raspy voice. I will never forget the look on the face of my teacher...
@RemingtonRidersMusic
That is a funny story. The class must have loved it. I was just wondering, when you performed it in class, did you memorize the poem or did you have the lyrics with you?
@loganmunier9798
Oh I would have loved to be a fly on the wall of that room.
@tomsalyer2608
That is just touches my heart
@briant7265
What is great and unique about Shel is that he approached all his work the same. His children's work has the same intelligence, literacy and sophistication as his adult work, and his adult work has the same innocence and glee as his children's work.
@williamkrejca4641
Ya, you summed up the attributes of the genius very well!!!
@jonw12
Loved him as a kid. Love him even more as an adult. Got the giving tree on my coffee table.
@briant7265
@jonw12 One of my biggest measures of what constitutes "art" is that good art invites the audience to experience and interpret it. Or maybe that it has many facets, and different people will see it differently. By that, The Giving Tree is great art.
@jonw12
@@briant7265I agree. My favorite artists don't just tell you who they are. They make you think.
@danielsloan9823
CLASSIC,CLASSIC,CLASSIC, I use to listen to Dr. Demento on the radio in the early 80's every Sunday when i was 15 - 16 years old. I'm 53 now and still smoke. this usually played on the funny 5 every week. haven't herd it in around 25 years truly a great find here. still love it. awesome ..... thank you for this post this song. GOOD OLD Pearly Sweetcake. THEY SURE DONT MAKE'M LIKE THAT ANYMORE !!! TRULY A CLASSIC !!!!