The original members were James Donna on keyboard, Robert Folschow on guitar, Roy Hensley on bass and Dennis Craswell on drums. Folschow contributed the distinctive falsetto vocal on "Liar Liar." According to the Liar, Liar Songfacts, The Castaways were originally thrown together to play at a fraternity party. They got popular, and their popularity grew, based on just this song. Eventually they signed to Soma Records. Their popularity grew even more to the point where they appeared in the campy 1967 film 'It's a Bikini World'.
Drummer Dennis Craswell later joined notable blues rock band Crow. Guitarist Roy Hensley passed away on 8 June 2005 and was buried in Fairmont, Minnesota. The Castaways continued to perform in the mid-00s, although, according to their website, James Donna was the only founding member still in the lineup.
"Liar Liar"
The Castaways Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your nose is longer than a telephone wire
Ask me, baby, why I'm sad
You've been out all night, know you've been bad
Don't tell me different, know it's a lie
Come kill me, honey, see how I cry
Listen here, girl, can't you see I love you
Make a little effort, try to be true
I'll be happy, not so blue
Liar, liar, pants on fire
Your nose is longer than a telephone wire
If you keep on tellin' me those lies
Still goin' out with other guys
There'll come a day I'll be gone
Take my advice, won't be long
When that day comes, won't be mad
Be free of you, but I'll still be sad
In spite of your cheatin', still love you so
I'll be unhappy if I let you go
Liar, liar, pants on fire
Your nose is longer than a telephone wire
The Castaways’s “Liar Liar” is a classic rock song that is widely popular for its simple, yet timeless lyrics about love and deceit. The chorus, “Liar, liar, pants on fire, your nose is longer than a telephone wire,” is a playful taunt and an age-old adage used to call out someone who has been caught lying. The song is addressed to a lover who has been unfaithful, and the singer is calling her out on her lies. He has noticed her absence from home, and it is clear to him that she has been seeing someone else. He pleads with her to be truthful and make amends, but if she continues to lie, he will have no choice but to leave.
The verses reinforce the singer’s frustration with his girlfriend’s behavior. He has noticed her pattern of going out and sleeping with other guys, and he cannot understand why she would hurt him in such a way when he loves her so deeply. He urges her to make a little effort to be true to him, and he promises that it will make him happy and not so blue. The singer’s final warning suggests that he is at the end of his rope, and if she does not change her ways, he will leave. He acknowledges that he loves her, but he cannot continue living a life filled with lies.
Line by Line Meaning
Liar, liar, pants on fire
You are a liar and your actions will come back to haunt you.
Your nose is longer than a telephone wire
Your lies have consequences and will eventually catch up to you.
Ask me, baby, why I'm sad
I'm sad because you've been cheating on me and lying about it.
You've been out all night, know you've been bad
You've been out cheating on me and I know it.
Don't tell me different, know it's a lie
Don't try to deny it, I know you're lying.
Come kill me, honey, see how I cry
Your actions hurt me and I'm tired of pretending otherwise.
Why must you hurt me, do what you do
I don't understand why you continue to hurt me with your lies and cheating.
Listen here, girl, can't you see I love you
I love you despite your flaws, but I need you to be honest with me.
Make a little effort, try to be true
Put in the effort to be honest and faithful in our relationship.
I'll be happy, not so blue
If you can be honest with me, our relationship will be stronger and happier.
If you keep on tellin' me those lies
Continuing to lie to me will have consequences.
Still goin' out with other guys
I know you're still cheating on me.
There'll come a day I'll be gone
Eventually, I will leave because of your constant lying and cheating.
Take my advice, won't be long
Listen to me and change your ways before it's too late.
When that day comes, won't be mad
When I leave, I won't be angry, just disappointed.
Be free of you, but I'll still be sad
Leaving you will bring me freedom, but also sadness because I still love you.
In spite of your cheatin', still love you so
Despite your unfaithfulness, I still love you deeply.
I'll be unhappy if I let you go
Even though leaving you may be the right thing to do, it will still make me unhappy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, AUSTINTATIOUS TUNES
Written by: DENNIS CRASWELL, JAMES DONNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesdonna7673
Thursday, Sept. 23, 1965, was the day The Castaways
filmed It’s a Bikini World at the Haunted House in Los Angeles.
The stage was the strangest that I had ever seen. The band set
up in what looked like a monster’s mouth, with big white fangs
hanging down in front. All four of us dressed up in matching
red jackets with white turtlenecks. We lip-synched “Liar, Liar”
as usual, and the producers did have a couple microphones on
stage to make it look real. A beautiful young actress, Carolyn
Brandt, danced the whole segment in front of the stage
@metalheadz_1998
[Chorus]
Liar, liar, pants on fire
Your nose is longer than a telephone wire
[Verse 1]
Ask me, baby, why I'm sad
You been out all night, know you been bad
Don't tell me different, know it's a lie
Come kill me, honey, see how I cry
[Verse 2]
Why must you hurt me, do what you do
Listen here, girl, can't you see I love you
Make a little effort, try to be true
I'll be happy, not so blue
[Scream]
[Chorus]
Verse 3:
If you keep on tellin' me those lies
Still goin' out with other guys
There'll come a day I'll be gone
Take my advice, won't be long
Verse 4:
When that day comes, won't be mad
Be free of you, but I'll still be sad
In spite of your cheatin', still love you so
I'll be unhappy if I let you go
[Chorus]
@agustinhazim1835
That scream before the breakdown is everything. Aaaahhooooo! Lock, Stock and Two Smoking barrels put me on to this and it was so well used in that film, along with allnthenother music.
@jamesdonna7673
Thursday, Sept. 23, 1965, was the day The Castaways
filmed It’s a Bikini World at the Haunted House in Los Angeles.
The stage was the strangest that I had ever seen. The band set
up in what looked like a monster’s mouth, with big white fangs
hanging down in front. All four of us dressed up in matching
red jackets with white turtlenecks. We lip-synched “Liar, Liar”
as usual, and the producers did have a couple microphones on
stage to make it look real. A beautiful young actress, Carolyn
Brandt, danced the whole segment in front of the stage
@mr.ultralogic6128
Many, many props to you and the band!
@kentclark6420
Your comment seems authentic. That must have been a mindblower being through that whole scene! The parties, music, weed, girls, tv, movies. I wish I had joined a band in the old days. I've improved my guitar playing over the years and I get a kick out of playing covers of the oldies at open mics. Once I had an electric guitar, after 30 years of acoustic, my abilities really took off. I even wrote a couple of songs. It's great to be in the music biz! You guys were the top of that genre. Good work!
@jamesdonna7673
@@kentclark6420 Thanks-it was lot of fun! As I wrote in my book: "It was the Golden Age of Rock and Roll."
@hitfan2000
The first time I heard this song was on a radio station about 7 years ago when I was working the night shift at a service desk. I then went to look for it on Youtube and I must have listened to it a hundred times over and over again for the rest of my shift.
I understand that Sid Haig appeared in a scene just before this part of the movie. I also met him in person at a Comic Con a number of years ago. He's a very funny and very nice man.
A tip of the hat to you, Sir.
@StephenPickells-bi2ii
I remember this film Tommy Kurt is trying to prove that he’s better than Debra Wally and Big Daddy asks him to come down to the haunted house for some reason and they get to watch the castaways and the go-go dancer and some dude in the background gets into it. And everybody looks at him and he gets embarrassed.
@keithplunk6611
Groovy baby...yeah! Shaggadelic righteous music for all us baby bongers! Loved that time in music. Feel good and far out on a soundwave of love!!!❤
@bkgrnd1337
this new deathgrips collab sounds amazing
@tomt.3089
Just taking a break and listening to a local Christian station WJMJ 88.9 in Connecticut. i’ve heard this song before, many a time, but it really hit me. What a great pop tune this is! When I looked it up here, it was really fun to watch the gogo dancer. It reminded me of a strip joint I went to, and she kind of had those moves! I remember it to this day because she was so talented. I’ve never seen a girl dance like that before. As years progressed these girls at the strip joints never danced at all. Thanks for the memories, and these guys definitely had a moment! I can’t believe that this song is less than two minutes. It really blows me away! 😊