Chapin, Harry - The Mayor Of Candor Lied Lyrics






In the little town of Candor in the last year of my youth
I learned the final lesson of the levels to the truth
My father was a farmer he'd go tilling in the ground
My mother was a neighbor she'd go visiting around.

But I didn't care.
For I had found the answer to a plowboy's lonely prayer.
She was the daughter of the Mayor.

The Mayor fought my courtship for he'd made other plans
He saw her married to a better man than a boy with farmer's hands.
I said I hate your father, it's so hard not to strike him.
She said You know I love you because you're so much like him.

And so I'd go sneaking in the evening
And there she'd stand a crying in the dawn as I was leaving

But the Mayor of Candor lied
When he offered me his only daughter
The Mayor of Candor tried
To take her across the water
What a thing to do to a young man in love
What a thing to do to your daughter.

One day with father on his tractor and mother off again
I go to find the mayor and work out what I can
But he is not at his office, he is not at his home
When I find him in the countryside he is not alone

He is holding a woman and imagine my surprise
As she jumps back from his arms I look into my mother's eyes

All my thoughts of outrage, embarrassment and pain
Were washed away by what came roaring through my brain
The Mayor's at my mercy and I hear my own voice say
Your run for re-election is just one month away.

And the world will never know of what I've seen here sir
But I'll be with your daughter is my meaning clear?

My mother looks in horror at the compromise we made
But the Mayor's rueful smile says the piper must be paid
I had a month of joy in heaven from this deal I'd made in hell
What was to happen then my friend a prophet could not tell

The day after his re-election and the victory celebration
The Mayor takes his family on a month long foreign vacation

Oh Coleen -- you know how much I love you
There is no one I'd ever place above you
Oh Coleen -- you don't even know me
To have you there's nothing that's below me.

But time always passes after all
And as the summer follows spring so does the winter follow fall

The day that they return I stand waiting on the road
I watch the car drive up I watch the passengers unload
Of course she isn't there of course I should have known
The Mayor says that she has stayed the decision was her own.

I spit out my hatred and my fury at his lies
When he says you tried to blackmail me you're just as bad as I
He says Go and do your damndest, throw your mother to the streets
You know it's been too many years I had to be discreet

And as he stands there saying we're just two of a kind
It hits me like a thunderbolt exploding in my mind

As I look into his leering aged wrinkled mirror of my own face
He laughs and sneers and says Of course dear son
Where do you think you came from in the first place?

The Mayor of Candor lied
When he offered me his only daughter
The Mayor of Candor tried
To take her across the water
What a thing to do to a young man in love
What a thing to do to your daughter.





Other Lyrics by Artist

Rand Lyrics

Last Posts

Chapin, Harry The Mayor Of Candor Lied Comments
  1. K.... I....

    Candor: the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness.

  2. K.... I....

    playing this song over and over as I go through the comments :) As a Harry Chapin fan I am ashamed I never heard of this song before :(

  3. A.... ....

    I could see the ending of that song coming. >.> also I hadn't heard this one. good story.

    A.... ....

    good eye/ear/mind

  4. T.... R....

    Did see Harry many years ago what a performer love love him his music touched me so much x

    T.... R....

    I saw Harry at the Apollo in Glasgow Scotland

    T.... R....

    @Thomas Riley Hamilton Canada, early 80s, was AWESOME

  5. t.... I....

    Been listening to Harry Chapin since the day I was born in 94. I would like to thank my father and Harry for introducing me to how beautiful music can be.

  6. T.... A....

    Just ;the title is Brilliant.....the Mayor of Candor (honesty-openness) lied. Wow!

    T.... A....

    Harry was great

  7. J.... O....

    Who is listening to this 2019? Keep real music alive!

    J.... O....

    Can't believe I found this just b4 2020

  8. B.... M....

    I really only listen to hip-hop but I recently discovered Harry Chapin and can't quit listening to his songs. Such a great story teller! This song is constantly stuck in my head.

  9. V.... ....

    I miss the days when songs actually told a story.

    V.... ....

    Harry was on a level above most.

  10. E.... D....

    Seen Harry at mississippi river festival in 1976 at SIU Edwardsville. He came late and flew in on a helicopter. He played pass the curfew time and then promised everyone who bought a t-shirt from him for world hunger, he would personally sign it. Linda and I waited for over an hour before he signed and gave me a firm hand shake and a "Thank you man".
    WHAT A MEMORY!

    E.... D....

    Earl, Harry & U sure DO have a fantastic MEMORY ‼️

  11. A.... S....

    I live in a town called Candor, which aleggedly the name of the town in this song. (It's more like to mean Candor, defined as Frank Honesty.) Still though..

    A.... S....

    If it's the one between Catatonk and Spencer, it's the one from the song.

  12. P.... S....

    Doesn't this mean that he had an incestuous relationship with his own half-sister and the Mayor knew this and didn't just tell him

    P.... S....

    What a thing to do to a young man in love, and what a thing to do TO YOUR DAUGHTERRRR. Totally dude

    P.... S....

    yeah, it has happened for real, more than we know

  13. b.... ....

    Makes William Shatner sound, er, not that bad.

  14. S.... F....

    I know this is a standalone song, but there's so much ambiguity.. Like we need to know what happens next.

    The "last year of my youth" implies that this is the experience that made him grow up quickly.

    Also, the chorus says that the Mayor of Candor "tried" to take her off across the water. This implies that he wasn't successful in keeping them apart. But then, does he continue in his courtship of Coleen, even knowing that she's his half-sister?

    And on realizing that the Mayor is actually his biological Father, is there any kind of reconciliation between them?

    His blackmail solution to the Mayor's objection to their courtship actually seems to have raised the Mayor's respect for him as he didn't see the narrator as having a capacity for being devious to achieve his ends, but having seen this, he even seems a little proud.

    So many loose ends!

    S.... F....

    Dude, its just a song , but probably has happened so many times in real life, many different endings can be true.

  15. B.... ....

    Thank you so much for posting Harry's songs. At one time I had all of his LP records.
    Sadly my ex wife took them when she left me. Hmmm could be a Harry Song there.

    My ( then ) wife and i were big fans of Harry and in 1977 in May i think it had to be My wife
    surprised me with tickets to go see Harry perform live in Poughkeepsie, NY. It was great
    to see him perform live. I believe there was a woman who played the Cello beautifully.

    We stayed after the concert and we bought a book of Harry's poems. We got to meet him
    to get him to sign his book. Harry was very friendly and all I could think of to say was.....
    " Harry.......we named our cat after you ".

    Harry replied ".......errrr thanks ".

    I did manage to add " Thanks for all the great songs too ".

    B.... ....

    hahaha, star struck huh, funny story, Harry was probably thinking, dude umm no idea what lol

  16. D.... P....

    I have been enjoying Harry Chapin since at least 1973. This is the first time in 2018 that I heard this song. It is actually better than 'Taxi' and that is a hard act to follow.

  17. D.... A....

    No.... I am your father.

  18. M.... F....

    Loved it

  19. e.... s....

    a unique watchful and [often] gentle storyteller and humanitarian.. and so grossly under appreciated/reverred

  20. S.... N....

    I LEFT NY IN 1973 ON THE DAY HARRY GAVE A CONCERT AT BROOKLYN COLLEGE WHERE MY BROTHER WORKED BACKSTAGE. HARRY GAVE MY BROTHER A LITTLE NOTE TO ME SAYING, "DEAR NORMAN, KEEP ON HANGING IN THERE. I'VE HAD SO MANY UPS AND DOWNS I FEEL LIKE A YO-YO. PRETTY SOON YOU'LL BE BACK KICKING ASS SOON. HARRY CHAPIN P.S. KEEP THE CHANGE." KEPT IT WITH ME FOR 6 YEARS, WHILE SELLING ENCYCLOPEDIAS DOOR-TO-DOOR, AND DOING FANTASTIC. SAW HARRY IN DENVER IN 1979 AND AFTER THE CONCERT HE WAS SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS. I GOT ON LINE AND WHEN WE MET? I SHOWED HIM THE LETTER HE WROTE ME 6 YEARS EARLIER AND TOLD HIM I WAS PUSHING EDUCATION WITH A NEW PRODUCT FROM MACMILLAN PUBLISHING, AND DOING GREAT. I SAID THERE COULD BE A SONG HERE. HE GAVE ME HIS HOME ADDRESS AND I WROTE HIM THE STORY. HE WROTE ME BACK, HAND WRITTEN, SAYING, "SORRY NORMAN, I CAN'T JUST SIT DOWN AND WRITE A SONG ABOUT YOU AND YOUR LIFE. BUT, DON'T BE SURPRISED IF BITS AND PIECES OF YOUR LIFE SHOW UP IN MY NEW MATERIAL." THAT WAS 1979. I DON'T REMEMBER IF THAT WAS RIGHT BEFORE HE DIED, OR RIGHT BEFORE HE WROTE "FLOWERS ARE RED." CAN SOMEONE LET ME KNOW? E-MAIL ME AT [email protected] THANK YOU. LONG LIVE HARRY!

  21. c.... ....

    Has to one of his best albums and one of my favorites. Great storyteller. His best song were too long to be played on radio. Don't think he received the recognition he deserved as a singer/songwriter.

    c.... ....

    going to give this album a listen; Harry and John Prine are my favs, John doesn't have the long song but still a great story teller and best seen live.

  22. P.... M....

    Harry. Chaplin pure. Genius sadly. Missed nobody to. Touch the.man

  23. J.... ....

    utube sinead Lohan

  24. �.... ....

    Thank you so much for posting this!

  25. M.... L....

    Howie Fields, in the world of touring drummers, is extremely underrated. This number, "The Mayor of Candor Lied" shows his ability to use the drumkit as a musical instrument, as opposed to simply setting a beat. Harry Chapin found a true artist.

    M.... L....

    Got to see the group in Cincinnati 4 time over the years.

  26. A.... D....

    I grew up listening to Harry. The first concert I ever went to was a performance my parents took me to where he performed in Spokane Washington. It was just him and his acoustic guitar. I was maybe 12 yo? He died in a car crash not long after. I cried for ages. He is still the most heartfelt singer/songwriter I have ever heard.

  27. G.... B....

    He was such a great storyteller.

  28. J.... F....

    The mayor might look like Trump but he lied like a Clinton.

  29. J.... F....

    The mayor might look like Trump but he lied like a Clinton.

  30. w.... ....

    What happened to the album's title song? Why is it not on the list?

  31. J.... M....

    Truly amazing!

  32. G.... S....

    One of a kind, the best balladeer of my generation. I miss him so badly.

  33. D.... M....

    my first ever concert was Southport Theatre 1976 Harry Chapin I was 16 and I just had to see the great storyteller. The first time I heard this song was live in concert and it just blew me away. So many encores, I missed the last bus but it was worth it. I was In Germany in 1981 when I heard Harry had died. Thanks Harry for teaching me that music could tell a story

    D.... M....

    Oh, how I envy you! I was only eight years old when he passed away. I would give anything to have seen him live! I have raised all three of my sons on his music, and one of them has the middle name Chapin in his honor. Another of my sons draws from his songs and music as inspiration in his own song-writing. There is no artist, or person, who has influenced my life so profoundly.

    D.... M....

    I was just gonna ask if anyone's ever heard him do this live since sadly it's not only on any live releases or on YouTube.

  34. D.... -....

    I actually went to a handful of his concerts when I was a kid and I heard him play this live. Epic song... there has never been another like him.

    D.... -....

    There will never be another Harry. A truly unique talent. God bless, Harry xx

  35. g.... G....

    great short story as all his songs are.

  36. n.... v....

    Still think this is the best album this man ever did.

    n.... v....

    @nola vic I don't think I could chose any of his music better than any single one or album.

  37. S.... S....

    There is more to this song then just incest the way he portrays it is genius

    S.... S....

    +Soraya Streeter Very true, this song, like all of Harry's, reflects something of the human condition. This one has a whole lot to say about love, both flawed and imperfect as well as hatred. The sacred and the profane in one composition.

  38. R.... ....

    No one tells a story like Harry. BRILLIANT !!! 

  39. M.... P....

    Harry a lyrical genius !!!!!! 

  40. M.... O....

    dat twist doe.

    M.... O....

    +Minecraft OFP857 What are you talking about it foreshadowed

    M.... O....

    "She said You know I love you because you're so much like him."

  41. d.... r....

    I started listening to Harry when I was in high school back in the 70's and would see him whenever he came to Chicago.  His music meant alot to me and it's great to see so many other fans that he touched too.This was one of my favorites, you just don't find many storytellers out there anymore.:

    d.... r....

    Harry Chapin is like John Prine, great song writers and story tellers, too bad Harry got taken, but his legend lives on.

  42. B.... B....

    I meant Harry in Poughkeepsie at the Last Chance Saloon.  I had a gig down the street and around the corner at the Old Coat Wine and Cheese Tavern. This was way back in the seventies.  I drove a yellow taxi for 6 years there and did small gigs around the valley. I meant a lot of performers and I sure miss them now.  When Harry sang you could hear the passion of his heart and soul.  What a great loss it was to loose Harry on the LI Expressway.  How devastating it must have been to his brothers and family.  I still miss you Harry. I guess Corey was coming all along. I guess we just do not know when.     

    B.... B....

    +Billy Bandit True. And earlier in the seventies losing Phil Ochs. Two greats that were unfortunately eclipsed by Dylan who could not hold a candle to either of them.

  43. J.... P....

    What a thing to do with a young man in love with his sister. Does anyone else get  a weird vibe from this one. I hope they did not sleep together.

  44. R.... C....

    The plowboy would prefer Rob Ford!

  45. J.... J....

    Incest.

  46. T.... ....

    The only song I know of that requires spoiler warnings :) Love it!

    T.... ....

    +TwistedNematic And if you want something to feel better about "Corey's Coming".

  47. s.... ....

    totally totally agree,,,can see it in my head like thex dar said,... Harry was gone way too soon..

  48. 2.... ....

    Incest is best?!? Intense. When blackmailed the Mayor needed to be upfront. That would have quashed the romance.

  49. M.... J....

    the mayor of candor lied.. so so true... harry chapin is one of the greatest story tellers

  50. a.... ....

    Please release this on a mobile version

  51. T.... K....

    Thanks for all the songs AND the words,GREAT/

  52. G.... C....

    Holy shit, didn't see that twist coming.

    G.... C....

    Jared Vance lol me too

  53. a.... ....

    Please make it available on mobile

  54. r.... ....

    Even though it would've dragged on for too long, I always wondered the narrator would have to say past the last verse. Who knows if this song was an influence or inspiration for Darth Vader's
    "NO...I AM YOUR FATHER"?

  55. S.... ....

    Sometimes it is better to let your pride lose an inch then to lower yourself to another's level. Fools will listen to fools and disregard the wise, so the wise hear the wise and ignore the fool. It's pointless to argue when anyone can decide to listen or to ignore based on the first statement, rambling on will not make a wise man a fool nor a fool a wise man.

    S.... ....

    sounds like a proverb

  56. M.... ....

    you are so much more righteous than I? while you criticize me, you put down all the people that patronize the local tavern and critcize the town I live in for poking a little fun at Candor.I guess you must of majored in hypocrisy at "good ole Candor high" I better tighten the drag on my reel this sucker is going to run!! THANKS FOR THE HIJINX

  57. M.... ....

    never been to punks, i was just having fun but you are really into this!!!! You say I am an idiot but you just keep coming back for another dose. If you are not from Candor why do you take this so bad? we maybe from the same town.

  58. M.... ....

    WOW I had to leave the line in the water for 9 months but I finally reeled in a sucker!!!! Who says trolling doesn't work? I know a Candorian could not resist the temptation of defending the place. Even though Aman's farm does not smell like it used to the place still has a taint about it. you know what the most confusing day of the year is in Candor?... Fathers day. I have a life, and right now I have yours. oh I am sure you have never mispelled a word. thanks for the fun see you at Punks!!!!!

  59. M.... ....

    must of struck a nerve huh! go cry to your moomy-sister. or your uncle,daddy-grandpa. fucktard

  60. R.... .....

    He was a great storyteller

  61. U.... J....

    Didn't see that coming at all, but in hindsight, the clues were all there. I wish I could write like Harry...

  62. M.... ....

    A musical genius... We lost him far too soon

  63. e.... ....

    @TinyDancer500 Good story song but never really found any humor in it. Another Chapin song I always thought was serious until I recently saw an old Tonight Show appearance where he performed it was "Poor Damn Fool". Tune about Harry's wife Sandy's first husband.

  64. e.... ....

    @navyvetib1 Same here but my may have slight scratch or too. But not enough to push me to upgrade it to CD along with all of the other vinyl lps of Harry I have. The only ones I have on CD are the CD only releases and his lps I just happened to get on 8 track before CD.

  65. M.... ....

    One of his most awesome stories...there are so many...

  66. M.... ....

    Candor NY home of the incest festival and in-breeding championships!!! the town where the family trees dont fork!!!

  67. I.... B....

    I still have this on pristine vinyl.

  68. J.... M....

    I saw thisa in concert in the 70's...the whole audience gasped.

  69. L.... N....

    Just imagine if Keith Olbermann found out that Rupert Murdoch was his Father.

  70. T.... D....

    Now *that's* whatcha call a story song! Long-time fave and another taste of his dark humour.

    T.... D....

    I once had the pleasure of attending his concert in the late 70's in Dayton, Oh.
    After the concert he came to the lobby and shock hands an spoke with everyone.

    T.... D....

    @David Lowe WOW, saw him in Canada in the early 80's, awesome