Raconteurs, The - Carolina Drama Lyrics






I'm not sure if there's a point to this story
But I'm going to tell it again
So many other people try to tell the tale
Not one of them knows the end

It was a junk-house in South Carolina
Held a boy the age of ten
Along with his older brother Billy
And a mother and her boyfriend
Who was a triple loser with some blue tattoos
That were given to him when he was young
And a drunk temper that was easy to lose
And thank god he didn't own a gun

Well, Billy woke up in the back of his truck
Took a minute to open his eyes
He took a peep into the back of the house
And found himself a big surprise
He didn't see his brother but there was his mother
With her red-headed head in her hands
While the boyfriend had his gloves wrapped around an old priest
Trying to choke the man

Ah Ah Ahhh...

Billy looked up from the window to the truck
Threw up, and had to struggle to stand
He saw that red-necked bastard with a hammer
Turn the priest into a shell of a man
The priest was putting up the fight of his life
But he was old and he was bound to lose
The boyfriend hit as hard as he could
And knocked the priest right down to his shoes

Well, now Billy knew but never actually met
The preacher lying there in the room
He heard himself say, "That must be my daddy"
Then he knew what he was gonna do
Billy got up enough courage, took it up
And grabbed the first blunt thing he could find
It was a cold, glass bottle of milk
That got delivered every morning at nine

Ah Ah Ahhh...

Billy broke in and saw the blood on the floor, and
He turned around and put the lock on the door
He looked dead into the boyfriend's eye
His mother was a ghost, too upset to cry, then
He took a step toward the man on the ground
From his mouth trickled out a little audible sound
He heard the boyfriend shout, "Get out!"
And Billy said, "Not till I know what this is all about"
"Well, this preacher here was attacking your mama"
But Billy knew just who was starting the drama
So Billy took dead aim at his face
And smashed the bottle on the man who left his dad in disgrace, and
The white milk dripped down with the blood, and the
Boyfriend fell down dead for good
Right next to the preacher who was gasping for air
And Billy shouted, "Daddy, why'd you have to come back here?"
His mama reached behind the sugar and honey, and
Pulled out an envelope filled with money
"Your daddy gave us this," she collapsed in tears
"He's been paying all the bills for years"
"Mama, let's put this body underneath the trees
and put Daddy in the truck and head to Tennessee"
Just then, his little brother came in
Holding the milk man's hat and a bottle of gin singing,

La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la, la la la...
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la, la la la...
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah
La la la la, la la la la, yeah

Well now you heard another side to the story
But you wanna know how it ends?
If you must know, the truth about the tale
Go and ask the milkman





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Raconteurs, The Carolina Drama Comments
  1. J.... M....

    Stop telling people my life.

  2. M.... ....

    good song but the breaks in story are a bit long.

  3. G.... b....

    i think this song is about Billy’s dude of the story (the truth) and the milk man didn’t see the full thing as one kid comes out with the milk mans hat. So the milk man is a witness and everyone believes his side of the story that’s why at the end they say “go ask the milk man”

  4. b.... ....

    This fella sounds familiar. Sure as shit ain't no Nick Cave experience, though.

    b.... ....

    He was the singer of the white stripes

  5. F.... W....

    3:08 to 3:41 whoever provided those backing vocals. Just wow. Keeps me coming back to this.

  6. J.... E....

    Hmmm. Fuck.

    J.... E....

    These are not good fries. The mimic is much better.

  7. E.... M....

    Legit question, can I get a shirt with one of those "Michigan" drums on it?

  8. l.... ....

    M.A.S.T.E.R. P.I.E.C.E.

  9. H.... T....

    rafaela coco

  10. V.... N....

    Espectacular. Yo vengo por esto pronto.

  11. S.... R....

    Hell of a song that tells a hell of a story.

    S.... R....

    He never paid for shit, a broke bitch

  12. m.... ....

    Who the fuck disliked this video 🤦🏻‍♂️ fucking gronk cunts

  13. t.... ....

    I love this song but I hate the final lyric. Why bother with clues if you’re going to spell it out in the end?

    t.... ....

    Idk bruh

    t.... ....

    Suspense!? I THINK TRUE!

  14. J.... C....

    This reminds me of Darude Sandstorm

  15. g.... s....

    Sounds like The White Stripes

    g.... s....

    gio schiano it’s jack white singing haha

  16. s.... ....

    Anyone hearing similarities to Everlast's "Know What it's Like?" Not that's it a bad thing.

  17. W.... H....

    What a tune

  18. E.... S....

    Carolina drama sounds a lot like a typical Friday night back home. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  19. W.... H....

    Jack sings it great

  20. s.... t....

    Imagine if this had a music video

  21. P.... T....

    This song is a piece of art.

  22. C.... P....

    Please check out my cover of this song - https://youtu.be/maj8hUOmP68 💚

  23. l.... e....

    He sure picked a topic that he can truly make more songs about ....Carolina Drama..... But this one has a specific meaning that evidently needs to be heard.... Love the way he makes you listen word for word and feel the depth of his on personal feelings about his musical expression of emotions and experiences in life

  24. G.... C....

    love it

  25. T.... E....

    Coming to Atlanta August 21

  26. p.... k....

    l just want to know Jack, could you always write this great from the start or did your fellow writers here really help you write so well in the future

  27. D.... S....

    Ok so here's basically what went down 10 year old let's call him Bob
    Boyfriend choking priest
    Billy understands that that was his dad (priest)
    Kills boyfriend and finds out priest (dad) had been paying the bills for years
    Then Bob comes in singing with the milkman cap on

    Last line go and ask the milk man
    Because mama turns out to be a hoe and had sex with the milkman thus giving birth to bob

    D.... S....

    Close, Dwight, but Mama ain’t no “HOE” 😡 The daddy of BOTH boys is the milkman. Remember how the milk got “delivered every morning at 9”??? The priest thought like YOU did that he could get some sugar...new boyfriend wasn’t lying. Think, Dwight, THINK.

  28. C.... ....

    As someone who's greatest regret in life is NOT going back in the house for a pistol when his "pastor" step-dad was strangling my mom with a belt because she didn't clean the house right....this song is awesome in weird ways...


    /him seeing a witness made him let her go. coward ass cunt shitwagon...
    //she's now remarried to someone I actually consider a friend, so that's nice. Bad step-dads: Cop, Preacher. Good: Welder/Country Music Singer.
    ///lesson is: don't judge a book by it's cover. Particularly if it's a friendly one.
    (yes, that's kinda opposite of this song. but I'm twisting it to my experience, damnit!)

  29. b.... ....

    Ok Everyone just calm down, The words in this are incorrect @ 4:50 "Holding the milkman's hat" NO if you listen he clearly says "Holding a Milkman's hat" there fore the younger brother is the milkman. But it has been argued that the older brother is the milkman because the younger brother found the Gin and his hat outside maybe on the ground as he threw up to stand. Also the Mother is not a whore but did engage in a forbidden love with the Priest who had at least 1 love child with her. I TRULY LOVE THIS SONG!!

    b.... ....

    SPOILERS: at the end, he says, if you must know the truth about the tale, go and ask the milkman.
    There is a song by the pickens county bandits called "ask the milkman", and it gives you enough info to work out the whole story. I'll let you find the truth about the tale yourself.

    b.... ....

    The younger brother is "the age of 10". Pretty sure you can't become a milkman at age 10.

    b.... ....

    I always thought he said "holding the milkman's hand and a bottle of gin."

  30. L.... G....

    a fucked up childhood accounts for a lot of pain but makes for good song writing later if ya got the stomach for it.

  31. L.... N....

    This reminds me of hotel california

  32. m.... ....

    What a slapper

  33. N.... O....

    Such a good song.

  34. A.... R....

    These guys stole the flow from "the denial twist" that's pretty fucked up shame on them

    A.... R....

    Austin Redd please tell me your joking

    A.... R....

    Now I can't unhear it goddamn

  35. I.... S....

    Carolina Drama
    The Raconteurs
    I'm not sure if there's a point to this story
    But I'm going to tell it again
    So many other people try to tell the tale
    Not one of them knows the end
    It was a junk-house in South Carolina
    Held a boy the age of ten
    Along with his older brother Billy
    And a mother and her boyfriend
    Who was a triple loser with some blue tattoos
    That were given to him when he was young
    And a drunk temper that was easy to lose
    And thank god he didn't own a gun
    Well, Billy woke up in the back of his truck
    Took a minute to open his eyes
    He took a peep into the back of the house
    And found himself a big surprise
    He didn't see his brother but there was his mother
    With her red-headed head in her hands
    While the boyfriend had his gloves wrapped around an old priest
    Trying to choke the man
    Ah Ah Ah
    Billy looked up from the window to the truck
    Threw up, and had to struggle to stand
    He saw that red-necked bastard with a hammer
    Turn the priest into a shell of a man
    That priest was putting up the fight of his life
    But he was old and he was bound to lose
    The boyfriend hit as hard as he could
    And knocked the priest right down to his shoes
    Well, now Billy knew but never actually met
    The preacher lying there in the room
    He heard himself say, "That must be my daddy"
    Then he knew what he was gonna do
    Billy got up enough courage, took it up
    And grabbed the first blunt thing he could find
    It was a cold, glass bottle of milk
    That got delivered every morning at nine
    Ah Ah Ah
    Billy broke in and saw the blood on the floor, and
    He turned around and put the lock on the door
    He looked dead into the boyfriend's eye
    His mother was a ghost, too upset to cry, then
    He took a step toward the man on the ground
    From his mouth trickled out a little audible sound
    He heard the boyfriend shout, "Get out!"
    And Billy said, "Not till I know what this is all about"
    "Well, this preacher here was attacking your mama"
    But Billy knew just who was starting the drama
    So Billy took dead aim at his face
    And smashed the bottle on the man who left his dad in disgrace, and
    The white milk dripped down with the blood, and the
    Boyfriend fell down dead for good
    Right next to the preacher who was gasping for air
    And Billy shouted, "Daddy, why'd you have to come back here?"
    His mama reached behind the sugar and honey, and
    Pulled out an envelope filled with money
    "Your daddy gave us this, " she collapsed in tears
    "He's been paying all the bills for years"
    "Mama, let's put this body underneath the trees
    And put Daddy in the truck and head to Tennessee"
    Just then, his little brother came in
    Holding the milk man's hat and a bottle of gin singing
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la, la la la
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la, la la la
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    La la la la, la la la la, yeah
    Well now you heard another side to the story
    But you wanna know how it ends?
    If you must know, the truth about the tale
    Go and ask the milkman

    I.... S....

    Good job dude

  36. M.... C....

    q buena rola

  37. D.... ....

    Not a loser. Not a double loser. A TRIPLE loser. XD

    D.... ....

    Think he said crippled loser actually

    D.... ....

    @Jeffrey Carter Triple loser. See also: three-time loser. Bad luck, i.e bad things come in threes. Three strikes. Ex con.

    D.... ....

    snikiforuk I also read into it as him being a drinker, you know the old “XXX” bottle of hooch.

    D.... ....

    @Danny Sides A drunk temper that was easy to lose, thank god he didn't own a gun

    D.... ....

    Triple loser....

    Them's the worst kind

  38. J.... S....

    I finally know what song Tenacious D played to the devil. this one. it has to be. because this is the best song ever.

    J.... S....

    @Just Sayin' GREAT COMMENT! I Agree!

  39. m.... ....

    I love it....

  40. M.... B....

    Ditch the source and ask the cow

  41. C.... P....

    What exactly mean by the blue tattoos when he was young? Was his father abusive?

    C.... P....

    @Da CrispyFriedChicKen Makes sense I guess.

    C.... P....

    Im pretty sure they are like a prison thing according to another comment.

    C.... P....

    Contrasts the mother's red hair, just means he got tattoos when he was young I reckon.

    C.... P....

    Referring to the ink fading over the years. I think.

    C.... P....

    Prison tattoos

  42. M.... M....

    The father lived right?

    M.... M....

    Michael Morris go ask the milk man

  43. U.... U....

    This is actually the best song in history!!!!

  44. A.... U....

    Somebody tell me who's more talented than Jack.. He's the total package.. Raw talent, songwriting genius and amazing live performer

    A.... U....

    @Hi Hi Brendon Urie is a talented singer but his lyrics are annoying and so is he.

    A.... U....

    Freddie Mercury

    A.... U....

    Freddie Mercury is God himself

    A.... U....

    @Andres Garcia wait who's mjk

    A.... U....

    ———TOM WAITS———
    Jack sings better, but Tom Waits kills him in songwriting.

  45. S.... ....

    thicc escape

  46. G.... M....

    Best part of this is the expert editing man. Love it.

  47. E.... C....

    Reminds me of Jack White

    E.... C....

    Zachary121201 seriously??? I never knew that. mind blown. and no it wasn't a joke lol. wow.

    E.... C....

    Emily Colstrich 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

  48. H.... Y....

    太好了,Lyrics on-screen

  49. 2.... ....

    What a great song love it

    2.... ....

    I misread your comment "what a great love song" . I almost died 😂

  50. m.... g....

    great tune.

  51. D.... C....

    GREAT TUNE!!

    D.... C....

    WOW!!!! My 1rst time ever hearing this one, OMG!!!!!!

  52. E.... W....

    these guys are among the last true musicians left. absolutely love this song

    E.... W....

    The Decemberists

    E.... W....

    You seem to misunderstand the difference between songwriter/composer and musicians. There is a near endless supply of musicians. Many of which are better than anyone in this band. Composers are of a much shorter supply. I would also put White near the top of that list but not the other.

    E.... W....

    @mason harris get lost

    E.... W....

    @yoel van den bosch Why? Because you disagree with me? No one in this band has alot of technical ability and they don't claim to either.

  53. b.... ....

    so the Milkman is actually the dad? damn I'm confused now but this is a sweet song.

    b.... ....

    I think.. That his little brother killed the milked milk man. Go an ask the milk man.

    b.... ....

    you're asking all the wrong questions

    b.... ....

    Go and ask the milk man

    Thats in response to another song that gives a different perspective on this song. So to fill in some of the gaps, go find the other song. Lol

    b.... ....

    The milk man was the 10 year olds dad

    b.... ....

    There's another song called "Ask the Milkman". Putting thenpieces togheter you find out that the mom was also banging the milkman (although wether he is the 10 year old boy's dad or not is never clarified) and he went to see the mom that same day while delivering the milk. Since the little boy enters with the milkman,s hat and a bottle of gin one can assume that the milkman dropped those two things becase he witnessed the whole thing and ran away. That's why the song tells you to ask the milkman.

  54. S.... L....

    It is an amazing song. I cant get over it.

  55. N.... ....

    Such awesome song from the great band