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Neil Young — The Old Laughing Lady
Album: Neil Young
Avg rating:
7

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1623









Released: 1968
Length: 5:39
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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Don't call pretty Peggy,
she can't hear you no more
Don't leave no message
'round her back door.
They say the old laughing lady
been here before
She don't keep time,
she don't count score.

You can't have a cupboard
if there ain't no wall.
You got to move there's
no time left to stall.
They say the old laughing lady
dropped by to call
And when she leaves,
she leaves nothing at all.

See the drunkard of the village
falling on the street.
Can't tell his ankles
from the rest of his feet.
He loves his old laughing lady
'cause her taste is so sweet.
But his laughing lady's loving
ain't the kind he can keep.

There's a fever on the freeway,
blacks out the night.
There's a slipping on the stairway,
just don't feel right
And there's a rumbling
in the bedroom
and a flashing of light
There's the old laughing lady,
everything is all right.
Comments (58)add comment
Hearing The Old Laughing Lady (one of NYs best albums) I had a thought!  Did Pink Floyd list to the backing and decide that would work well on Great Gig in The Sky! (Both 10s) Just a thought - matters not really - NY and David Gilmour along with PF are my favourite bands
Posted 1 month ago by prs    [ Reply ]
I just can't beleive I bought this album 55+years ago - how can that be!  I have no issue remembering the lyrics when I can't remember what I ws doing yesterday!
Posted 4 months ago by prs    [ Reply ]
Wow, I really liked that jazzy little interlude.
Posted 1 year ago by ShockwaveRider    [ Reply ]
 prs wrote:

Hey Bill - I have to work!!  First 'Shine on ---' then this one!! Oh, well - don't stop playing them!




A year ago I thanked you for palying this track and I want to thank you again - this has to be the ONLY radio station that plays these tracks - please don't stop!

This is now a 10!!
Posted 1 year ago by prs    [ Reply ]
I love all the images portraying the subject
Posted 2 years ago by acferrad    [ Reply ]
Has he written a song about Justin Trudeau yet?
Posted 2 years ago by Jelani    [ Reply ]
new to me... wow... 
Posted 2 years ago by xrdstv    [ Reply ]
 BonzoWiltsUK wrote:



Bumped it to 1 for the same reason. And it's awful, besides.

And after what he tried to get spotify to do with joe rogan i have dropped all his songs that are on here to 1, the man is dead to me
Posted 2 years ago by jp33442    [ Reply ]
Hey Bill - I have to work!!  First 'Shine on ---' then this one!! Oh, well - don't stop playing them!
Posted 2 years ago by prs    [ Reply ]
Ohhh, c’mon folks - give Neil credit for, in the time - it was about 40 years ago - this was innovative. Folk / jazz / Solid 10 for this Canadian boy
Posted 2 years ago by Montreal_Mort    [ Reply ]
 BCarn wrote:

Nope. As I thought 4 decades ago; I just can't get past the whine. 



Then stop whining. Fixt.
Posted 2 years ago by trevc    [ Reply ]
A huge 10 from the bikers👌
Posted 2 years ago by Easyrider    [ Reply ]
Good Canadian boy, right there!
Posted 3 years ago by boomman8139    [ Reply ]
Neil Old
Posted 3 years ago by rakac    [ Reply ]
 justin4kick wrote:

My older brother had this LP.



I can only sympathize: Older brothers rock. 
Posted 3 years ago by TheKing2    [ Reply ]
 BonzoWiltsUK wrote:



Bumped it to 1 for the same reason. And it's awful, besides.



Might be an acquired taste "Not sure" has always been a 9 to me or at least a  very strong 8.
Posted 3 years ago by SRAY    [ Reply ]
 jelgator wrote:

He should be ashamed for appropriating black culture!  That gospel in the background is from white Canadians!  Shameful!!!



Isn't Neil Young a White Canadian!
Posted 3 years ago by prs    [ Reply ]
 jp33442 wrote:

Bumped it to 9 because it is neil young




Bumped it to 1 for the same reason. And it's awful, besides.
Posted 3 years ago by BonzoWiltsUK    [ Reply ]

i'm sure God will smite him...

 jelgator wrote:

He should be ashamed for appropriating black culture!  That gospel in the background is from white Canadians!  Shameful!!

Posted 3 years ago by xcranky_yankee    [ Reply ]
TULSA
Posted 3 years ago by ExploitingChaos    [ Reply ]
This is such a geat album - where have all the years gone!  Funny to think it took 'After The Goldrush' for NY to really to hit big in th UK - this one and 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere' have some of his best tracks!
Posted 3 years ago by prs    [ Reply ]
I have to say that the frequency of Neil on RP has turned me off of him, which is a pretty big deal since I've liked him quite a lot since the 70s. He's just not wearing well with me. But this song is an exception. There's something really special about this song - the sweetness of the melody, the fabulous BG vox, and the understated closing. 
Posted 3 years ago by RabbitEars    [ Reply ]
So cool to hear after all these years. I remember going into Kingston-upon-Thames' Bentalls to buy the LP a few days after release. John Peel had played "I Had A Dream" on his BBC radio show. I bought it, first ever, along with Pentangle's, Colosseum's and Incredible String Band's latest. Thank you for playing..xx
Posted 4 years ago by Gnomadic    [ Reply ]
He should be ashamed for appropriating black culture!  That gospel in the background is from white Canadians!  Shameful!!!
Posted 4 years ago by jelgator    [ Reply ]
Bumped it to 9 because it is neil young
Posted 4 years ago by jp33442    [ Reply ]
   SO    the old laughing lady    is....
Posted 4 years ago by grhorn    [ Reply ]
So much emotion... This never gets old...
Posted 4 years ago by Bert7    [ Reply ]
Nice!
Posted 4 years ago by eileenomurphy    [ Reply ]
 justin4kick wrote:
There are so many Neils. I love them all but this LP was my first love.
 
"...so many Neils"

"Is it strange I should change?
why don't you ask me?".

The many many facets of Ol' Neil have been  what has kept him such a gem all these years for me.
Posted 4 years ago by memoryboxer    [ Reply ]
Neil. Ha ha
Posted 4 years ago by stephen.king12101    [ Reply ]
Niel
Posted 4 years ago by stephen.king12101    [ Reply ]
Always love Noel the poet musician
Posted 4 years ago by stephen.king12101    [ Reply ]
I forgot about this song.. it has a Nick Drake vibe, tender and groovy. I always loved the BG vox on this song. Refreshing, as I've tired of most of Neil's stuff from his prevalence here.
Posted 5 years ago by RabbitEars    [ Reply ]
What are the background singers singing in the interlude?  It almost sounds like "O-hi-o o o o".   But if my timeline is correct, that was 2 years after this release.
Posted 5 years ago by Queue    [ Reply ]
Wish there was something above 10 bill
Posted 5 years ago by jp33442    [ Reply ]
Love love love this album and this track in particular.
Posted 5 years ago by raenvald    [ Reply ]
Nope. As I thought 4 decades ago; I just can't get past the whine. 
Posted 5 years ago by BCarn    [ Reply ]
 On_The_Beach wrote:

The artist's name is Roland Diehl (1940-2006).
Cover depicted above was the original release.
Later pressings had "Neil Young" in large letters across the top.
Joni did the CSNY "So Far" album artwork.
 
Joni is a better artist than that. :-)
Posted 5 years ago by rita_johnson    [ Reply ]
My older brother had this LP. I must have been 9 or 10 years old first hearing it, but I really loved it, even at that young age. And what's better, I still do.

Neil is my life time hero.
Posted 5 years ago by justin4kick    [ Reply ]
Neil Young's a great songwriter, but he can't sing for toffee (to use an old British expression) and his voice hurt my ears. I'm a big fan of covers of Young's work, though.
Posted 5 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
The highest rating of any of my favorites. Still stuns me all these years later. Genius. 
Posted 5 years ago by gatorade    [ Reply ]
There are so many Neils. I love them all but this LP was my first love.
Posted 6 years ago by justin4kick    [ Reply ]
This song was perfect for me this morning. Thanks!
Posted 6 years ago by Beth_in_VA    [ Reply ]
too bad there's not a higher rating than "Godlike"!:)
Posted 6 years ago by dklmoore    [ Reply ]
great to hear vintage Neil. thank you, Bill.
Posted 6 years ago by declansynott54    [ Reply ]
 On_The_Beach wrote:

The artist's name is Roland Diehl (1940-2006).
Cover depicted above was the original release.
Later pressings had "Neil Young" in large letters across the top.
Joni did the CSNY "So Far" album artwork.

 
Indeed - it's always been a favorite cover of mine. In between the initial release and the second release the original artwork was lost, so the subsequent release is second-generation and suffers color loss. Compare them side-by-side and you'll see the original is much more vibrant.

Ah, for the days of 12" x12" cover space and the clever artists hired to fill that space. I know I'm not the only one who stood for hours in the record shop, flipping albums and looking at the art.
Posted 6 years ago by nagsheadlocal    [ Reply ]
 thewiseking wrote:
just beautiful. love Old Neil

 
{#Yes}
Posted 6 years ago by hayduke2    [ Reply ]
This is actually kind of trippy and out there for 1968. Expect nothing less from Neil.    
Posted 7 years ago by idiot_wind    [ Reply ]
 Bat wrote:
I'm a big Neil Young fan but must admit that I tend to overlook this album and think of "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere" as his debut solo album.

 
I tend to agree with what you said but I really like this LP. It is more disciplined or polished. It feels that it is somewhere between Buffalo Springfield and his later stuff.
Posted 7 years ago by capandjudy    [ Reply ]
just beautiful. love Old Neil
Posted 7 years ago by thewiseking    [ Reply ]
One of my ALL time favorite NY tunes. Great LP. 10 {#Notworthy}
Posted 7 years ago by gatorade    [ Reply ]
the Unplugged album version of this song is great
Posted 7 years ago by CyrusPaul    [ Reply ]
Have not heard this in ages, it's a happy surprise.

This album lived on my turntable my freshman year in college. Good memories.
Posted 7 years ago by nagsheadlocal    [ Reply ]
 Antigone wrote:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the cover portrait is by Joni.
 
The artist's name is Roland Diehl (1940-2006).
Cover depicted above was the original release.
Later pressings had "Neil Young" in large letters across the top.
Joni did the CSNY "So Far" album artwork.
Posted 7 years ago by On_The_Beach    [ Reply ]
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the cover portrait is by Joni.
Posted 7 years ago by Antigone    [ Reply ]
I'm a big Neil Young fan but must admit that I tend to overlook this album and think of "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere" as his debut solo album.
Posted 7 years ago by Bat    [ Reply ]
Do not remember this tune -  New to me.
Posted 7 years ago by the_jake    [ Reply ]
How can this be new?  One of best old Neil tunes.
Posted 7 years ago by grooveMO62    [ Reply ]