Another persona shared a link in another thread that got me thinking, What music do you enjoy that centers around storytelling? I know most songs tell stories of some kind, but I'm thinking more of the great ones like Harry Chapin, Jim Stafford (the link that started this), Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot and the like.

I originally enjoyed (and got hooked on) Rush for their stories. The whole first side of 2112 is a great story of a boy https://youtu.be/k5myuLXSl-Y?t=5s in a futuristic society that had banned it. They also have By-Tor and the Snow Dog (one of my all time favorite songs) and CygnusX1 books 1 & II from their Hemispheres album..

Harry Chapin has the very famous "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etundhQa724" song and less famous "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5dwksSbD34."

That's enough links! What "stories in song" do you enjoy?

Here are a few of my favorites. All except Tom Joad and Hollis Brown are traditional ballads. Barbara Allen and House Carpenter are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Ballads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxkSuBhzHqg - Dock Boggs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op9j7X5BPGw - Clarence Ashley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7ra-wRVaM - Johnny Cash

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPdbHfgM0h0 - Pete Seeger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NJgAcJPnZk - Doc Watson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPwDKN561BA - Woody Guthrie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIJmeevbzC0 - Woody Guthrie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiafR2q82Lw - Bob Dylan

Cool list! Thanks for those great oldies

I like 'Trapped in the Closet' by R. Kelly.

Everything by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Especially his Gentle Storm or Ayreon project.

Not exactly a single song, but most of his Ayreon albums and songs are interconnected into a pretty cool plot with a mixture of science fiction and medieval themes/fantasy. I enjoyed the long ride from 1995 to 2008 and the subsequent evolution of his music style and storytelling very much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAPosjkbfQ

my first reaction was going to be Cat's in the cradle, but since you already mentioned that:

I will go with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMV34CwNMY0 by Stan Rogers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM is the best storytelling song because the song is a story.

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GhnV-6lqH8" - Johnny Cash