Songs about or that mention pool

Tom Waits has a couple of references to pool halls, and cue balls. Cannot tell you the name of the individual songs.

Mark Griffin
 
DEEP PURPLE - "Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic"

Playing pool and drinking beer
Nothin more'n the
occasional tear
But this man's life goes on
and he gets
greased all over
from time to time
At the strip joint, where we met
He said 'Hi, my name is Ted
See that one over there
That ball of thunder
Every time she goes Vavoom,
I wiggle in my chair
Can I buy you a beer?
What a guy
 
Giving my old age away

The Big Bopper/aka J.P. Richardson...he died in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens, back in the 50's..."The day the music died"...

Flipside of his big hit single, "Chantilly Lace", on the Mercury label 45, was a little ditty called "Big Bopper's Wedding". Definitely NOT a song favoring marriage.

From the lyrics: "...no pool shootin' and a rootin' and a tootin' with the boys for the rest of my life...if I take you for my wife..."

(edit) Found it on Youtube...hear it on page 6 of this thread.
 
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Hey Ray Stevens had a song about 9 ball I think its Texas Slim or something like that. The entire song is about pool.
 
Bob Seager "Night Moves" there is a verse something like" In the pool Halls The Hustlers And The Losers try to get the girl on back" or something to that effect
 
Sorry about that the song is not "Night Moves", i believe its "Down On Main Street" or "Main Street"
 
RDCustomCues said:
Hey Ray Stevens had a song about 9 ball I think its Texas Slim or something like that. The entire song is about pool.


HUSTLER
(C.W. Kalb - Carlene Kalb) ? ? '85 Ray Stevens Music, BMI ?


It was a cool night in Dallas at the Southside Nine Ball Palace
When I stepped in off the sidewalk with my pool cue in my hand
I said I've come for Texas Slim we're gonna shoot nine ball me and him
And tonight we're gonna see who's a better man

Well I've heard he used to be the best and I've already beaten all the rest
From New York to Chicago and LA
They say that he's the king of hustlers an old time Texas pool hall rustler
Ain't he the man that used to say

Don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em
Get all the money out on the table take the time to chalk and aim
Don't take pity on 'em son just take 'em
If you can't afford to lose then you should never play the game

Then out of the shadows dim stepped what once was Texas Slim
He is ripped worn and ragged and kinda rundown at the heels
He said it's been a long time son since I've shot pool with anyone
But I'll play you one game if that's the way you feel

Lord he was a pitiful looking man with a three day growth and a trembling hand
He had to take a shot of whiskey to ease the shakes
I said I've come to take you for all you've got
Slim and it don't matter that it ain't a lot
Just to show you I'm a sportin' man you can have the break
[ guitar - steel ] Then a smile crossed the face of every pool shark in that place
As Slim took down his custom inlaid pool cue from its stand
He said I've heard for days that you's a comin'
With your pockets full and your young mouth a runnin'
Now I'm gonna show you who's a better man

Then all I heard was a cue balls crack and nine balls fall and Slim say rack
And he kept his run till all my money was gone
Then he looked at me with those eyes of ice
And said boy I'm gonna leave you with this advice
To ponder as you hitchhike your way back home

Don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em...
Now don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em...
**********
 
The Late Great Paul DeLay

RDCustomCues said:
Hey Ray Stevens had a song about 9 ball I think its Texas Slim or something like that. The entire song is about pool.
I saw the Lyrics... Thats a great song.

I saw Johnny Lang in concert when he was a little boy..Even before he opened for the Stones. "Rack em up" Can go on and on. Much longer than the tape or CD.

The late great Paul DeLay (he just passed this year) A wonderful Blues singer wrote and sang quite a few with reference to the game and the Northwest Players. Everytime I buy copies they turn up missing. Yeah its that good.
 
cool

I got alot of new ones from this .Keep em comming
if you think of anything
 
BPG24 said:
Some of us don't shoot up heroin and wouldn't have known that...

Have you ever even listened to the song... hard to miss the reference :D

Most everything by Sublime was related heroin .. one way or another..

Lying in my plastic bed
Thinking how thinking how things wern't so cool me
My baby likes to shoot pool
I like lying naked in my bedroom
Tying off that dinosaur tonight
It used to be so cool
Now I've got the needle
I can shake
But I can't bleed
Take it away, but I want more and more
One day I'm gonna loose the war

.. Shane <----- is a bad fish too...........not an smack junkie.. but hooked on Sublime
 
The Pool Shark

Was listening to Willie's Place and they just played "The Pool Shark" Not sure if it was written or sung by Dave Dudley.

Hu
 
On the Banks of the Wabash...
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend...
Bridge Over Troubled Waters
 
"Caught Behind the Eight Ball" by Fishbelly Black


About pool, not the cocaine type of eight ball.
 
"Black Boys on the Corner" by Thin Lizzy

Because standing on the corner
Just might suit you
Or maybe baby
There's something else that you wanna do
Like rolling dice, nice
Like shooting pool, hey that's cool

"I Need a Lover" by John Mellencamp

Well I'm not wiped out by this poolroom life I'm living
I'm gonna quit this job, go to school, head back home


I didn't read this whole thread so sorry if these have been posted already.
 
sde said:
HUSTLER
(C.W. Kalb - Carlene Kalb) ? ? '85 Ray Stevens Music, BMI ?


It was a cool night in Dallas at the Southside Nine Ball Palace
When I stepped in off the sidewalk with my pool cue in my hand
I said I've come for Texas Slim we're gonna shoot nine ball me and him
And tonight we're gonna see who's a better man

Well I've heard he used to be the best and I've already beaten all the rest
From New York to Chicago and LA
They say that he's the king of hustlers an old time Texas pool hall rustler
Ain't he the man that used to say

Don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em
Get all the money out on the table take the time to chalk and aim
Don't take pity on 'em son just take 'em
If you can't afford to lose then you should never play the game

Then out of the shadows dim stepped what once was Texas Slim
He is ripped worn and ragged and kinda rundown at the heels
He said it's been a long time son since I've shot pool with anyone
But I'll play you one game if that's the way you feel

Lord he was a pitiful looking man with a three day growth and a trembling hand
He had to take a shot of whiskey to ease the shakes
I said I've come to take you for all you've got
Slim and it don't matter that it ain't a lot
Just to show you I'm a sportin' man you can have the break
[ guitar - steel ] Then a smile crossed the face of every pool shark in that place
As Slim took down his custom inlaid pool cue from its stand
He said I've heard for days that you's a comin'
With your pockets full and your young mouth a runnin'
Now I'm gonna show you who's a better man

Then all I heard was a cue balls crack and nine balls fall and Slim say rack
And he kept his run till all my money was gone
Then he looked at me with those eyes of ice
And said boy I'm gonna leave you with this advice
To ponder as you hitchhike your way back home

Don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em...
Now don't ever make it look too easy when you break 'em...
**********

This is the one I was going to mention. It was also released by Mel McDaniel on one of his out of print albums. I had it on tape and broke it and was never able to replace it.

~rc
 
Mark Griffin said:
Tom Waits has a couple of references to pool halls, and cue balls. Cannot tell you the name of the individual songs.

Mark Griffin

He lives around here pretty close to me...

my contribution on topic is:

I Can't Dance- Genesis

"Young punk spilling beer on my shoes,
fat guy's talking to me trying to steal my blues.

Thick smoke, see her smiling through.
I never thought so much could happen just shooting pool."
 
Here's a "deep cut"

Matt90 said:
Ok guys I need some help here .What I want to do is compile
a list of songs that mention or are about pool .I do not care if
it is country , rap, rock ,or whatever .I have a huge music collection
and want to see if I have or can get every song we list here .I may
even make a cd set out of em (if I have time) and bring a few to
the DCC .If its a song from a movie about pool that does not mention
pool please note the movie .Let me start with a few and lets see if
we can repost and ad to the list so I have a list and not just a bunch of post
to weed through .

1. Maggie May - Rod Stewart
2. Ya got trouble - Robert Preston & The ensemble
3. Zana Lee - Prince (believe it or not he likes pool)
4. Werewolves of London- Warren Zevon -The Color of Money
5. Rack em up - Jonny Lang


In honor of Matt90's avatar...

William Shatner and Joe Jackson sing Common People

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eISBTBwWKeE
 
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