A Story in My Story

One evening in the early 90s I caught this MTV unplugged show of Neil Young. As I listened to some of the songs for the first time, this one sunk in. I immediately realized that the lyrics were about the tragedies of alcoholism and addiction, or as the song labels it, "the old laughing lady." After watching the show I purchased the CD and have listened to it many, many times. The lyrics are subtle, but say a lot. After living in the LA and New Orleans areas and seeing many street people, most of them obvious victims of alcohol and drug addiction, the words about the drunkard of the village hit hard. The drunkard, like many of us, "loves his old laughing lady 'cause the taste is so sweet. But the laughing lady's loving ain't the kind you can keep." And as all of us drunks know first hand, "the old laughing lady been here before, she don't keep time, she don't count score...they say the old laughing lady dropped by to call, and when she leaves, she leaves nothing at all."
Michael P.

[Verse 1]
Don't call pretty Peggy
She can't hear you no more
Don't leave no message
Around her back door
They say the old laughing lady been here before
She don't keep time, she don't count score

[Verse 2]
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

[Verse 3]
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 the taste is so sweet
But the laughing lady's loving
Ain't the kind he can keep

[Verse 4]
There's a fever on the freeway
Blacks out the night
There's a slippin' 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