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Have a Lyrical Time at County Fair
When you think of a county fair, a menu of things pop to mind including cotton candy and deep-fried-chocolate-covered-bacon-wrapped concoctions as well as carousel rides and Carney games and a bird’s-eye view atop a Ferris wheel.
Too, surely, you think of music.
And so, with the 141st annual Ventura County Fair’s 12 days of magic in full swing through Aug. 14, I looked up lyrics about county fairs. I was surprised not only by how many songs touch on the subject, but how many are actually titled “County Fair.”
To help get you in the mood, here is a small sampling. Strum a guitar and sing along . . .
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From “County Fair” by Bruce Springsteen:
“Every year when summer comes around
“They stretch a banner ’cross the main street in town
“You can feel somethin’ happenin’ in the air
“Getting’ ready for the county fair
“County fair, county fair
“Everybody in town will be there
“So come on, hey, we’re goin’ down there
“Hey little girl with the long blond hair
“Come win your daddy one of them stuffed bears
“Baby down at the county fair”
Additional lyrics include:
“Well baby you know I just love the sound
“Of the pipe organ on the merry-go-round
“Now at the north end of the field, well they set up a stand
“And they got a little Rock ’N’ Roll band
“The people dancin’, yeah, out in the open air
“Just rockin’ down at the county fair”
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From “Walk Me Down the Middle” by The Band Perry:
“Walk me down the middle of the county fair
“Walk me down the middle like you don’t care
“Walk me by the Ferris wheel and make sure she sees
“Let the whole world know you belong to me”
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From “County Fair” by Chris Ledoux:
“I got a date with a girl, a perdy ranchers daughter,
“Green as her golden hair.
“Gonna pick her up at 8 after some soap and water.
“And we’re headin’ to the county fair.
“So I’m gonna take on the Ferris wheel.
“Way up in the sky, with the stars in her eyes,
“I’m gonna tell her just how I feel.
“Well, there’s a full moon in the western sky,
“And there’s magic in the air.
“Ain’t nothin’ I know of, can make you fall in love,
“Like a night at the county fair.”
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From “County Fair” by John Mellencamp:
“Well the County Fair left quite a mess
“In the county yard
“Kids with eyes as big as dollars
“Rode all the rides”
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From “County Fair” by Lonestar:
“Twenty bucks buys ten coupons
“Two ears of corn and one ride on
“The tilt-a-whirl with your favorite girl
“Keep on walkin’ down the midway
“Three-eyed goats and games to play
“ ‘Step right up,’ Carney says, ‘Try your luck’
“You can tell the sweet smell of summer in the air
“Whole town shuts down, everybody’s gonna be there
“Down at the county fair”
And:
“Judging pigs and judging pies
“Fighting for the first place prize
“There’s nothing bigger
“In small towns everywhere
“Than the county fair”
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From “I Like it, I Love It” by The 2 Live Crew:
“Spent forty-eight dollars last night at the county fair
“I threw out my shoulder but I won her that teddy bear
“She’s got me saying sugar-pie, honey, darlin’, and dear
“I ain’t seen the Braves play a game all year”
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Another teddy bear prize in “Odds and Ends” by Freda Payne:
“Odds and ends of love that used to be
“You’re gone, but the memories linger on
“An old teddy bear that’s lost its hair
“You won at the county fair”
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From “Still Think About You” by William Clark Green:
“We were something special
“Pretty big deal
“Met you at the county fair
“Kissed you on the Ferris wheel”
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You’ve still got eight days left to ride the rides, play some games, try to win a stuffed bear, listen to a rock ‘n’ roll band, and maybe sneak a kiss on the Ferris wheel at our “County Fair with Ocean Air.”
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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.
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