The Apology Song

I'm really sorry, Stephen

But your bicycle's been stolen

I was watching it for you

'Til you came back in the fall

Guess I didn't do such a good job after all

I was feeling really sorry, Stephen

& I spent all morning grieving

& everybody's saying

That you'll take the news gracefully

Somehow I don't think

 I'll be getting off that easily

I meant her no harm

When I left her unlocked

Outside the Orange Street Food Farm

I was just running in

Didn't think I'd be that long

I came out, she was gone

& all that was there was some bored old dog

Leashed up to the place where your

 Bicycle had been

Guess we'll never see poor Madeleine again

Let this be consolation, Stephen

That all the while you were in England

I treated her with care & respect

I gave her lots of love

& I was usually pretty good about

 Locking her up

Where has she gone?

Well, I bet she's on the bottom of the Frenchtown Pond

Rudely abused on some hescher's joyride

So I wrote you this song

In the hopes that you'd forgive me

Even though it was wrong

Being so careless with a thing so great

& taking your poor Madeleine away

Away

Despite The Fact That I Essentially Have No Income, I Cheered Myself Up By Going Out & Buying A New Car

My new Torker Boardwalk ST Cruiser

Apology Song – The Decemberists

Portland’s own The Decemberists’ lead singer- Colin Meloy tells about when the bike he was looking after was stolen.

Bicycles Are Red Hot -TV On The Radio

It is difficult to tell exactly what this Brooklyn band is saying in this song except that Bicycles Are Red Hot… especially in Brooklyn & Portland.

Bicycle Song- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Anthony Kiedis assures us that the bicycle is a good invention. It truly must be, he feels strongly enough about that fact to include it in a song that otherwise includes gratuitous references to oral sex.

It’s A Beautiful Day- The Beach Boys

A surfy slice of sun song that imagines an LA where the freeways are jammed with bicycles instead of cars.

Broken Bicycles- Tom Waits

Wait’s voice is as bumpy as the road you ride on. He uses bicycles as a metaphor tangled & twisted lost love.

Theme from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure- Danny Elfman

This fantastic, madcap theme fits perfectly with the whimsical, classic tale of a boy and his best friend- his bike.

Riding On My Bike- Madness

They sang about their house, now it’s their bike. The song tells the story of a cyclist with ominous background vocals suggesting sinister scoundrels trailing close behind.

Bicycle Race- Queen

As if there was ever any doubt, this song is the ultimate in cycling glorification. Freddie Mercury repeats “bicycle” 41 times & ringing bike bells act as the bridge.

The Bike Song- Mark Ronson & Business INT

Fresh & funny, I want to listen to this while riding.

Les Bicyclettes de Belsize- Engelbert Humperdinck

My personal favorite Bicycle Song, much loved in my childhood. I sang it at a 8^th grade talent show at Sacajawea Junior High School in Spokane. I killed with this tune, of course.