The Mayor of Candor Lied
Encyclopedia
"The Mayor of Candor Lied" is a song written and sung by Harry Chapin
. It was released on his 1976
album On the Road to Kingdom Come
. The song tells the story of a poor farm boy anxious to marry the daughter of the town’s mayor
even if he must go so far as to blackmail the mayor to get his way.
), the narrator introduces himself by stating that his father is a farmer
and that his mother is "a neighbor who goes visiting around". However, none of that seems to bother the narrator as his focus is on the mayor's daughter, Coleen. The mayor is against the courtship
of the two and plans to see his daughter married "to a better man than a boy with farmer's hands".
One day, the narrator decides to work things out with the mayor. He searches for him at his home and office with no success, only to discover the mayor out in the countryside having an affair
with the narrator's mother. The narrator becomes angry with the mayor and decides to blackmail him by stating that he will keep this incident a secret to protect him in his upcoming re-election as long as the mayor promises to let him be with Coleeen. The Mayor agrees, reasoning that "this piper must be paid
".
One month later, the mayor is re-elected and to celebrate he decides to take his family (including Coleen) on a "month long foreign vacation". The narrator waits for their return; when they finally they do return, Coleen is not with them. The mayor states that Coleen decided to stay to finish her schooling and tells the narrator that he will no longer be seeing his daughter. In an ironic twist, the mayor also reveals his long kept secret in that he is, in fact, the narrator's real father ("Of course, dear son, where do you think you came from in the first place?") and that they are "two of a kind".
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
. It was released on his 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
album On the Road to Kingdom Come
On the Road to Kingdom Come
On the Road to Kingdom Come is the sixth studio album by the American singer/songwriter Harry Chapin, released in 1976. . Longer versions of the songs "Corey's Coming" and "If My Mary Were Here" appeared on Chapin's 1979 live album Legends of the Lost and Found...
. The song tells the story of a poor farm boy anxious to marry the daughter of the town’s mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
even if he must go so far as to blackmail the mayor to get his way.
Plot
Set in "the little town of Candor" (possibly referring to Candor, NYCandor (village), New York
Candor is a village located in the Town of Candor in Tioga County, New York. The population was 855 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area....
), the narrator introduces himself by stating that his father is a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and that his mother is "a neighbor who goes visiting around". However, none of that seems to bother the narrator as his focus is on the mayor's daughter, Coleen. The mayor is against the courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
of the two and plans to see his daughter married "to a better man than a boy with farmer's hands".
One day, the narrator decides to work things out with the mayor. He searches for him at his home and office with no success, only to discover the mayor out in the countryside having an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with the narrator's mother. The narrator becomes angry with the mayor and decides to blackmail him by stating that he will keep this incident a secret to protect him in his upcoming re-election as long as the mayor promises to let him be with Coleeen. The Mayor agrees, reasoning that "this piper must be paid
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is the subject of a legend concerning the departure or death of a great many children from the town of Hamelin , Lower Saxony, Germany, in the Middle Ages. The earliest references describe a piper, dressed in pied clothing, leading the children away from the town never...
".
One month later, the mayor is re-elected and to celebrate he decides to take his family (including Coleen) on a "month long foreign vacation". The narrator waits for their return; when they finally they do return, Coleen is not with them. The mayor states that Coleen decided to stay to finish her schooling and tells the narrator that he will no longer be seeing his daughter. In an ironic twist, the mayor also reveals his long kept secret in that he is, in fact, the narrator's real father ("Of course, dear son, where do you think you came from in the first place?") and that they are "two of a kind".
Chorus
The songs chorus is heard heard three times throughout the song, and in shortened form two more times. The first two times the chorus is heard, it foreshadows the song's ending with the revelation that the mayor's daughter may be traveling overseas:- The Mayor of Candor lied
- When he offered me his only daughter
- The Mayor of Candor tried
- To take her across the water
- What a thing to do to a young man in love
- What a thing to do to your daughter.