Charlie Freak had but one thing to call his own
Three weight ounce pure golden ring no precious stone
Five nights without a bite
No place to lay his head

And if nobody takes him in
He'll soon be dead
On the street he spied my face I heard him hail
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale

Poor man, he showed his hand
So righteous was his need
And me so wise I bought his prize
For chicken feed

Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind
Poor kid, he overdid
Embraced the spreading haze

And while he sighed his body died
In fifteen ways

When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay
'Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A.
Yes Jack, I gave it back
The ring I could not own

Now come my friend I'll take your hand
And lead you home


Lyrics submitted by montresor, edited by xHenryChinaski

Charlie Freak Lyrics as written by Walter Carl Becker Donald Jay Fagen

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network

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Charlie Freak song meanings
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  • +3
    General Comment

    I see a guy who finds a homeless man in great need of money for some addiction. So the guy takes advantage of him to get something valuable (His ring) for little money. Charlie gets the stuff he needs and OD's and dies. When the guy who bought his ring hears about this he's wracked with guilt. He goes to the hospital to give the ring back to his dead body.

    Now here's where I'm not sure. "Ill take your hand and lead you home" sounds like the guy commits suicide and joins Charlie in the afterlife. He feels he has to care for Charlie in the afterlife and make sure he gets to heaven.

    ThirdWorldManon March 01, 2015   Link

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