50 Years Ago, Charlie Got on that Train

Peter Dreier and Jim Vrabel: Will Charlie Ever Get Off That Train?: "Fifty years ago (February 16, 1959), at the Capitol Recording Studios in New York, the Kingston Trio recorded 'M.T.A.,' a ballad about a 'man named Charlie' who was doomed to 'ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston' for want of a nickel to pay the fare to get off. In the song's most memorable stanza, Charlie's wife brings him a sandwich every day, handing it to him through an open window 'while the train goes rumbling through.' (Watch the the YouTube video of the Trio performing the 'M.T.A.' song)."

Hat tip to Walter Satterthwait.