John Wonderling - Man of Straw (1968)

Johnny Wonderling was of French ancestry, born and raised in Queens, New York. In 1968, he wrote “Midway Down” (recorded and released by The Creation in April 1968) and released a version of the song in September 1968 on Loma Records, a sublabel of Warner Bros. His single was the last single to be released on Loma just before their absorption into the Warner Bros. Records label. Although “Midway Down” and its flip-side, heard below, were great songs, they weren’t promoted by the closing recording sublabel. Contributing to his own failure, Wonderling took an additional five years to record enough material to release a full-length album. By that time, 1973, his psychedelic music was antiquated and his album, Daybreaks, failed to make any impact on pop culture or the public. Wonderling remained in New York, living in Woodstock. In the late 2000s, he passed away in Paris, France while away on his honeymoon.

This song was the B-Side to Wonderling’s “Midway Down,” the last single to be released on Loma Records. It was written by John Wonderling, Carey Allane (real name Carey Budnick), and Ed Goldfluss. Released in September 1968, the song never charted.

Update (08-11-2015): Ed Goldfluss was kind enough to stop by and leave a correction of the lyrics in the comments. And who better to know than him? He also pointed out that he goes by "Ed," rather than "Eddie," which has been reflected in the narrative above. Thanks, Ed!



John Wonderling - Man of Straw (1968)

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Lyrics:

When the scarecrow in the garden died
The jury decided it was suicide
And you cried

Standing in the pouring rain, drowning
So hard to wash away the blame born inside

A chorus of summer crows
Tells you that’s the way it goes
For a man made of straw
Ha ha ha!

Then the other corn refused to grow
The gardener- he really didn’t know or care
Just why

Standing there with hoe in hand
Wondering why he couldn’t understand
Poor guy

A nearby mantis, praying
Saying, “That’s the way it goes”
“For a man made of straw”
Ha ha ha!

And what’s more than love
Should care now that he's gone
And what’s more than love
Should care now that he's gone

When the scarecrow in the garden died
The jury decided it was suicide
And you cried

But the scarecrow in the garden tried
The only human thing he ever did
Was to die

A procession of professional mourners
Proclaiming, “That’s the way it goes”
“For a man made of straw”
Ha ha ha!

And what’s more than love
Should care now that he's gone
And what's more than enough
Sure to come now that he's gone