Timothy, Where On Earth Did You Go?

Summary

"Timothy, Where On Earth Did You Go?" is a 1971 song by The Buoys that tells a darkly upbeat story of two miners, Joe and the narrator, who are implied to have resorted to cannibalism to survive after a mining disaster, leading to the disappearance of their colleague, Timothy.

Abstract

The song "Timothy" by The Buoys, peaking at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, is a catchy tune with a grim narrative. It revolves around a mining accident where only three miners, Joe, the narrator, and Timothy, survive. The upbeat tempo contrasts with the lyrics that suggest an act of cannibalism. Despite some attempts at banning the song, it gained popularity. The song's writer, Rupert Holmes, is also known for the hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." The article reflects on other mining-related media, such as the movies "Coal Miner's Daughter," "33," and the well-known case of Baby Jessica, drawing a parallel between the song's theme and real-life survival stories.

Opinions

The author of the article has a personal connection to the song, recalling listening to Casey Kasem's "American Top 40."
There is a note of skepticism regarding the song's popularity in Syracuse, NY, with the author unable to authenticate the claim of its 12-week reign at number one.
The author expresses a dislike for Rupert Holmes' later hit "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" and makes a subjective comment about the 1970s being "a tad classless."
The article contrasts "Timothy" with other mining songs, such as Lee Dorsey's "Working in the Coal Mine" and The Bee Gees' "New York Mining Disaster 1941," highlighting the unique and controversial theme of "Timothy."
The author seems to appreciate the storytelling aspect of songs and movies about mining disasters, as evidenced by the mention of various media that depict such events.

A Song (The Only Song?) About Cannibalism

Cover and notes for the single “Timothy” by The Buoys. Photo by author.

Trapped in a mine that had caved in And everyone knows the only ones left Were Joe and me and Tim When they broke through to pull us free The only ones left to tell the tale Were Joe and me

Sounds auspicious, like it’s going to be a rather dour story, right? If it weren’t for the fast and upbeat tempo of the song, it would be. The Buoys recorded this one-hit-wonder in 1971, and it peaked at a respectable #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Some radio stations made attempts to ban the song, but its popularity overcame that.

I used to listen to Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” religiously every Sunday morning. He spoke of the fact that “Timothy” had become the number one song on a radio station in Syracuse, NY, for something like 12 weeks. But, unfortunately, I cannot authenticate that. It is just a piece of useless trivia I remember.

When I think of movies about mining, the first that comes to mind is1980s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” which told the story of Loretta Lynn’s life and her rise to stardom. But that’s not exactly a disaster.

In 2015, there was the movie “33”. The film documented the 69 days 33 men were trapped in a Chilean coal mine in 2010. Miraculously, all survived.

And who can forget Baby Jessica? While she wasn’t trapped in a coal mine, she got stuck in a well in Midland, Texas, in 1987. CNN covered the process of her rescue for 56 hours straight. She, too, survived.

Hungry as hell, no food to eat And Joe said that he would sell his soul For just a piece of meat Water enough to drink for two And Joe said to me, “I’ll have a swig And then there’s some for you”

“Timothy” is a song that implies Joe, and the narrator of the song, the other trapped miner, cannibalized their colleague, Timothy. The song was written by Rupert Holmes, who wrote and sang 1979’s “Escape” (The Pina Colada Song), which is quite the antithesis of Timothy. I'm not too fond of that song. Many people weren’t too fond of that song, but enough people bought it that it hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for three weeks. Ugh. Oh well, the 70s were a tad classless.

I must have blacked out just around then ’Cause the very next thing that I could see Was the light of the day again My stomach was full as it could be And nobody ever got around To finding Timothy

Two other songs about mining come to mind. The first is “Working in the Coal Mine” by Lee Dorsey, but I preferred DEVO’s remake.

The Bee Gees very first single released in America was “New York Mining Disaster 1941” in 1967, which climbed to number 14 on the charts. It tells the story of two miners trapped in a cave-in, with the narrator sharing a photo and talking of his wife while they wait to be rescued. Whether or not they were is not disclosed—what a far cry from “Night Fever” that was.

Timothy, Timothy Joe was looking at you Timothy, Timothy God, what did we do?

The question remains to this day…