Then Came The Last Days Of May by Blue Öyster Cult

Album: Blue Öyster Cult (1972)

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Songfacts®:

This song is based on the true story of three young men from Long Island (Blue Öyster Cult's home base) who got caught up in a drug deal that went horribly wrong. The three youths travelled to Tucson, Arizona, to make the connection, but when they got there, the two buyers shot them, keeping the money and the drugs. Two of the Long Island men were killed, but one stayed alive and was able to identify the assailants, who were arrested.

The song was written and sung by Blue Öyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma, who told Songfacts: "In those days, for middle class/collegiate-type people to get involved in drug sales was pretty unusual. It was an awful story - they went out to Tucson, Arizona, met up with some crooks, and got killed. The aspect of 'good kids gone bad' was a big part of that."
The events that inspired this song actually took place in July, but "May" worked better in the lyric.
"Then Came The Last Days Of May" is a track from Blue Öyster Cult's self-titled debut album. The band was signed to a major label (Columbia) and had the support of much of the rock and roll intelligentsia. None of this translated to major sales until their fourth album in 1976, which contains the hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper."

Comments: 9

Flip from Mountains Of Western MdHeard snippets of this tune driving in the mountains thru bad static. Pulled over and the DJ said it was BOC and song name. Was happy to get home and see I have the album but long forgot about this tune. Spun the whole LP and man what a scary tune knowing it is true. What great guitar!
Bocswu from Florida Now. Long Island Is In My Rear View.Ralph, that's a great page you created for the 'complete story' of Then Came The Last Days Of May. I kind of always knew I was right about the ending lyrics coming from one of the victims.
One article I didn't see on your page is from the New York Daily News dated Sep 6, 1970. It is an article on "Burn" robberies, also known as Rip Off robberies. In the article there is a photo of Gast in the back seat and another photo of officers looking at Tait on the side of the road.

http://bit.ly/3xGaNG1

The three good buddies are: David Knowles Anderson Jr. 21 of Syosset and Stony Brook Student, William Ramsey Tait 3d 22 of Merrick and Stony Brook Student, & John George Gast 24 of Baltimore.
The driver is Steve Lee Lewis and the other guy / the shooter is Derrell Lynn Doyal.
David Anderson survived and was given immunity because, technically, he was commiting a crime. His testimony helped in the conviction.
William Tait is the victim Buck knew.

Copy and paste Ralph's link to read tons more about the First Days of July.
http://bit.ly/3m05X3w
Vladimir from BratislavaBut the driver was the other guy who killed them! It was somebody who drove three boys to take the stuff, and in one moment he stoped the car, turned back and "spilled three boys blood".
And I think that Buck is just telling the story to somebody.
RalphFull story here, plus Buck on the last verse:

http://www.hotrails.co.uk/bociaq/features/ldom.htm
Bocswu from Long IslandI think too many people confuse the outro. The last verse or the outro, "They're ok, the last days of May...", is sung by one of the victims. Think of it as a prologue. The whole beginning of the song takes place in Arizona during a drug deal gone bad in July. The title of the song is "Then Came the Last Days of May." One of the victims is asking the song writer, Buck Dharma, if he would like to go out west with them at the end of May. Thankfully he declines.
Jm from VaAs I see it, the killer (the "other guy") is actually telling the story in the preceding verses (amazing how the storyteller knows a lot of details, right?). In the last verse, he switches to first person and is trying to entice another victim to take out west and kill. ("It's nice out West, I'm going, wanna come along?").
Jkgman64I never knew the true events side of the lyrics until recently, but in my mind I always saw one of the three boys after being shot, crawling out of the car and lying in the desert near death, and in his delirium it was his way of saying he was about to die and join his friends who were already on the other side
Michael H from UkFour verses are a straightforward telling of the story but the last verse is vague and cryptic.
Any ideas about it's meaning ??
Dryley from Indiana, U.s.What about the last verse? I am confused as to how it fits....

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