Check out this silly subway song from the 1940s

In the late 1940s, a candidate for mayor in Boston thought fares on the city’s subway were too expensive, and that the exit fare structure was too complicated. So he commissioned a couple of folk singers to write a song about a man who boards the subway but can’t afford to get off.

In the song, subway fares go up after a man named Charlie starts riding. Charlie doesn’t have an extra nickel for the exit fare, so he spends eternity riding aimlessly through Boston’s transit system. His wife does manage to bring him a sandwich every day, though.

The song became such a well-known part of Boston folklore that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority named its smart fare card the “CharlieCard.”

A few years ago, WMATA lowered the maximum negative balance allowed on SmarTrip cards to $1.50 with little notice. Hopefully there aren’t any Charlies stuck on the Metro!