Buzzing flies, bawling children and a barking dog are among the hassles faced by the Topeka housewife highlighted in the 1972 hit country song “One’s on the Way,” sung by Loretta Lynn and written by children’s author Shel Silverstein.
Featuring the phrase “Here in Topeka,” the song contrasts the glamorous lives of celebrities with the mundane but hectic existence of its pregnant narrator, who closes by saying, “Oh gee, I hope it ain’t twins again.”
“One’s on the Way” rose to the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart . It is among a number of songs in which Kansas has been highlighted.
Following are 14 others.
‘Ghetto Woman’
Janelle Monae’s 2013 song “Ghetto Woman” pays tribute to her working class mother, Janet, who raised her in Kansas City, Kansas.
The song tells of a woman who works from “night to morning light,” gets put down by others and feels like she’s alone, but it also offers words of encouragement.
“Oh, ghetto women, hold onto your dreams and all your great philosophies,” it says. “You’re the reason I believe in me, for real.”