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[–] COFfeebreak 1 points (+1|-0)

The song chronicles the tale of the fictional band Willy and the Poor Boys, and how they play on street corners to cheer people up and ask for nickels (equivalent to $0.33 in 2016).

The song makes reference to a washboard, a kazoo, a Kalamazoo guitar, and a gut bass. In a 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the band performed the song as Willy and the Poor Boys. Stu Cook played a gut bass, Doug Clifford the washboard, Tom Fogerty the Kalamazoo, which mimicked the appearance of the band as they appear on the album cover.