Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley had a top ten hit with this subversive spiritual despite the fact that the song was banned by the FCC. They wrote the song backstage between shows at the Vanguard in Kansas City.
Brewer recalls, "We played there a lot. We were real bored, sitting in the dressing room. We were pretty much stoned and all and Tom says, ‘Man, I’m one toke over the line tonight.’ We were literally just entertaining ourselves. Just making ourselves laugh, really. The next day we got together to do some picking and said, 'What was that we were messing with last night?' We remembered it, and in about an hour, we'd written 'One Toke Over the Line.' We had no idea that it would ever even be considered as a single, because it was just another song to us. Actually Tom and I always thought that our ballads were our forte."
After hearing the audience response to the song during a gig at Carnegie Hall, the president of their record label insisted that they include the song on their upcoming album. The sessions for 'Tarkio' included Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar. When the song was released as a single, Vice-president Spiro Agnew declared the duo to be subversives and pressured the FCC to ban the song. At the same time, a wholesome remake of the song was performed on the Lawrence Welk Show by show regulars Gail Farrell & Dick Dale, who thought it was a gospel song.
"That one silly song we wrote to kill some time between sets went over like gangbusters from the first time we played it live. Who would have guessed that it would end up being a classic rock song still played all around the world, in movies and stuff. It cracks me up. ‘Cause we were just kidding, we were just entertaining ourselves. Other people chose to make a big deal out of it. We were really happy just to get a hit, even if it wasn't necessarily the one we would have picked," says Brewer. "We're really glad people still like it."
An oblivious Gale and Dale sing "a modern spiritual" on Lawrence Welk:
One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Awaitin' for the train that goes home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Whoooo do you love, I hope it's me
I've bin a changin', as you can plainly see
I felt the joy and I learned about the pain that my momma said
If I should choose to make a part of me, surely strike me dead
Now I'm one toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
I'm waitin' for the train that goes home sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
I sail away a country mile,
Now I'm returnin' showin' off a smile
I met all the girls and loved myself a few
Ended by surprise like everything else I've been through
It opened up my eyes and now I'm
One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
Don't you just know I waitin' for the train that goes home sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Don't you just know I waitin' for the train that goes home sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
I want to be
One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Don't you just know I waitin' for the train that goes home sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over line
One toke, one toke over the line
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