This morning I listened to a compilation album of the Coasters. A spoken line at the beginning of "Little Egypt" caught my attention: "Just one thin dime, one tenth of a dollar." I had to reference the recording to get the exact phrase, but word-for-word, this is almost the same exhortation that's in the Beach Boys' "Amusement Parks U.S.A." on the Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) album. There, it's "One thin dime, just one tenth of a dollar."
Last time I did Collection Audit, I postulated that that phrase in "Amusement Parks U.S.A." came from the song "Broadway," specifically the line "One thin dime won't even shine your shoes." This song by the Coasters seems much more likely to be the actual origin though. While I don't know if the Beach Boys were familiar with this song, both it and "Amusement Parks U.S.A." have a carnival-esque atmosphere.
