Tuesday, October 18, 2011

TFT: Johnny Cash


Not every song that will be featured here will be what is generally considered as being “Christian” in the eyes of this world.  For some will be anguished cries from the pit of despair, and others will be quite obviously ferverent rants of rebellion.  Nonetheless, be assured that they will all be of our Heavenly Father (in one way or another) and I hope that you have been given ears to hear the message.


Folsom Prison Blues
Johnny Cash
I hear the train a-comin’
It’s rollin’ ‘round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine
Since I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom Prison
And time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps a-rollin’
On down to San An-Tone

When I was just a baby
My mama told me son
Always be a good boy
Don’t ever play with guns
But I shot a man in Reno
Just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowin’
I hang my head and cry

I bet there’s rich folks eatin’
In a fancy dinin’ car
They’re probably drinkin’ coffee
And smokin’ big cigars
Well I know I had it comin’
I know I can’t be free
But those people keep a-movin’
And that’s what tortures me

Well if they freed me from this prison
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I’d move it all
A little farther down the line
Far from Folsom Prison
That’s where I want to stay
And I’d let that lonesome whistle
Blow my blues away


A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash
Well my daddy left home
When I was three
And he didn’t leave much
To ma and me
Just this old guitar
And an empty bottle of booze
Now I don’t blame him
‘Cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing
That my daddy ever did
Was before he left
He went and named me Sue

Well he might of thought that it was quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a lot of folks
It seems I had to fight my whole life through
Some gal would giggle
And I’d turn read
And some guy’d laugh
And I’d bust his head
I tell ya
Life ain’t easy
For a boy named Sue

Well I grew up quick
And I grew up mean
My fist got hard
And my wits got keen
I’d roam from town to town
To hide my shame
But I made me a vow
To the moon and stars
That I’d search the honky-tonks
And bars
And kill that man that give me
That awful name

Well it was Gatlinburg in mid-July
And I just hit town and my throat was dry
I thought I’d stop and have myself a brew
At an old saloon on a street of mud
There at a table dealing stud
Sat the dirty mangy dog that named me Sue

Well I knew that snake my own sweet dad
From a worn-out picture that my mother had
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
He was big and bent
And gray and old
And I looked at him
And my blood ran cold
And I said
My name is Sue
How do you do
Now you’re gonna die

Well I hit him hard right between the eyes
And he went down but to my surprise
He come up with a knife
And cut off a piece of my ear
Then I busted a chair right across his teeth
And we crashed though the wall and into the street
Kickin’ and a-gougin’
In the mud
And the blood
And the beer
I tell ya
I’ve fought tougher men
But I really can’t remember when
He kicked like a mule
And he bit like a crocodile
Well I heard him laugh
And then I heard him cuss
He went for his gun
And I pulled mine first
He stood there lookin’ at me
And I saw him smile
And he said
Son this world is rough
And if a man’s gonna make it
He’s gotta be tough
And I know I wouldn’t be there to help ya along
So I gave ya a name and I said goodbye
I knew you’d have to get tough or die
And it’s that name that helped to make you strong
He said
Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me
And you got the right to kill me now
And I wouldn’t blame you if you do
But ya ought to thank me before I die
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
‘Cause I’m the son of a bitch that named you Sue

I got all choked up
And I threw down my gun
And I called him my pa
And he called me his son
And I came away with a different
Point of view
And I think about him
Now and then
Every time I try
And every time I win
And if I ever have a
Well if I ever have a boy
I think I’m gonna name him
Frank
Or George
Or Bill
Or Tom
Anything but Sue
I don’t want him going ‘round
Being called Sue all of his life
That’s a horrible thing
To do to a boy

Lyrics From: [Sweets Lyrics]

Please Also Visit:
and

11 comments:

  1. Cash "shot a man in Reno... just to watch him die..."

    Which we know is wrong to do - to kill someone from pleasure, which is something that only humans do... perhaps suggesting that there are universally-existent moral laws, and that possibly humanity is far more than just randomly-evolved blobs of protoplasm?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Lavender!!! Well, if you were paying attention to the Zeitgeist movies, such behavior is a direct result of capitalist pigs keeping the poor and downtrodden poor and downtrodden.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well I loved Johnny Cash - he was a rebel with his own cause. sandie

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Johnny Cash - who in their right mind doesn't - but these aren't two of my favs - I'm sure if I read through the lyrics there would be some kind of unifying theme but I just don't want to...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like old Johnny. I don't recall the first one but is there anyone who hasn't heard of a guy named sue

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Sandie!!! Very well put!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Grace!!! It was indeed a STRUGGLE to pick the two, and I AGONIZED over the decision for days.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Ann!!! This surprises me. For "Folsom Prison Blues" is arguably his signature song. It is also the song that helped to inspire Merle Haggard to want to get into country music after he heard Johnny play the song in a concert at San Quentin while Merle was an inmate.

    http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/inmate-merle-haggard-hears-johnny-cash-play-san-quentin-state-prison

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thanks for stopping by again, my dear Adullamite!!! Better?

    ReplyDelete
  10. This brings back old memories. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for stopping by, my dear Ginnymo!!! He will be greatly missed in this world, but his music will last until the end of time.

    ReplyDelete

Since the Blogger spam filter has been found sorely lacking lately, I will start moderating comments. Be assured that I am only interested in deleting spam. So, if you feel a need to take me to task over something—even anonymously, go ahead and let 'er rip, and I will publish it as soon as I can.