Channelling Johnny Cash

Press play before reading. Salute.

Some call me

The man in black

Some still sing

Of my Folsom blues

For I was once the

Biggest sinner of them all

In the late 1950s

While others just whispered

In Little Rock

Arkansas

About my mistakes

As they grew

When I once got on Stage

And sang

About a boy named Sue

I’ve walked the line

And rocked the music scene

In Memphis, Tennessee

Filled with cocaine blues

Saw Sunday morning coming down

With Tommy

 Drunk on the mysteries of life

 Like raiders in the

 Bluest of skies

Sat with my personal Jesus

Filled with bitter tears

And Ira Hayes

In my rusty old cage

To once write Freedom songs

But the Man said no

Aint no trail of tears

Was going to stop us

I was so full of rage

I’ve sung and slept 

For 25 minutes

In the house of the blues

Sang with Dylan

About a Girl from the North Country

In good old Nashville

But life

And liberty

Go hand in hand

It's why I played

Guitar

And sung 

Dressed like an undertaker

In a Rock and Roll band

But when the good altar calls

And The Gospel Road sings

A true believer sees the truth

For when the Tall Man comes

Calling around

 

Like a highwayman

Riding the Rails

With his 9-inch nails

You gotta have faith

For when your dreams

And once-loved relationships

Lie disheveled in the

Dirt

Like on May 15, 2003

Now that's makes

You cry

And the pain still hurts

But now I

Live forever

Now my search for love is over

Yes I’ve found my nearest thing to heaven

My eternal summertime

Called June

When l was growing up

In Kingsland, Arkansas

And life was dragging on

My mama once told me

Son

According to my Hymn Book

Wait and you’ll know the one

We now dance

Entwined

Hand to shoulder

In heavens Caudill Drive

In Hendersonville

A place

Where no-one

Breathes or even

Gets older

In our ring of Fire

And now I'm back

In a new Jackson

With my Beloved

Sunshine

Finding my old rhythm

One piece at a time

Me and June

Are on the road again

Ain't no grave

Or a big river

In this ring of Fire

No more cocaine blues

For this old County Boy

Named Sue

Now I'm at peace

With my

Orange Blossom

Named June

All of God's children ain't born free

You've just got to find a wildwood flower

Your own

Wild piece O’Colorado

For when it's springtime

In Alaska

She'll protect ya

I'm a still

Riding this train

With my guitar

Playing Boss Jack

 

With June

Still singing

My old prison songs

About a new Folsom blues

But gotta be careful

Don't want God cutting me down

Don't want the tall man

Coming round

Not in this ring of fire

So I’ll be outa here

Going to new lands of happiness

Riding this train

Filled with no more tears

Good night

And amen

This last gunfighter is

On the road again

Crossing all shining seashores

 In new The Holy Land

For a thing called love

Now blows

It's ragged old American 

Flag in our new winds

As we now go back on tour

My gone girl has now 

Been found and

We now live and sing 

Out among the stars

Playing love songs on our 

Old guitars

(C)

Copyright John Duffy

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