Johnny Cash

[fox69]

"The Ballad Of Annie Palmer"

"The Ballad Of Annie Palmer"



On the island of Jamaica
Quit a long long time ago
At rose hall plantation
Where the ocean breezes blow
Lived a girl named Annie Palmer
The mistress of the place
And the slaves all lived in fear
To see a frown on Annie's face

Wheres your husband Annie
Where's number two and three
Are they sleeping beneath the palms
Beside the Caribbean sea
At night I hear you riding
And I hear your lovers call
And I still can feel your presence
Around the great house at rose hall

Well if you should ever go to see the great house at rose hall
There's expensive chairs and china
And great paintings on the wall
They'll show you any sitting room
And the whipping post outside
But they won't let you see the room
Where Annie's husbands died

Wheres your husband Annie
Where's number two and three
Are they sleeping beneath the palms
Beside the Caribbean Sea
At night I hear you riding
And I hear your lovers call
And I still can feel your presence
Around the great house at rose hall

 

[fox69]

"The Ballad Of Barbara"

"The Ballad Of Barbara"



In a southern town where I was born
That's where I got my education
I worked in the fields and I walked in the woods
And I wondered at creation.

I recall the sun in a sky of blue
And the smell of green things growin'
And the seasons chang'd and I lived each day
Just the way the wind was blowin'.

Then I heard of a cultured city life
Breath takin' lofty steeples
And the day I called myself a man
I left my land and my people.

And I rambled north and I rambled east
And I tested and I tasted
And a girl or two, took me round and round
But they always left me wasted.

In a world that's all concrete and steel
With nothin' green ever growin'
Where the buildings hide the risin' sun
And they blocked the free winds from blowin.

Where you sleep all day and you wake all night
To a world of drink and laughter
I met that girl that I was sure would be
The one that I was after.

In a soft blue gown and formal tux
Beneath that lofty steeple
He said, "Do you Barbara, take this man,
Will you be one of his people?"

And she said, "I will." and she said, "I do."
And the world looked mighty pretty
And we lived in a fancy downtown flat
'Cause she loved the noisy city.

But the days grew cold beneath a yellow sky
And I longed for green things growin'
And the thoughts of home and the people there
But she'd not agreed to goin'.

Then her hazel eyes turned away from me
With a look that wasn't pretty
And she turned into concrete and steel
And she said, "I'll take the city."

Now the cars go by on the interstate
And my pack is on my shoulder
But I'm goin' home, where I belong
Much wiser now and older.

 

[fox69]

"The Ballad Of Boot Hill"

"The Ballad Of Boot Hill"



Here lies less more
Four slugs from a forty-four
No less no more

Out in Arizona just south of Tucson
Where tumbleweeds tumble in search of a home
There's a town they call Tombstone where the brave never cry
They live by a sixgun by a sixgun they die

It's been a long time now since the town was a boom
The jailhouse is empty so's the Palace Saloon
Just one look will tell you that this town was real
A secluded old dirt road leads up to Boot Hill

Walk up to the fence there and look at the view
That's where they were hanging eighteen eighty two
It's easy to see where the brave men have died
Rope marks on the oak tree are now petrified

At night when the moon shines so far away
It gets mighty lonesome lookin' down on their graves
There lies Billy Clanton never wanted to kill
But he's there with the guilty way up on Boot Hill (Boot Hill)

 

[fox69]

"The Ballad Of Ira Hayes"

"The Ballad Of Ira Hayes"


Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes

[CHORUS:]
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian
A proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years
The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped

Now Ira's folks were hungry
And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed

[CHORUS:]
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again

And when the fight was over
And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

[CHORUS:]
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian
No water, no crops, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance

[CHORUS:]
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Then Ira started drinkin' hard;
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone!

He died drunk one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes

[CHORUS:]
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died

 

[fox69]

"The Baron"

"The Baron"



Wish I had a-known ya
When you were a little younger
Around me you might have learned a thing or two
If I had known you longer
You might be a little stronger
And maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do
Maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do

As he walked into the poolroom, you could tell he didn't fit
In his handmade boots, custom suits, and pearl handled shooting stick
Tonight there'd be a showdown, then everyone would know
Who shoots the meanest game around - The Baron or Billy Joe

Billy Joe looked edgy, about to lose his cool
But the Baron's hands were steady, as the two began to duel
Yeah, he was like a general on a battlefield of slate
And he'd say to Billy Joe each time he sunk the eight
He'd say...

Wish I had a-known ya
When you were a little younger
Around me you might have learned a thing or two
If I had known you longer
You might be a little stronger
And maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do
Maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do

Now Billy Joe was busted, but he hadn't felt the sting
And from the far end of the table, he threw his mother's wedding ring
And he said "you won my money, but it ain't gonna do the trick
I'll bet this ring on one more game against your fancy stick"

The Baron's eyes got foggy as the ring rolled on the felt
And he almost doubled over like he had been hit below the belt
Twenty years ago, it was the ring his wife had worn
And he didn't know before he left that a son would soon be born

It sounded just like thunder when the Baron shot the break
But it grew thickly quiet as he lined up the eight
Then a warm hand touched his shoulder and it chilled him to the bone
When he turned and saw the woman who had loved him for so long

The game was never finished; the eight ball never fell
The Baron calmly picked it up and put it on the shelf
Then he placed the ring in the hands that held him long ago
And he tossed that fancy shooting stick to his son Billy Joe
And he said...

Wish I had a-known ya
When you were a little younger
Around me you might have learned a thing or two
If I had known you longer
You might be a little stronger
And maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do
Maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do

 

[fox69]

"The Battle Of New Orleans"
(originally by Jimmy Driftwood)

"The Battle Of New Orleans"
(originally by Jimmy Driftwood)



In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We looked down the river and we see'd the British come.
And there must have been a hundred of'em beatin' on the drum.
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring.
We stood by our cotton bales and didn't say a thing.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Old Hickory said we could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well.
Then we opened up with squirrel guns and really gave 'em ... well

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannon balls, and powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind.

We fired our guns and the British kept a'comin.
There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin' on
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.

 

[fox69]

"The Beast In Me"

"The Beast In Me"



The beast in me
Is caged by frail and fragile bars
Restless by day
And by night rants and rages at the stars
God help the beast in me

The beast in me
Has had to learn to live with pain
And how to shelter from the rain
And in the twinkling of an eye
Might have to be restrained
God help the beast in me

Sometimes it tries to kid me
That it's just a teddy bear
And even somehow manage to vanish in the air
And that is when I must beware
Of the beast in me that everybody knows
They've seen him out dressed in my clothes
Patently unclear
If it's New York or New Year
God help the beast in me

The beast in me

 

[fox69]

"The Big Battle"

"The Big Battle"



I think sir the battle is over, and the young soldier lay down his gun.
I'm tired of running for cover, I'm certain the battle is done.
For see over there where we fought them, it's quiet for they've all gone away.
All left is the dead and the dying, the blue lying long side the grave.

So you think the battle is over, and you even lay down your gun.
You carelessly rise from your cover, for you think the battle is done.
Now boy hit the dirt, listen to me, for I'm still the one in command.
Get flat on the ground here beside me, and lay your heart to the sand.

Can you hear the deafening rumble, can you feel the trembling ground.
It's not just the horses and wagons that make such a deafening sound.
For every shot fired had an echo and every man killed wanted life.
There lies your friend Jim McKinney, can you take the news to his wife?

No son the battle's not over, the battle has only begun.
The rest of the battle will cover the part that has blackened the sun.
The fight yet to come is not with cannon, nor will the fight be hand-to-hand
No one will regroup the forces, no charge will a general command.

The battle will rage in the bosom of mother and sweetheart and wife.
Brother and sister and daughter will grieve for the rest of their lives.
Now go ahead, rise from your cover, be thankful that God let you live.
Go fight the rest of the battle for those who gave all they could give.

I see sir the battle's not over, the battle has only begun
The rest of the battle will cover this part that has blackened the sun.
For though there's no sound of the cannon and though there's no smoke in the sky.
I'm dropping the gun and the saber and ready for battle am I.

 

[fox69]

"The Big Light"
(originally by Elvis Costello)

"The Big Light"
(originally by Elvis Costello)



Well, I had a little feeling to have a big night
And woke up feeling small and not so brave and not quite right
I had to face the who am I and where is she and what did I do
But worst of all, I had to face the big light

The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids
And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did
I can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications
And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration

When the hangover this morning had a personality
And I cast my shattered mind over selected memories
I didn't even touch the light switch, so I knew I'd never see
The haggard face that would be staring back at me

The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids
And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did
I can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications
And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration

Well, I had a little feeling to have a big time
And I woke up to alarm bells like a big church chime
I had to face the who am I and who is she and what did I do
But worst of all, I had to face the big light

The big light came through my window and it opened up my eyelids
And it snapped them up like roller blinds and told me things that I did
I can't face another day and night of good ideas and complications
And I'm thankful that I didn't open another bottle of inspiration

Well, it's fine to go out and have a big night
But sooner or later, you're gonna face the big light

 

[fox69]

"The Blizzard"

"The Blizzard"



There's a blizzard comin' on and I'm wishin' I was home
For my pony's lame and he can't hardly stand
Lord my hands feel like their froze and there's a numb that's in my toes
But it's only seven miles to Maryanne
It's only seven miles to MaryAnne

You can bet we're on her mind for it's nearly suppertime
And I know that there's hot biscuits in the pan
Listen to that norther sigh if we don't get home we'll die
But it's only five more miles to Maryanne
It's only five more miles to MaryAnne

That wind's howlin' and it seems mighty like a women's scream
And we'd best be movin' faster, if we can
Dan, just think about that barn with that hay so soft and warm
It's only three more miles to Maryanne
It's only three more miles to MaryAnne

Come on Dan get up, you honory cuss or you'll be the death of us
I'm so weary but I'll help you, if I can
All right, Dan, perhaps it's best we'll just stop a while and rest
For it's still another mile to Maryanne
It's still another mile to MaryAnne

Late that night the storm was gone and they found him there at dawn
He'd made it but he couln't leave ol' Dan
Yes, they found him on the plains his hands frozen to the reigns
He was just a hundred yards from Maryanne
He was just a hundred yards from MaryAnne.