lp discography - covers & lyrics

1.

PREACHER SAID JESUS SAID

(Johnny Cash) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
[ with Billy Graham ]
Well with ev'rybody tryin' to tell us what to do
You wonder how are you to know whose word is true
But the preachers just keep on a bringin' us the very same word
And from St Paul to Billy Graham the same is heard
And the preacher said of truth Jesus said

(And Jesus said I'm the way the truth and the life)

Well we can see that the world is full of greed
There's so much hate yet there is so much need
What should we do when no one seems to care
What can we do when there is no love there
And then the preacher said of love Jesus said

(Jesus said love Thy neighbor as Thyself)

Well please tell us the road we oughta go
In such confusion how are we to know
And if there is a heaven show us to its gate
Oh you'd better tell us preacher before it's too late
And then the preacher said of heaven Jesus said

(Jesus said seek Thee first the kingdom of God snd his righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you)

Well please tell us how we can find a way
To climb ev'ry mountain that we face ev'ry day
And in time of troubles what to depend upon
To be the truth and help us carry on
And the preacher said of trouble Jesus said

(Jesus said let not your heart be troubled if you believe in God believe also in me
In my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you
I go to prepare a place for you
And if I prepare a place for you I will come again and recieve you unto myself
That where I am there you may be also)
**********

2.

ORPHAN OF THE ROAD

(Dick Feller) « © '71 Cyberphonic Publishing, BMI »
From a carnie show and a rodeo that shared a three day stand
A cowboy met a fiery carnie queen
In new spring nights amid the lights of the painted carnie van
They laughed and loved and shared short lived dreams

But the carnie show and the rodeo went their separate ways
And the carnie season bloomed and soon moved on
And I was born on a winter morn to the dark eyed carnie queen
The too-late-son of somethin' that was gone

The blacksheep child that grew up wild
From the seed the four winds sowed
Unwanted son of ice and fire an orphan of the road

I was still a child when my mama died of a chill that closed her eyes
So I was left to grow up on my own
Without a name too wild to tame no one cared to try
So mostly I was mostly left alone

In dingy bars and cold boxcars hobo jungle camps
I joined the men who drift from town to town
The surgin' flood of restless blood flowed inside my veins
I'd never find the time to settle down

The blacksheep child that grew up wild...

In the misty rain I caught the train that slowed down through the town
And I pulled myself into the boxcar door
In a passing light in the deep grey night I saw the still dark form
Of an old man lyin' sick upon the floor

And he said I tried to find her but they told me that she'd died
And that she'd left an only son behind
And I tried to find him but I never did but I know I could rest in peace
If I could just see him once before I die

I found a match and I quickly scratched it into flickerin' flame
Then I held it close and I gently raised his head
My mother sir I said of her I have her same dark eyes
He smiled a cowboy smile then was dead

The blacksheep child that grew up wild...
**********

3.

YOU'VE GOT A NEW LIGHT SHINING IN YOUR EYES

(Johnny Cash) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
You've got a new light shinin' in your eyes
And I can see now right where your beauty lies
And it's showin' in your face that your heart has found a place
And I can hear it in your whisper and your sighs

You've got a new way of doin' things you do
And it's plain to see there's been a change in you
And I wonder could it be that the change is due to me
For I have felt a certain somethin' too

You've got a way about you now that you never had before
You've got a look you're wearin' now like no look you ever wore
I tried to hide it for a while but now I realize
You've got a new light shining in your eyes
[ guitar ] You've got a way about you now...
You've got a new light shining in your eyes
**********

4.

IF NOT FOR LOVE

(Glenn D. Tubb - Larry Lee) « © '71 House Of Cash, BMI / Pooh Bear Music, BMI »
A broken man moves slowly down the sidewalk
Humbled by the favours he must seek
From those that he encounters on his walk through misery
Who are rich enough to hurt just as they please
If not for love I could be one of these

An ole man on a park bench stares with envy
At a couple with their children on their knees
While across the park a young man is caught by the police
Stealin' for a habit he must feed
And if not for love I could be one of these

I could be one of these or so many many more
Always at the beck and call of shame
I'm thankful I was called by love to walk among the happy
But if not for you love wouldn't know my name

A man of squander talents vainly calls on
His gift of God now straining through his soul
While in the crowd before him a jealous friend awaits
The moment that he can no longer please
And if not for love I could be one of these

I could be one of these...
Yes if not for love I could be one of these
**********

5.

MAN IN BLACK

[ # 3 country hit ] (Johnny Cash) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
Well you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well there's a reason for the things that I have on

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times

I wear the black for those who've never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said
About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why you'd think he's talkin' straight to you and me

Well we're doin' mighty fine I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there oughta be a man in black

I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin' that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died
Believin' that we all were on their side

Well there's things that never will be right I know
And things need changin' ev'rywhere you go
But till we start to make a move to make a few things right
You'll never see me wear a suit of white

Oh I'd love to wear a rainbow ev'ry day
And tell the world that ev'rything's okay
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
Till things're brighter I'm the man in black
**********

6.

SINGIN' IN VIETNAM TALKIN' BLUES

[ # 18 country hit ] (Johnny Cash) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
One mornin' at breakfast I said to my wife
We've been ev'rywhere once and some places twice
As I had another helpin' of country ham
She said we ain't never been to Vietnam
There's a bunch of our boys over there so we went to the Orient Saigon

Well we got a big welcome when we drove in
Through the gates of a place that they call Longh Bin
We checked in and ev'rything got kinda quiet
But a soldier boy said just wait till tonight
Things get noisy things start happenin' big bad fire crackers

Well that night we did about four shows for the boys
And they were livin' it up with a whole lotta noise
We did our last song for the night
And we crawled into bed for some peace and quiet
But things weren't peaceful and things weren't quiet things were scary

Well for a few minutes June never said one word
And I thought at first that she hadn't heard
Then a shell exploded not two miles away
She sat up in bed and I heard her say
What was that I said that was a shell or a bomb
She said I'm scared I said me too

Well all night long that noise kept on
And the sound would chill you right to the bone
The bullets and the bombs and the mortar shells
Shook our bed ev'ry time one fell
And it never let up it was gonna get worse before it got any better

Well when the sun came up the noise died down
We got a few minutes sleep and we were sleepin' sound
Then a soldier knocked on our door and said
The last night they brought in seven dead
And fourteen wounded and would we come
Down to the base hospital and see the boys yeah

So we went to the hospital ward by day
And ever night we're just singin' away
Then the shells and the bombs till dawn again
And the helicopters brought in the wounded men
Night after night day after day comin' and a goin'

So we sadly sang for them our last song
And reluctantly we said so long
We did our best to let 'em know that we care
For ever last one of them that's over there
Whether we belong over there or not
Somebody over here loves 'em and needs 'em

Well now that's about all that there is to tell
About that little trip into livin' hell
And if I ever go back over there anymore
Hope there's none of our boys there for me to sing for
I hope that war's over with and they all come back home to stay in peace
**********

7.

NED KELLY

(Johnny Cash) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP »
In Australia a bandit or an outlaw was called a bushranger
One of Australia's most infamous bushranger was a man named Ned Kelly

Ned Kelly was a wild young bushranger
Out of Victoria he rode with his brother Dan
He loved his people and he loved his freedom
And he loved to ride the wide open land

Ned Kelly was a victim of the changes
That came when his land was the sprout and seed
And the wrongs he did were multiplied in legend
With young Australia growing like a weed

Ned Kelly took the blame Ned Kelly won the fame
Ned Kelly brought the shame and then Ned Kelly hanged

Well he hid out in the bush and in the forest
And he loved to hear the wind blow in the trees
While the men behind the badge were comin' for him
Ned said they'll never bring me to my knees

But ev'rything was change and run in cycles
And Ned knew that his day was at an end
He made a suit of armour out of ploughshares
But Ned was brought down by the trooper's men

Ned Kelly took the blame...
**********

8.

LOOK FOR ME

(Glen Sherley - Harlan Sanders) « © '71 House Of Cash, BMI / Family Airs Publishing, BMI »
[ with June Carter ]
Look for me there in the mornin' when the clay of worthless ground
Is baked into the brick to build a church
That doesn't mind to wait with patience till it's found
He said children look for me look for me
Look for me late in the evening when the honey bear is lost
And hears a buzz of honey bees that leads him on and feeds him
Till his hunger feels at home he said children look for me look for me

Look for me look for me love will be there beside you
Love will be there to guide you look for me
He said help me to help you to help yourself to me
He said children look for love look for me
[ ac.guitar ] Look for me there in the hand that drops a penny in the cup
And in the hand that lends its strength
To help the lonely through the night and lift the beggar up
He said children look for me look for me
Look for me there in the chill of dawn and in the newborn eyes
Of a baby left discarded by a girl who could offer nothin' more
Than a small back alley prayer he said children look for me look for me

Look for me look for me...
**********

9.

DEAR MRS

(Johnny Cash - Arnette J. Arnette) « © '71 Song Of Cash Music, ASCAP / House Of Cash, BMI »
Dear Mrs though we've never met I know very much about you
I know that you've got hair that shines like the morning sun
You've got eyes that hold the blueness of the sky
And of the deepest sea on a clear day and a smile that has the sparkle of a diamond
I know that because I've heard him say those things about you
These're the thoughts and the words of a man
Who spent many heart breaking years behind prison walls
The father of your children the man who worshipped the very ground that you walk on
He had a picture of you Mrs it was old and faded and torn
But you could tell at a glance that he never exaggerated in his thoughts and visions
He never left his cell without first checkin' to see if he had your picture with him
He was a young man when he first came to prison
And he talked a great deal about you but as the years passed he talked less and less
And durin' his last year here I don't believe he ever said a word to anybody
He had the appearance of a man much older than he really was
He walked with his head down and his shoulders saggin'
And the walk itself seemed to take a great deal of effort
He never received a letter or had a visitor while he was here in prison
But never did he stop lookin' and waitin'
Ev'ry day at mail call you could see him standin' close to his bars
With the look of a child awaiting a reward
Even after the mailman had passed his cell his pleading eyes would follow beggin'
As always he'd feel of his shirt pocket and then just stand there
Staring at the emptiness and as always I could somehow feel the lump in his throat
And the burning in his eyes you know Mrs like just before you start to cry
Well I thought you might like to know that they buried his body today
Just outside the prison walls
They buried him there because nobody cared enough to claim his body
You know there was even a couple of old convicts there that actually cried
No not because they cared for him but for what he died from they cared for
Loneliness ev'ry prisoner knows loneliness but some know it more than others
The man that they buried today had died many times
Ev'ry day he waited hopin' and prayin' for a letter or a card
Or just a note or anything to let him know that somewhere out there
Somebody cared for him
That assurance never came and today he died Mrs
He died from loneliness starved for love a love that nobody ever wanted
You see no man woman or child is immune to the need of love or to be loved
No matter how terrible his crime might have been
The death he died from today was more inhuman
But his suffering is over now and he's resting in a pauper's grave in a prison suit
And in his pocket is an ol' torn and faded picture of yes of you Mrs
**********

10.

I TALK TO JESUS EVERY DAY

(Glenn D. Tubb) « © '71 Pooh Bear Music, BMI »
Well you talk about important people that you say you know
Presidents and superstars of big television shows
Well I know someone personally who's bigger than 'em all
And next to him your superstars look mighty small

And I have a talk with him each day
And he's interested in ev'ry word I say
No secretary ever tells me he's been called away
I talk to Jesus ev'ry day
[ guitar ] Well now I don't think that I'll ever be in any Hall of Fame
And the social register of wealthy folks might drop my name
But my name is written in the book of life I'm proud to say
And that's all that really matters anyway

And I talk to Jesus every day
And he's interested in every word I say
No secretary ever tells me he's been called away
I talk to Jesus ev'ry day
I talk to Jesus every day
**********