ramblings and things

my heroes are all passing

I suppose its just my age

but so many are gone

from my life’s music stage

at seventy nine and counting he’s

hung up his spurs and is gone.

thats the way of the world,

time moving inexorably on.

born of dust bowl okies from

 the time of the grapes of wrath

old hag did it his way

beat his own path.

a man out of control

for so many years,

in the words of his song brought

 his mamma so many tears

residing in san quentin

he heard johnny cash play

and that live concert helped

turn his life around that day

a drunkard, a brawler a jailbird

somehow the artist broke through

pardoned by ronnie reagan

he made the music true

when nashville dominated

old hag and a few kicked ass

and the more trad bakersfield

era quickly came to pass.

influencing many young artists

just starting to be around

he helped change country music

with that bakersfield sound.

a patriot, a redneck, a worker

for so many years it seems

the man and his music

influenced my american dreams

my heroes are all passing

yet another one gone

today i’ll play his tracks

in respect for his moving on.