An Anonymous Patron writes “”You know that book?” he says, his face lighting up.
“I love that book,” I say. “And you know that book!” Why am I surprised that Johnny Cash has read Steinbeck?
“Know that book?” he says. “I was that book.” He smiles at me. It’s kind of like being smiled at by Monument Valley, or the Hoover Dam. He pronounces it “Grapesawrath”, like Rose of Sharon is pronounced Rosasharn.
“You like that song?” he says, and he pulls over his guitar.
More at
The guardian.co.uk“
Damn! Damn! Damn!
I searched high and low last week for a Johnny Cash/library/librarian story last week so I could furtively pay homage on lisnews. Tip o’ the keyboard to anon.
I made my kids listen to Folsom Prison Blues before they went to school the day I heard JC had passed. My daughter thought that Cocaine Blues would be a good song to take to DARE class. I agreed that the song provides a great argument for moderation. As much as we’d all like to shoot bad bitches down, it’s not good policy, drug-addled or not.
Searching for the exact lyrics to Cocaine Blues, I found this delightfully garbled and nonsensical set.
Re:Damn! Damn! Damn!
“My daughter thought that Cocaine Blues would be a good song to take to DARE class. I agreed that the song provides a great argument for moderation. As much as we’d all like to shoot bad bitches down, it’s not good policy” —you made your daughter listen to a recording in which an audience full of grown men cheer when the line “I shot that bad bitch down” is sung??? And you believe other girls and boys should be subjected to the same stimuli? AND you believe that promiscuity and deception should be capital offenses and the perpetrators should be executed without a trial?? Please read up on issues involving violence against women. ANd urge your patrons to do the same. These kinds of attitudes are what will make it OK for today’s boys to murder their girlfriends in the future. Sorry to preach, but this post was very troubling.