SONGS - JOHNNY CASH - "RUSTY CAGE"

A cover of a song by Soundgarden. Johnny was like all of us eventually - a young man trapped in an old, decaying body. Well, don't ever pin us old-timers up against the wall, we ain't dead and useless yet. There's a guy at church I just love - George is his name. Just turned 96. Fought a number of years in WW2, chasing Rommell if I am not mistaken. Or maybe he was in Italy. Doesn't matter, he served his country well. This morning when I saw him the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face tells me that George is young at heart. This one is for you, Happy Birthday!

DON'T HATE NOTHING AT ALL EXCEPT HATRED #3

This song is by Garland Jeffreys. Great songwriter and performer - I wonder why he never made it big. I have followed his career for years and hope to see him sometime. This song talks about pure ignorance. Ignorance that compels small people to use racial slurs and it makes me sick. Last year, before the Presidential election, I was delivering mail and thought I would try to catch up with a former customer, on another route, who's wife had passed away. I drove my postal truck by his house and he was out front raking leaves. I stopped and asked how he was doing, expressing my condolences, just small talk, then he got all red in the face and asked me what I thought of the election. Before I could even answer the question he said, "There is no way America will ever elect a nigger president. They'll shoot that black bastard before he ever gets into the White House." Well, I got out of there asap. And what makes this even sadder, if that is possible at all, is that if you don't know I am Canadian, so why would a Canadian get so worked up and hateful over another country's election. Just goes to show you, racism is based on stupidity, lack of reason, and pure hatred from the depths of hell. This song is called "Don't Call Me Buckwheat". There are very few videos avaiable of Garland Jeffreys.

SONGS - JOHNNY CASH - "DRIVE ON"

Whenever I get unsettled inside, whenever I feel like things I strive for are unravelling, whenever I feel like I am going backwards instead of forwards, I do 2 things. I read the Bible, it connects quickly to my spirit and I settle down. And I turn to music. Music is my language, music has made me who I am today, for the good and bad. One man I turn to often is Johnny Cash, especially his latter work released by American Recordings. This song, Drive On, is a tribute to the men and women who fought, who fought courageously, in Vietnam. A friend of mine lost a brother in Vietnam. I looked him up, online on the wall in washington, and I cried when I saw my friend's brother on there. I had another friend who fought in Vietnam with the Americal Division. Billy survived that, never talked too much about it, and died a few months after he got home when his car hit some black ice and smashed into a tree. It was Christmas Eve, 1971. Almost 40 years later, and I still get a lump in my throat and my eyes get watery when I think of Billy. It's funny how I remember the Mohawk haircut he had, and how he loved Terry Sawchuck, the hockey goalie. Though this song is of Vietnam, it reminds me of spiritual battles that we are all in. Drive On.