JOHNNY CASH

Ragged Old Flag Lyrics

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down,
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit,
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down,
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag

"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
and It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it,
writing "Say Can You See"
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
tugging at its seams.
and It almost fell at the Alamo
beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag

"On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
and now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
in her own good land here She's been abused,
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused,
And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
and i believe she can take a whole lot more.

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"

So, bright and early Sunday morning I arrive at his house. It is a nice house, one bedroom in a middle class neighborhood, but his car is not there. I sit down on the porch where I am attacked immediatly by his grey fat cat, Mr. Tom

Mr. Tom and I are good friends, He rolls over on his back and lets me pet his tummy while I sang to him.
He's the only creature that can tolerate my singing that doesn't get uncontrollable bleeding from his ears or run away in terror.
I sing so badly that one time, while on a transport ship, I got drunk and began to sing, one of the Naval folks told me to stop.
The radar is wonkey and the whales are dying, for the sake of the plant stop." was the quote

He got an earful of Straighten up and fly right
"Straighten Up And Fly Right"

A buzzard took a monkey for a ride in the air,
The monkey thought that everything
was on the square.
The buzzard tried to throw the monkey
off his back,
The monkey grabbed his neck and said,
"Now listen, Jack..."

Straighten up and fly right,
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.
Ain't no use in divin',
What's the use in jivin'?
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.

The buzzard told the monkey,
You are chokin' me.
Release your hold and I'll set you free.
The monkey looked the buzzard right
dead in the eye and said,
Your story's so touching, but it sounds
just like a lie.

Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.

Straighten up and fly right
Straighten up and stay right
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow your top.

Ain't no use in divin'
Ain't no good in jivin'
Straighten up and fly right
Cool down, papa, don't you blow - your - top.

Fly right!

I watched the cat just keep purring along, but then I noticed a red headed woman turn to come up the walkway to the porch.
She was early to mid twenties, athletic build, nicely proportioned. She was wearing shorts and shirt. She saw me and dropped one of her ear buds, placed one of her hands behind her back and slowed to a cautious walk toward the porch.
I heard a soft metallic click as she got closer to the porch

Mr. Tom jumped down and ran to her, rubbing himself against her legs.
"Who are you and why are you holding my cat?' she asked.
"Hold on there darlin," I looked back at her, " Mr. Tom and I are old friends. I'm looking for Little Smokie, I'm Pappa Bear."
She dropped her shoulders slightly. "Sorry.." she started, but I cut her off.
"I have not met your acquaintance yet, but I can tell you live here, tell me is Little Smokie out of town?"