Texas blues, "The wanderer"
#27 of Poetry, both old and new
Some good, old fashioned Texas blues. This is to be sung, not read. I'd appreciate it. Let me know if you like it. An ode to otters.
Saw an old man down by the riverside, lookin' 'bout half past dead/
Gave him two dollars and a penny, for to get a bottle just to cool his head/
Turned around to hand it back to me, and I looked at him like he was mad/
Swept his gaze up to my eyes, and he gave a single shake of his head, /
Said "I've been here for a long while, and I'll stay until I'm good and dead,"/
"It's been a many year since I've sat here, and I'll stay 'til my kingdom come, /
I didn't know just what to say to that, so I asked, "Hey, mister, where you from?"/
He took a minute, thinking 'bout everything, and I thought he was dead/
Gave the biggest smile I have never seen, and he turned to me, and he said:/
"I come from over yonder, where the mountain starts, and the river ends"/
"The first thing I saw was the water; it'll be the last thing I see again, "/
"Yeah, I came from the water, and if you see a friend of mine, "/
"Tell him he's still got a brother, who won't let him get left behind..."/