Fear the man who don't give a f***

I love that this song works in the tradition of the Murder Ballad (a quite jolly sounding one, too) and as a warning for punishing innocent people (a theme of Contrary) AND as a warning to the US in it's relentless efforts to police the world.

                         Fear the Man
                    from the album Contrary

I had a hundred dollars in my wallet

Had a 6-shooter 25 in my pocket

Every bone in my body said, You’re out of luck

Every synapse in my brain fired, I don’t give a fuck

Chorus:

You don’t need to fear a tough talkin’ man

He’s just tryin’ to bluff you any way he can

Fear this, you can bet your last buck

Fear the man who don’t give a fuck

I had a hundred dollars and a lot of gall

He was a rich man bettin’ it all

I kept winnin’, he kept grinnin’

But his mind was not on poker at all

Chorus:

You don’t need to fear a tough talkin’ man

He’s just tryin’ to bluff you any way he can

Fear this, and you can bet your last buck

Fear the man who don’t give a fuck

He kept raisin’ the ante, I kept rakin’ it in

When I noticed a smile had replaced his grin

I looked him close right in the eye

He looked somewhere over my shoulder

I knew from his eyes what was in his head

In his mind I was lying there dead

His right hand went under the table

By the time he’d touched his gun I had done what I was able

Chorus:

Well you don’t need to fear a tough talkin’ man

He’s just tryin’ to bluff you any way he can

Fear this, you can bet your last buck

Fear the man who don’t give a fuck

I leaned over his body, looked him in the eye

He looked somewhere over my shoulder

I left his gun, I took his wallet

It contained a small fortune I’d have to call it

Instrumental break

Chorus:

Hell, you don’t have to fear a tough talkin’ man

He’s just tryin’ to bluff you any way he can

Fear this, you can bet your last buck

Fear the man who don’t give a fuck

I left it all except for the cash

Put it in my pocket where I keep my stash

I took care of the fingerprint mess

Nobody ever knew I was at that address

Chorus:

You don’t have to fear a tough talkin’ man

He’s just tryin’ to bluff you any way he can

Fear this, and you can bet your last buck

Fear the man who don’t give a fuck

Why in the world would you run a man down

With disdain and contempt actin’ like he’s a clown

You think you’re dominating while you mire him in the muck

You’re creating a man who don’t give a fuck

You’re creating a man who don’t give a fuck

You’re creating the man who don’t give a fuck

"We create our own enemies"

Yesterday, I wrote and sang about an innocent man who wanted revenge when he was released. I imagine that some innocent men will die in Guantanamo because the US is too afraid to release them - why should they not become what they are punished for? The punishment has already occurred...
Why should they care? The best years of their lives were stolen. This little song may be the only time you hear the f... word used in a jaunty way. The true message is the last verse.
Fear the Man
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