Gonna break my rusty cage and run

Artist- Johnny Cash
Song of the day- Rusty Cage

Having been a troubadour for over a year, it's hard to remember how to settle down in a new place. Though much of me was tired of moving every three months or more and longed for a place of my own, the non committal, road hungry side of me still wonders how I'm going to get out of this and fit all the new furniture I just accumulated into my car and keep moving. I'm not quite sure if this is out of habit or the deeper runner inside of me. But sitting in hour long orientations deciding my pension future, 401ks, work compliance, and a bunch of other paperwork sounding words, I keep hearing Johnny Cash singing to me about Rusty Cages. Sure it's time to grow up and plan for my future but there's something about direct deposit that sounds a whole lot less cooler than burning diesel and riding a pack of dogs out of town. For all our rusty cages, this ones for you.



You wired me awake,
And hit me with a hand of broken nails.
You tied my lead and pulled my chain,
To watch my blood begin to boil.

But I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.

Too cold to start a fire,
I'm burning diesel, burning dinosaur bones.
I'll take the river down to still water,
And ride a pack of dogs.

I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.

When the forest burns along the road,
Like God's eyes in my headlights.
When the dogs are lookin' for their bones,
And it's rainin' icepicks on your steel shore,

I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.

I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break,
I'm gonna break my,
Gonna break my rusty cage and run. 

I wear this crown of thorns upon my liar's chair full of broken thoughts I cannot repair

Artist- Johnny Cash
Song of the day- Hurt

I saw today's video one Easter Sunday several years ago and still have a hard time finding a song that better sums up the "why" of Easter for me. Being a big fan of Mr. Cash stems not only from his musical talent but his entire story. It's like that bible verse of gaining the whole world and forfeiting your soul, what is it worth? Cash gained possibly everything possible one could ask for, fame, money, security, love, adventure, power, talent, dreams fulfilled, respect earned, treasures beyond treasures, but what was it worth? It didn't bring him that thing we all assume these things will. It does the opposite sometimes and leaves you emptier than you realized anything could. And when you come to that realization, that you've lived your whole life for yourself, that you are not as great as you think you are but selfish and how hurtful selfishness can be, it's humanities greatest sin. Our needs over others, our needs over the earth's, our needs over God's, me, me, me. And on a day that God looked at us in our selfishness and gave up his own self to save us from the bondage of our own selfishness that leads to so much more pain inflicted on others and back on ourselves, there is no greater picture of redemption or of grace. Today's song doesn't tell the story of Easter, but how it effects one human life. Happy Easter everybody.

Johnny Cash - (HURT) - Click here for another funny movie.

I hurt myself today
to see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
the only thing that's real
the needle tears a hole
the old familiar sting
try to kill it all away
but I remember everything
what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
upon my liar's chair
full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
beneath the stains of time
the feelings disappear
you are someone else
I am still right here

what have I become?
my sweetest friend
everyone I know
goes away in the end
and you could have it all
my empire of dirt

I will let you down
I will make you hurt

if I could start again
a million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way