Loves Always to Blame.
Western Ballad in 8-6-8-6 format.29 total reviews
Comment from Annmuma
Years ago, I was part of a local Storytellers group and the group was a part of a larger state-wide group. There was a group which included a number of storytellers who specialized in the cowboy stories. Your story reminded me of them and of that time. It is extremely well done and the descriptions are vivid. Excellent job. ann
reply by the author on 18-Jan-2024
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Years ago, I was part of a local Storytellers group and the group was a part of a larger state-wide group. There was a group which included a number of storytellers who specialized in the cowboy stories. Your story reminded me of them and of that time. It is extremely well done and the descriptions are vivid. Excellent job. ann
Comment Written 14-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 18-Jan-2024
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Thank you, Ann. I always appreciate your time and review. Cowboy stories are a lot of fun. I enjoy cowboy music, particularly, The Sons of the San Joaquin. Those men know how to harmonize a great story.
All the best, yard
Comment from Aaron Milavec
This is a fine Western Ballad. The morality is always clear. The evil cowboys bully their women and cheat at their cards. The good guys protect their women and play a clean game. Best of all, they know how to draw fast.
It's fitting to chose to present the pic and text in black and off-white.
Here are the lines that require some expansion:
HE HOLE IN HIS SOUL SOUGHT REVENGE
FUELED WITH A BROKEN HEART,
The reader has to fill in the details here. Everything does not need to be told.
Deliberately seeking Revenge immediately reveals that this cowboy is not going to follow the Gospel of Jesus who instructs his follows: "If someone gives you a blow on the right cheek, turn to him so that he can deliver yet another blow to the left." In Jewish circles, one would immediately notice that the first blow is a back-hand. The blow is meant to shame the one receiving it. However, it doesn't work. The one receiving it does not come out with his guns blazing. Rather, he deliberately allows himself to be "a weakling" so that, in the eyes of onlookers, public shame falls upon the one delivering the blows.
Thus, Jesus goes to his death praying for his persecuters. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Yipes! This kind of cowboy doesn't even have the satisfaction of knowing that the bad guy will rot in hell--that the Father will seek revenge in the name of Jesus. That's why the Roman centurion in Luke sees this and declares, "Surely this is an innocent man." Ah, there it is again. Public shame falls upon the one delivering the blows.
The Western Ballads never follow the way of Jesus.
According to the Western Ballads, the good cowboy leaves town with his tail between his legs; and, in doing so, he lives his whole life in shame. Most probably Jack is this kind of cowboy. He leaves town and abandons his vulnerable "girl" as well. Then, in a unbiden moment, he grows disgusted living as a yellow-bellied cowboy. First he oils his six-shooters. Then he practices his draw day after day. He is driven by his anger--anger, most of all, at himself, anger at his betrayal of "his girl," and angry at the bully Slim who stole his manhood.
But, hold on here! This Ballad holds a real surprise--the kind of surprise that Clint Eastwood delivers when he directs his Westerns. I know that you, the reader, have already seen it. Just to be sure: here is the irregularity:
SKINNY LILL GRABBED THE PEACEMAKER
THAT HUNG BENEATH THE BAR
Yipes! It appears that Jack's "girl" has not been satisfied with being used and abused by Slim. This "Skinny Lill" has been nursing her own hunger for revenge. Maybe it took the appearance of Jack to force her into action. She "grabbed the Peacemaker." What a beautiful line. No one had expected anything from "Skinny Lill." But she had rehearsed this move in her mind a thousand times. While Jack was practicing his fast draw "back home with his Ma", the used and abused Lilly was practicing her move with the "Peacemaker."
Then the unspeakable happened:
SKINNY LILL SHOT HIM THROUGH THE HEART
CHANGE FROM A TWO-BIT WHORE.
LILL FACED JACK AND BLEW HIM A KISS
AND LAID THE PISTOL DOWN,
Wow! This woman has fire and wisdom in her blood! She doesn't wait for Jack to save her. She knows that he could; but, she had her own score to settle with Slim. Ignoring the unwritten laws of the Wild West, she steps in and disrupts the feuding men and takes charge herself. Then she kisses Jack and lays her pistol (the Peacemaker) down. I won't dare interpret this--the meaning is so blatantly clear.
Stepping back, I admit I got carried away by this Ballad. It's raw. It's daring. It forces me to go deep and to readjust my own blind respect for cowboys with a fast draw. Just maybe the abused woman has to step forward and to yell, "This has gone too far."
I'm thinking of the women of Northern Ireland who had to finally step forward and to settle the feuding between the Catholic and Protestant men. I'm thinking of Judith who, without consulting a single man, washes and perfumes her gorgeous body and submits herself to her enemy, Holofernes. [Do a Google search for "Holofernes" to learn more.]
So, all in all, this Ballad that is brought before us will be favored for generations of those who love Westerns. The old-time cowboys will hate this song, to be sure. Even moreso, Christian cowboys will ban this song as an anti-gospel. But the Clint Eastwood cowgirls and cowboys will cherish the savory lessons that this unflinching ballad brings to their lives.
If you read this review and agree with it, don't hold back. Write your own review and give it the six stars that it justly deserves. Better yet, sing the Ballad. Write it on your living-room walls. Celebrate it however you can.
Peace and joy to the author for this masterpiece,
Aaron
P.S.: For those who want the thrill of seeing this Western Ballad being worked into a full-length feature film, I invite you to watch Unforgiven.
Unforgiven is a 1992 American Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, years after he had turned to farming. The film co-stars Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris.
Unforgiven grossed over $159 million on a budget of $14.4 million and received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for the acting (particularly from Eastwood and Hackman), directing, editing, themes and cinematography. The film won four Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood, Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Film Editing for Joel Cox. Eastwood was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but he lost to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman.[3] The film was the third Western to win Best Picture,[4] following Cimarron (1931) and Dances with Wolves (1990). Eastwood dedicated the film to directors and mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel.
In 2004, Unforgiven was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5] The film was remade into a 2013 Japanese film, also titled Unforgiven, which stars Ken Watanabe and changes the setting to the early Meiji era in Japan. Eastwood has long asserted that the film would be his last traditional Western, concerned that any future projects would simply rehash previous plotlines or imitate someone else's work.[6] Source=wikipedia.org
reply by the author on 16-Jan-2024
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This is a fine Western Ballad. The morality is always clear. The evil cowboys bully their women and cheat at their cards. The good guys protect their women and play a clean game. Best of all, they know how to draw fast.
It's fitting to chose to present the pic and text in black and off-white.
Here are the lines that require some expansion:
HE HOLE IN HIS SOUL SOUGHT REVENGE
FUELED WITH A BROKEN HEART,
The reader has to fill in the details here. Everything does not need to be told.
Deliberately seeking Revenge immediately reveals that this cowboy is not going to follow the Gospel of Jesus who instructs his follows: "If someone gives you a blow on the right cheek, turn to him so that he can deliver yet another blow to the left." In Jewish circles, one would immediately notice that the first blow is a back-hand. The blow is meant to shame the one receiving it. However, it doesn't work. The one receiving it does not come out with his guns blazing. Rather, he deliberately allows himself to be "a weakling" so that, in the eyes of onlookers, public shame falls upon the one delivering the blows.
Thus, Jesus goes to his death praying for his persecuters. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Yipes! This kind of cowboy doesn't even have the satisfaction of knowing that the bad guy will rot in hell--that the Father will seek revenge in the name of Jesus. That's why the Roman centurion in Luke sees this and declares, "Surely this is an innocent man." Ah, there it is again. Public shame falls upon the one delivering the blows.
The Western Ballads never follow the way of Jesus.
According to the Western Ballads, the good cowboy leaves town with his tail between his legs; and, in doing so, he lives his whole life in shame. Most probably Jack is this kind of cowboy. He leaves town and abandons his vulnerable "girl" as well. Then, in a unbiden moment, he grows disgusted living as a yellow-bellied cowboy. First he oils his six-shooters. Then he practices his draw day after day. He is driven by his anger--anger, most of all, at himself, anger at his betrayal of "his girl," and angry at the bully Slim who stole his manhood.
But, hold on here! This Ballad holds a real surprise--the kind of surprise that Clint Eastwood delivers when he directs his Westerns. I know that you, the reader, have already seen it. Just to be sure: here is the irregularity:
SKINNY LILL GRABBED THE PEACEMAKER
THAT HUNG BENEATH THE BAR
Yipes! It appears that Jack's "girl" has not been satisfied with being used and abused by Slim. This "Skinny Lill" has been nursing her own hunger for revenge. Maybe it took the appearance of Jack to force her into action. She "grabbed the Peacemaker." What a beautiful line. No one had expected anything from "Skinny Lill." But she had rehearsed this move in her mind a thousand times. While Jack was practicing his fast draw "back home with his Ma", the used and abused Lilly was practicing her move with the "Peacemaker."
Then the unspeakable happened:
SKINNY LILL SHOT HIM THROUGH THE HEART
CHANGE FROM A TWO-BIT WHORE.
LILL FACED JACK AND BLEW HIM A KISS
AND LAID THE PISTOL DOWN,
Wow! This woman has fire and wisdom in her blood! She doesn't wait for Jack to save her. She knows that he could; but, she had her own score to settle with Slim. Ignoring the unwritten laws of the Wild West, she steps in and disrupts the feuding men and takes charge herself. Then she kisses Jack and lays her pistol (the Peacemaker) down. I won't dare interpret this--the meaning is so blatantly clear.
Stepping back, I admit I got carried away by this Ballad. It's raw. It's daring. It forces me to go deep and to readjust my own blind respect for cowboys with a fast draw. Just maybe the abused woman has to step forward and to yell, "This has gone too far."
I'm thinking of the women of Northern Ireland who had to finally step forward and to settle the feuding between the Catholic and Protestant men. I'm thinking of Judith who, without consulting a single man, washes and perfumes her gorgeous body and submits herself to her enemy, Holofernes. [Do a Google search for "Holofernes" to learn more.]
So, all in all, this Ballad that is brought before us will be favored for generations of those who love Westerns. The old-time cowboys will hate this song, to be sure. Even moreso, Christian cowboys will ban this song as an anti-gospel. But the Clint Eastwood cowgirls and cowboys will cherish the savory lessons that this unflinching ballad brings to their lives.
If you read this review and agree with it, don't hold back. Write your own review and give it the six stars that it justly deserves. Better yet, sing the Ballad. Write it on your living-room walls. Celebrate it however you can.
Peace and joy to the author for this masterpiece,
Aaron
P.S.: For those who want the thrill of seeing this Western Ballad being worked into a full-length feature film, I invite you to watch Unforgiven.
Unforgiven is a 1992 American Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, years after he had turned to farming. The film co-stars Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris.
Unforgiven grossed over $159 million on a budget of $14.4 million and received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for the acting (particularly from Eastwood and Hackman), directing, editing, themes and cinematography. The film won four Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Director for Eastwood, Best Supporting Actor for Hackman, and Best Film Editing for Joel Cox. Eastwood was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but he lost to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman.[3] The film was the third Western to win Best Picture,[4] following Cimarron (1931) and Dances with Wolves (1990). Eastwood dedicated the film to directors and mentors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel.
In 2004, Unforgiven was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5] The film was remade into a 2013 Japanese film, also titled Unforgiven, which stars Ken Watanabe and changes the setting to the early Meiji era in Japan. Eastwood has long asserted that the film would be his last traditional Western, concerned that any future projects would simply rehash previous plotlines or imitate someone else's work.[6] Source=wikipedia.org
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jan-2024
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WOW, Aaron! What an in-depth review. I'd give your review a big '7' if I could. You spent some time on it and provided a great deal of information. All of which I agree. By any chance do you own a publishing house or radio station? This ballad needs to be launched, and I think you would be the perfect guy to kick it into the stratosphere. I'll keep my fingers crossed... one never knows.
Thank you so very much.
Yard.
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Howdie Yard,
Oh, I wish I did have a radio station. Your Ballad would be at the top of the charts for half of my lifetime.
But I have been recommending your Ballad to a dozen folks here on FanStory.
And I do have four websites running. Give me permission and I will post your entire Ballad along with my review.
Meanwhile, I'd encourage you to take your fantastic Western Ballad and to post it (with or without my review) on sites frequented by song-writers and cowgirls.
I'd also suggest recommending me as an outstanding reviewer. This would get the attention you need here at FanStory.
How's that for starters. . . ?
Aaron
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P.S.: I'm curious. How does a cowpoke like you find the creative juices to write such a Western Ballad?
Comment from Kaiku
I was able to get an image of this whole adventure and rather enjoyed it. Although 'Lill" didn't, she did have balls and good for her to find at last the man who happened to play his cards right.
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I was able to get an image of this whole adventure and rather enjoyed it. Although 'Lill" didn't, she did have balls and good for her to find at last the man who happened to play his cards right.
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Awesome review, Kaiku. Hope to get some more from you down the road.
Yard
Comment from LJbutterfly
I enjoyed the mental gymnastics you put my imagination through as I envisioned the detailed descriptions in this poetic story. I smiled when I read that Skinny Lill got a man by saving his life. She came in at the end of the story and ended up being the she-ro. (hero)
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I enjoyed the mental gymnastics you put my imagination through as I envisioned the detailed descriptions in this poetic story. I smiled when I read that Skinny Lill got a man by saving his life. She came in at the end of the story and ended up being the she-ro. (hero)
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Thank you so much for the review and new word: SHE-RO. I'm going to use that to address my daughter-in-law. She is a police lieutenant
in the city where I live. She's also one of those crazy marathon runners. I don't know why....
All the best, Yard.
Comment from Janet Foor
I enjoyed reading your western style ballad poem. You weave a story in your well rhymed lines. And I learned about the Ace of Spades. I didn't know it was the death card. I'll pay attention the next time I'm playing cards with my grandsons. Maybe I can teach them something. haha
Well done
Blessings
Janet
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I enjoyed reading your western style ballad poem. You weave a story in your well rhymed lines. And I learned about the Ace of Spades. I didn't know it was the death card. I'll pay attention the next time I'm playing cards with my grandsons. Maybe I can teach them something. haha
Well done
Blessings
Janet
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Thank you Janet, for your review and blessings. I don't know how old your grandsons are but mine are in their teens. I never, never let them off the hook whether it's cards, chess or Madden football. They have to focus to beat this old man. (;-)
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I?m afraid I?m a softy when it comes to the grandson even thought all three of them are in their twenties now. However, my daughter, their mother doesn?t give in an inch. With her they have to earn every point. It makes get togethers interesting. 😊
Comment from Julie Helms
What a great story told within your poem. It brought to mind an old favorite song of mine from Jim Croce "you don't mess around with Jim". I love some of your descriptive turns of phrase like "Jack's leather face". And how awesome to make skinny Lill the hero of the story. And topped off with a funny last line. I enjoyed it start to finish. Thanks for sharing! Julie.
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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What a great story told within your poem. It brought to mind an old favorite song of mine from Jim Croce "you don't mess around with Jim". I love some of your descriptive turns of phrase like "Jack's leather face". And how awesome to make skinny Lill the hero of the story. And topped off with a funny last line. I enjoyed it start to finish. Thanks for sharing! Julie.
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Hello, Julie. Thank you so much for your review. Yes, Croce was a great guitarist and singer. He also had a nice bar in San Diego where he played on occasion. I too, consider his classic "You don't mess around with Jim" as one of my old time and present favorite. Why?
Well, because my first name is JIM. (;-o)
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Did you ever hear him sing in person? Recently I convinced my twentysomething daughter to get up and sing that song in a karaoke bar we were at. The DJ commented on how odd it was to see someone her age singing a song that old. She told him she was doing it for her mama! Lol!
Thanks, JIM!!
Comment from Ulla
I liked this poem a lot and you certainly told quite the story within. Yes the ace of spade certainly played it's part that night. A real Western story from the ole' days. Ulla:)))
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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I liked this poem a lot and you certainly told quite the story within. Yes the ace of spade certainly played it's part that night. A real Western story from the ole' days. Ulla:)))
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Thanks Ulla. Your review is very much appreciated. Gotta love the west!
Yard.
Comment from Barry Penfold
Glad you got out of those thorn bushes. Loved this ballad and yes the Ace of Spades is the death card. A storyteller you are and your words made the whole scenario come alive. Well done.
Regards
Barry Penfold.
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Glad you got out of those thorn bushes. Loved this ballad and yes the Ace of Spades is the death card. A storyteller you are and your words made the whole scenario come alive. Well done.
Regards
Barry Penfold.
Comment Written 13-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Thank you, Barry, your review is very much appreciated. And yes, I too, am glad the thorn bushes are way back in my past.
All the best, Yard.
Comment from Wendy G
Well written Western-style ballad, filled with action and descriptions, and sometimes euphemisms eg the "peacemaker" and the death card (ace of spades). It moved along at a good pace, as ballads should.
Wendy
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Well written Western-style ballad, filled with action and descriptions, and sometimes euphemisms eg the "peacemaker" and the death card (ace of spades). It moved along at a good pace, as ballads should.
Wendy
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 13-Jan-2024
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Thank you, Wendy, your review is very much appreciated. I'm glad you picked up on the euphemisms. It was a fun write.
All the best, Yard.
Comment from Lisasview
I began reading this Yadier without reading that it was a ballad, but immediately knew it was.
Loved it
Really really good ... flowed along smoothly
Lisa
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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I began reading this Yadier without reading that it was a ballad, but immediately knew it was.
Loved it
Really really good ... flowed along smoothly
Lisa
Comment Written 12-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 12-Jan-2024
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Thank you so much, Lisa. I'm pleased you recognized the ballad right off. It was a fun write but deadly for Texas Slim. (;-)
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Very funny.. I loved it..
Lisa
