JUST 25 MINUTES TO GO

Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) was a highly talented many-sided artist: Grammy awarded (for his song „A Boy Named Sue” in 1970, you know it by Johnny Cash), Oscar-nominated  singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician, writer, poet:

Whatif

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I’m dumb in school?
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don’t grow talle?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won’t bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

& cartoonist:

He wrote lots of songs for Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, e.g. „The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”, which also was recorded by Marianne Faithful, Lee Hazelwood and others. One among his evergreens is „25 Minutes to Go”. It has become famous by Johnny Cash. Now here are 7 x  last 25 minutes of a condemned man by various artists. Of course there is the original one too.

1. Johnny Cash (from the live album „At Folsom Prison” 1968)
2. Dezperadoz (from the album „An Eye For An Eye” 2008)
3. S.W.A.T. (Jim Goad & Thee Slayer Hippy f.t.a: „Deep Inside A Cop’s Mind” 1994)
4. Shel Silverstein (original, f.t.a: „Inside Folk Songs” 1962)
5. Diamanda Galas (f.t.a: „Malediction & Prayer” 1998)
6. The Brothers Four (f.t.a: „Cross Country Concert” 1963)
7. Tiger Lillies (f.t.a: „2 Penny Opera” 2001)

Intro taken from „Death Row” episode of „Hard Time” series by National Geographic TV.
Interludes taken from „Death Row” report by THV11 (Little Rock, Arkansas, US).

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