The Songs He Sang
A Picture From Life's Other Side: Lyrics
As performed by Cisco Houston
Charles E. Baer
Appears on:- LP CD The Folkways Years
In the world's mighty gallery of pictures There's scenes that are painted from life Scenes of youth and of beauty Scenes of hardships and strife Scenes of wealth and of plenty Old age and a blushing young bride Hang on the wall, but the saddest of all Is a picture from life's other side A picture from life's other side Somebody has fell by the way And a life has gone out with the tide That might have been happy some day Some poor mother at home Is watching and waiting alone Longing to hear from her loved one so dear That's a picture from life's other side Now the first scene is one of two brothers Their paths in life differently led One lived in luxury and riches And the other one begged for his bread One night they met on the highway "Your money or life, sir" one cried Then with his knife, took his own brother's life That's a picture from life's other side Now the next scene is down by the river A heart-broken mother and babe In the harbor light glare see them shiver Outcasts that no one will save Once she was a true woman Somebody's darling and pride God help her, she leaps, there's no one to weep That's a picture from life's other side Just a picture from life's other side Somebody has fell by the way And a life has gone out with the tide That might have been happy some day Some poor mother at home Watching and waiting alone Longing to hear from her loved one so dear That's a picture from life's other side
Of note:
I'll take Guy Logsdon's word that it is Cisco singing the harmony back there, doing his best Popeye impression, but this is the kind of song that turns people away from folk music. My dad used to call this "shitkicker" music, and I think between the maudlin lyrics, the tuneless chant, and the annoying mandolin, this goes to the top as the least appealing song on this CD.
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