It was the time of the preacher when the story began.
Of the choice of a lady and the love of a man.
How he loved her so dearly, he went out of his mind.
When she left him for someone, she’d left behind.
An’he cried like a baby;
He screamed like a panther in the middle of the night.
An’he saddled his pony,
An he went for a ride.
It was the time of the preacher in the year of 01.
Now the preachin’is over and the lesson’s begun.
lyrics:
It was a time of the preacher
When the story began
Of the choice of a lady
And the love of a man
How he loved her so dearly
He went out of his mind
When she left him for someone
That she'd left behind
And he cried like a baby
And he screamed like a panther
In the middle of the night
And he saddled his pony
And he went for a ride
It was a time of the preacher
In the year of O-one
Now the preachin' is over
And the lesson's begun
I got into this song after watching Edge of Darkness, the BBC TV series, not the Hollywood remake, with Mel in it, mind you that wasn't bad, but this really is something else.....
I really discovered this album when I was about 22 years old. A friend of mine had a cabin out in the middle of the West Virginia mountains, with no electricity or running water, just oil lamps and a nearby creek. We brought a boom box with us and I had just bought this album on cassette tape. We smoked weed, drank whiskey, smoked more weed, drank more whiskey, and then played "Red Headed Stranger"...from beginning to end without interruption and without words between us. Then we did it all again. Every single time I hear any song from this album, that's where I go in my mind. Thank you Willie!
I was a 15-year-old, long-haired, pot-smoking heavy-metal smartass when this album came out; it literally blew my mind. It taught me more about songwriting, musicianship, structure, lyrics, track placement, storytelling and (most importantly) music appreciation than a lifetime worth of classwork could have. I thank Willie for opening countless musical horizons for me.
