All of them were poets,
songwriters of the past.
Their legacies are memories
and songs that always last.
Hank Williams with 'Your Cheating Heart'
and songs that deal with pain.
Willie Nelson, 'On the Road Again'
and 'Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain'.
George Jones with his classic
'He Stopped Loving Her Today',
one of the best songs ever penned.
George has since passed away.
Faron Young scored number one
with 'Hello, Walls', but then
the words weren't his, but came instead
straight from old Willie's pen.
George Strait, 'Amarillo by Morning',
'Blue Clear Sky' and 'The Chair'.
Could there be any song more fun
than Jerry Reed's 'Preacher and the Bear'?
Jimmie Rodgers died young,
at only thirty-five.
What else might he have done
if he were still alive?
Roger Miller was hilarious:
'Dang Me' and 'King of the Road'.
If ever he was serious
at least it never showed.
From Lefty Frizzell
and 'The Long Black Veil'
to Buck Owens and Don Rich
with 'Tiger by the Tail'.
Crystal Gayle, with her top hit
'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue'
and John Conlee's 'Old School'
and 'I Don't Remember Loving You'.
Old Hank is long gone,
but Willie's still around,
still cranking out those memories
with his glorious sound.
I love them all, those country tunes,
each and every song,
but I can't mention any more;
this poem is too long.
Kim Barney
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/country-crooners/
