Meanest Man

(Written by Daniel Hobson. Recorded June 20, 2010. Asheville, N.C. Notes on the song: Recently NPR aired a story "Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries," by T. Christian Miller and Daniel Zwerdling. It's sad. When I wrote the lyrics to this song, I thought of the story, of the shock waves that cause unseen injury in our troops. Combine absent or emotionally absent parents, drugs, bad teachers, repeated tours of combat, and brain injury and you get the "meanest man"--one who employs mindless violence, who self-medicates, who isolates himself, who rejects help—if help is even offered. Hear or read the NPR story at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127402993. Lyrics follow.)

I'm gonna hit my dog, gonna hit him hard.
Gonna use a brick outta my back yard.

I'm gonna punch the wall, don't know what for,
As soon as I get back from the ABC store.

You want to mess me with, I'm gonna mess with you.
Mister, you don't know the shiz I've been through.

My dad left home when I's only two.
My mom used junk to get herself through.

All my teachers was o'nery and mean.
So I left school at the age of sixteen.

I joined the Army, sent me off to war.
I did six tours and I did two more.

A shock wave left my thoughts deranged.
I came home, my friends said I'd changed.

Now I don't need your help, your charity.
I'm the meanest man you ever seen.

I met Jesus the other day:
He was so afraid, he had to look away.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• folk
• song
• war
• traumatic
• brain
• injuries
• Asheville
• Daniel
• Hobson