Rueben James
Conway Twitty - Topic Lyrics

Reuben James in my song you'll live again
I am bringing you back to life through my music, so that your memory may live on

And the phrases that I rhyme
The words that I use to describe you and the stories I tell

Are just footsteps out of time
Are echoes from the past

From the time when I knew you, Reuben James
When we were both alive and you were a part of my life

Reuben James all the folks around Madison County cussed your name
People around our town did not respect you and spoke badly of you

Just a no count share croppin' colored man
You were a farmer who did not own much land and a black man in a time when that was not easy

Who'd steal anything that he can
People accused you of stealing and saw you as a bad person

And they always laid the blame on, Reuben James
They made you responsible for bad things that happened, regardless of whether or not it was true

Reuben James, you still walk the furrowed fields of my mind
You are still present in my memories and thoughts

The faded shirt, the wrinkled brow
I remember the way you looked and your physical appearance

The calloused hand upon the plow
I remember the hard work you did every day as a farmer

I loved you then and I love you now, Reuben James
My feelings for you have not changed, I still care deeply for you, even though you are gone now

Flora Gray, the gossip of Madison County died with the child
This person who used to spread rumors and scandals around town died with her own child

And although your skin was black
Even though you were a black man in a time of racial prejudice and violence

You were the one who didn't turn your back
You were the person who did not refuse to help me, despite my lack of status and poverty

On a hungry white child with no name, Reuben James
You helped me as a hungry and homeless child, even though I was not important

Reuben James with your mind on my soul and Bible in your right hand
You were always thinking about my spiritual wellbeing and had a strong faith in God

You said turn the other cheek
You advised me to be forgiving, even in the face of harm done to me

There's a better land waitin' for the meek
You believed that there is a better place for people who are humble and peaceful in the next life

In my mind these words remain from Reuben James
Your words have stuck with me and continue to influence my life

Reuben James, one cold dark day, they brought you from the fields
The day of your death, when they took you from the farm where you worked

And to your lonely pine box came
Your funeral, where you were buried in a simple wooden coffin

Just a preacher, me and the rain
Only a pastor, me, and the weather came to see you off

To sing one last refrain for Reuben James
To say goodbye to you one last time, and to honor your memory

Reuben James, you still walk the furrowed fields of my mind
You have left a permanent mark in my memory and are still alive in my thoughts

The faded shirt, the wrinkled brow
I remember every detail of you like the shirt you wore and the wrinkles on your face

The calloused hand upon the plow
I remember how hardworking and diligent you were as a farmer

I loved you then and I love you now, Reuben James
My love for you has remained the same throughout time and even after your death.