Desperado
Johnny Cash Lyrics
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You been out ridin' fences for so long now.
Oh, you're a hard one,
But I know that you've got your reasons.
These things that are pleasin' you,
Can hurt you somehow.
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy,
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.
Now it seems to me, some fine things,
Have been laid upon your table.
But you only want the things that you can't get.
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger,
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home.
And freedom, oh freedom,
Well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking,
Through this world all alone.
And don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow, the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're loosin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, and open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you,
You better let somebody love you,
You better let somebody love you,
You better let somebody love you,
Before it's too late.
The song Desperado by Johnny Cash appears on his 1973 album "Desperado". It has become one of his signature songs over the years, and has been covered by numerous artists. The song is about a man who has been living a hard life for a long time, and the lyrics are a plea for him to change his ways before it's too late.
The lyrics of the song are addressed to the titular desperado, and urge him to come to his senses and stop his reckless behavior. The first verse establishes that the desperado has been "ridin' fences" for a long time, which is a metaphor for him being on the run and living outside of society's norms. The chorus repeats the plea for the desperado to come to his senses and accept love into his life, as the singer fears he is growing old and may run out of time.
The second verse offers some advice to the desperado, warning him not to draw the queen of diamonds as she will beat him, and that he should stick with the queen of hearts. The verse also suggests that the desperado is a difficult person, but the singer acknowledges that he must have his reasons for not being able to accept the good things that are offered to him. The final verse portrays a bleak existence for the desperado, with no snow or sunlight to differentiate between day and night. The chorus is repeated to end the song, with the desperado urged to open up to love.
Overall, the song is a poignant plea for a person who has lived a tough life to reconsider their choices and find love and acceptance before it's too late. Johnny Cash's deep, gravelly voice lends the song a sense of authenticity and sincerity, and the simple yet powerfully emotive lyrics have made it a classic of the country genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Why don't you start thinking rationally and face reality, desperado?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now.
You've been wandering aimlessly and avoiding your problems for a long time now.
Oh, you're a hard one,
You're a tough individual who is difficult to understand and change.
But I know that you've got your reasons.
I understand that you have your own motives that may drive your actions.
These things that are pleasin' you, can hurt you somehow.
The things you find pleasing in life might lead to some harm
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy, She'll beat you if she's able.
Beware of the queen of diamonds. She may turn against you and cause you harm.
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.
It's always better to trust the queen of hearts and not take any risks.
Now it seems to me, some fine things, Have been laid upon your table.
Seems to me that you have a lot of good things in life.
But you only want the things that you can't get.
You're more interested in things that are difficult to attain than the things you already have.
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger, Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home.
You're growing older with the same pain and hunger, which reminds you of home.
And freedom, oh freedom, Well, that's just some people talkin' Your prison is walking, Through this world all alone.
The concept of freedom is often talked about but being alone can also make one feel like they are in a prison.
And don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
Don't you feel the chill in your feet during wintertime?
The sky won't snow, the sun won't shine
The weather is very unpredictable, and you can't trust the sky anymore.
It's hard to tell the night time from the day You're loosin' all your highs and lows
You're not able to distinguish between daytime and nighttime anymore and losing the fluctuating emotions as well.
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?
It's amusing how one's emotions can easily disappear.
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Why don't you start thinking rationally and face reality, desperado?
Come down from your fences, and open the gate
Leave behind your aimless wandering and open up to new experiences.
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you,
Even during the toughest times, there's always something positive that can guide you.
You better let somebody love you,
It's important to let someone else into your life and love them.
Before it's too late.
Before it starts getting too late to change anything or have someone to love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Glenn Lewis Frey, Don Hugh Henley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
herbert gonçalves
[Verse 1]
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
You been out riding fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasing you
Can hurt you somehow
[Chorus 1]
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the things that you can't get
[Verse 2]
Desperado, oh, you aren't getting any younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're driving you home
And freedom, oh freedom
Well, that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking
Through this world all alone
[Chorus 2]
And don't your feet get cold in the winter time
The sky won't snow, the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losing all your highs and lows
Isn't it funny how the feeling
Goes away
[Verse 3]
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
Come down from your fences, and open the gate
It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you
Before it's too late
Sylvain Roche
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now.
Oh, you're a hard one,
But I know that you've got your reasons.
These things that are pleasin' you,
Can hurt you somehow.
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy,
She'll beat you if she's able.
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet.
Now it seems to me, some fine things,
Have been laid upon your table.
But you only want the things that you can't get.
Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger,
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home.
And freedom, oh freedom,
Well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking,
Through this world all alone.
And don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow, the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're loosin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling,
Goes away?
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, and open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you,
You better let somebody love you,
You better let somebody love you,
You better let somebody love you,
Before it's too late.
seth warman
My dad and I haven't been seeing eye to eye, going on for the past few years now. I very much love and respect him, and admire so much about him, but it seems like this song was written about him, or rather he modelled his life to fit the song. Johnny Cash was/is his all time favorite (mine too), and I was recently able to play this version of desperado for him along with a few more from Johnny's final album. We sat out on the porch, glass of whiskey in hand, on a perfect summers evening, and we both just belted out singing song after song for over an hour with eachother. No real dialogue to speak of, just the music & the whiskey. For that hour or more we could both see that indeed we are cut from the same cloth, and we probably have far more in common rather than what seperates us, and the world briefly seemed right.
joel maqueira
BEAUTIFUL! SO WONDERFUL!
Susan Boagard
Beautiful..and so honest
Nemanja Radoja
🥃
Carol Elliott
I am truly touched by your account of this poignant moment between you and your dad, Seth. I hope it brought some healing between you.
Or, if that moment didn’t, I hope time has … ❣️
Mr. Brenman21
@seth warman Maybe you should tell him that over some whisky lol. I seem only able to speak earnestly on such things when inebriated lol.
Kristopher Noronha
Cash's rendition somehow just makes this song so much more raw and heartfelt. Beautiful.
Giraffe Sushi
The original was my real dad's favorite song and he died when I was a baby, and my step dad raised me on cash, so this version is everything to me
joel maqueira
Praying for your real father, you, and your family, friends, and loved ones.
herbert gonçalves
[Verse 1]
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
You been out riding fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
But I know that you've got your reasons
These things that are pleasing you
Can hurt you somehow
[Chorus 1]
Don't you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She'll beat you if she's able
Know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the things that you can't get
[Verse 2]
Desperado, oh, you aren't getting any younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're driving you home
And freedom, oh freedom
Well, that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking
Through this world all alone
[Chorus 2]
And don't your feet get cold in the winter time
The sky won't snow, the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losing all your highs and lows
Isn't it funny how the feeling
Goes away
[Verse 3]
Desperado, why don't you come to your senses
Come down from your fences, and open the gate
It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you
You better let somebody love you
Before it's too late