Tennessee Stud
Johnny Cash Lyrics

Back about eighteen and twenty five
The story starts in the early 1820s

I left Tennessee very much alive
The singer remembers leaving Tennessee successfully

I never would've made it through the Arkansas mud
If it wasn't for the Tennessee Stud, he would've had trouble getting through the muddy Arkansas terrain

If I hadn't been riding on the Tennessee stud
The artist attributes his survival to riding the Tennessee Stud

Had some trouble with my sweetheart's Pa
The artist experiences issues with his girlfriend's father

One of her brothers was a bad outlaw
One of his girlfriend's brothers is a notorious criminal

I wrote a letter to my uncle Spud
The singer sends a letter to his uncle Spud

And I rode away on the Tennessee stud
To escape his problems, the artist rode on the Tennessee Stud

The Tennessee Stud was long and lean
The Tennessee Stud was a lean horse

The color of the sun and his eyes were green
The Tennessee Stud has a golden coat and green eyes

He had the nerve and he had the blood
The Tennessee Stud had the courage and determination

There never was a horse like Tennessee stud
The artist regards the Tennessee Stud as one of a kind

Drifted on down into no man's land
The singer travels to an unclaimed territory

Across the river called the Rio Grande
The singer crosses the Rio Grande river

Raced my horse with the Spaniard's foe
The singer competes in a horse race against a Spanish opponent

'Til I got me a skin full of silver and gold
After the race, the artist ends up with a bag of silver and gold

Me and the gambler, we couldn't agree
The artist and the gambler had a disagreement

We got in a fight over Tennessee
Their disagreement concerned the Tennessee Stud

Pulled our guns and he fell with a thud
They had a gunfight and the gambler was killed

And I rode away on a Tennessee stud
The artist quickly departed on the Tennessee Stud

I whipped her brother and I whipped her Pa
The artist punishes his girlfriend's family members

I found that girl with the golden hair
The artist locates his girlfriend with golden hair

She was riding on a Tennessee mare
The girl rode on a horse related to the Tennessee Stud

Pretty little baby on the cabin floor
There is a small child in the cabin

Little horse colt playing round the door
A young horse is playing outside the door

I loved the girl with the golden hair
The singer has feelings for his girlfriend

And the Tennessee stud loves the Tennessee mare
The singer's horse and his girlfriend's horse are in love