Jerry Jeff - Enough To Make A Man Believe

Put Jerry Jeff Walker's "Jerry Jeff" cassette in the living room player. 1978, motherfuckers. Took a seat in my big old chair. Opened 2002's "Gospel According to ESPN - Saints, Saviors and Sinners" which I bought because of the long introduction found therein by Hunter S. Thompson.

Tonight I could wrestle the devil

You know I just can't lose

Go on out and find me some fallen angel

To help me with these lowdown blues

She be knowin' 'bout the lowdown blues

I got me a Saturday night special

In case things should get too tough

I've been laid back too long

I believe I've had enough

Well I can't get the man to call a taxi

He could take me way downtown

Well I'm gonna fire up my Lincoln instead

Throw my money around, won't it look good downtown

*************

"...and whosoever was not found written

 in the book of life

was cast into the lake of fire."

- Revelations 20:15

This was the theme of a sermon I delivered off the 20th floor balcony of the Regency Hyatt House in Houston on the morning of Super Bowl VIII - a crazed and futile attempt, as I recall, to explain the nature of my relationship with the National Football League. It was just before dawn when the urge to speak came on me. I had not planned a sermon for that morning - or any other morning, for that matter - but now, looking back on that outburst, I see that I'd been cranking myself up for it, in a slow and violent way, for at least two months and maybe three or four.


Walker. Then Thompson. I try not to spend too much time living in the past but when I do I like to spend it with the motherfucking best.