![]() The song’s lyrics are filled with humor and irony, as Sue recounts his experiences growing up with a name that is more suited for a girl than a boy. Sue trains himself to become a skilled fighter, and as a result, he is able to hold his own in tough situations. However, instead of giving up, he uses his unusual name as a source of strength and determination. The protagonist, Sue, is abandoned by his father at a young age and is left to fend for himself. Thank you for taking the time to visit the Genesis Man Project.He story of “A Boy Named Sue” is one of resilience and strength in the face of adversity. I will be writing a conclusion to this blog next week and tell you how everything fits together… I would love to hear your thoughts, comments and email. Do you think that it was a positive or negative influence?.What was the reason for naming his son Sue?.How does the man feel about his father at the beginning and at the end of the story?.What do you think of the song? ( A Boy Named Sue).I open this conversation with these same questions: In our Genesis Man small group, we had a great (Google Meet) discussion about the influence of a man as we listened to this piece of music. It seemed like this ‘three minute of therapy in thirty years’ helped to put a life of pain and abandonment into some kind of healing perspective. In the end, the main character actually acknowledges his father, and came around to “a different point of view”. ![]() (Why did he name his son Sue?) The climax of the drama unfolds and in that moment the father laughed and explained that the world was “rough” and he needed to be “tough” and he knew that he wouldn’t be around to help him. Kickin’ and a gougin’ in the the mud and the blood and the beerĪfter trading blows, Sue and his father faced off, and the son manages to get the jump first on the old man and pulls his gun. Well, I hit him hard right between the eyesĬome up with a knife and cut off a piece of my earĪnd we crashed through the wall and into the street I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eyeĪnd I looked at him and my blood ran cold, and I said Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dadįrom a worn-out picture that my mother had Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue What ensues is… well read it for yourself… Side note: It’s interesting that the incarcerated men, whom he performs for had a really big laugh at that part… (Check out the link at the end of this blog.)Īs this brilliant musical narrative develops, we travel with Sue through his fatherless and tough life until one day he recognizes and meets the old man in a bar in “Gatlinburg in mid-July”. ![]() I roamed from town to town to hide my shameīut I made me a vow to the moon and starsĪnd kill that man that gave me that awful name I don’t know what his mother was like or what type of male influence was a part of his life, but Cash explains this influence as the song continues. It is obvious that a man has a profound effect on the life of his children. How does an absentee father exert impact over a child? I mean, that guy left when Sue was three years old. I’ll tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy named Sue Seems I had to fight my whole life throughĪnd some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head Well, he musta thought that it was quite a jokeĪn’ it got a lot of laughs from lots a folks By the way did I mention it was released in 1969? Can you imagine a boy growing up with this name? Read more of the lyrics below. The American Psychological Association (APA) would label this an example of the perils of “Traditional Masculinity”. In today’s world, some psychologist might praise this man’s attempt to loosening rigid gender norms, but it was actually the exact opposite. Please persevere for a moment and be prepared to laugh out loud. Later in the blog I will post the YouTube link so that you can listen to the song even if country/folk is not your style. ![]() Was before he left he went and named me Sue Now I don’t blame him ’cause he run and hid Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze Well, my daddy left home when I was three The song was released in his 1969 album San Quentin and it was one of most popular songs, which he performed at concerts, some being for incarcerated men. This song was written by Shel Silverstein, but performed and made famous by Johnny Cash, an American singer. What happened? A father, forecasting his absence in the life of his baby boy, somehow (and inexplicably) convince his girlfriend to name their son “Sue” because he thought since he wouldn’t be around it would be a good idea. First of all, in this song Sue was not gay or trans-gendered, nor did he struggle with gender ambiguity. A Boy Named Sue is a hilarious, yet serious commentary about the influence of a man in the life of a child. ![]()
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