Johnny Cash — When Uncle Bill Quit Dope

Now Uncle Bill was my Mothers Brother, a tall lanky man But somewhere back in Uncle Bill's life, he took to sniffin' cocaine I'd find him out in the back yard, sittin' against a tree His eyes bugged out in a cocaine stare and his mind in a cocaine dream Well one fall day when Uncle Bill was having a cocaine fit He said "Louise this coke's no good and I've made up my mind to quit Now you take this key and I'll go upstairs and then you lock the door And Lord I swear I'll stay up there till I don't want dope no more" Well, he stomped the floor and he bеat the door and he moaned a mournful cry Whеn the last cocaine went through his brain, we thought he'd surely die He yelled and he cussed and he fell on the floor and we almost gave up hope As long as I live I won't forget when Uncle Bill quit dope Well, for the first few hours we heard not a sound, upstairs was quiet and still And then all of a sudden we heard a shriek of pain from Uncle Bill He bounced out of bed and across the room, I heard him break a chair And then another scream louder than the first as he ripped out a hunk of his hair My Mother kissed us all that night, as brother and I lay in bed We wondered if poor old Uncle Bill was dyin' or already dead But all night long we listened to him as he raved and pleaded and called And I swear I heard his finger nails tearing the paper off the walls Well, he stomped the floor and he beat the door and he moaned a mournful cry When the last cocaine went through his brain we thought he'd surely die He yelled and he cussed and he fell on the floor and we almost gave up hope As long as I live I won't forget when Uncle Bill quit dope After fourteen days and nights of hell, it grew quiet over head And I peered past mother, as she unlocked the door expecting to find him dead But to my surprise there was Uncle Bill, as shiny as a brand new dollar His hair was combed and his beard was gone, he'd grown two inches taller In his old blue suit and his patent shoes, he was quite a sight to see The light was back in his deep blue eyes as he turned to mother and me He said "Louise, I've been through hell and I nearly went insane But I finally kicked that devil's habit, I beat that demon cocaine" Well, he stomped the floor and he beat the door and he moaned a mournful cry When the last cocaine went through his brain we thought he'd surely die He screamed and he hollered and he fell on the floor and we almost gave up hope As long as I live I won't forget when Uncle Bill quit dope As long as I live I won't forget when Uncle Bill quit dope