Highway Patrolman
Johnny Cash · Other Songs - Johnny Cash
My name is Joe Roberts I work for the State
I'm a sergeant out on Perenville barracks No 8
I've always done an honest job honest as I could
Got a brother named Frankie Frankie ain't no good
Ever since we were young kids it's been the same come down
I'd get a call on a short way Frankie's in trouble downtown
But if it was any other man I'd put him straight away
But sometimes when it's your brother you look the other way
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother should
Man turns his back on his family he ain't no good
Well Frankie went into the army back in 1965
I got a farm deferment settled down took Maria for my wife
But them wheat prices kept on droppin' till it was like we's gettin' robbed
Frankie came home in '68 and me I took this job
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' teach him how to walk that line
Man turns his back on his family ain't no friend of mine
The night was like any other I got a call bout the quarter of nine
There was trouble at a roadhouse out on the Michigan line
There was a kid on the floor lookin' bad bleedin' hard from his head
There was a girl cryin' at a table it was Frankie she said
I ran out and I jumped in my car then I hit the lights
I must have done about a hundred and ten to Michigan County that night
It was down by the crossroads out bout willow bank
Seen the buick with Ohio plates behind the wheel was Frank
Well I chased him through them county roads
Till the sign said Canadian border five miles from here
Pulled over to the south out the highway watched his taillights disappeared
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother should
Man turns his back on his family ain't no good
I'm a sergeant out on Perenville barracks No 8
I've always done an honest job honest as I could
Got a brother named Frankie Frankie ain't no good
Ever since we were young kids it's been the same come down
I'd get a call on a short way Frankie's in trouble downtown
But if it was any other man I'd put him straight away
But sometimes when it's your brother you look the other way
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother should
Man turns his back on his family he ain't no good
Well Frankie went into the army back in 1965
I got a farm deferment settled down took Maria for my wife
But them wheat prices kept on droppin' till it was like we's gettin' robbed
Frankie came home in '68 and me I took this job
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' teach him how to walk that line
Man turns his back on his family ain't no friend of mine
The night was like any other I got a call bout the quarter of nine
There was trouble at a roadhouse out on the Michigan line
There was a kid on the floor lookin' bad bleedin' hard from his head
There was a girl cryin' at a table it was Frankie she said
I ran out and I jumped in my car then I hit the lights
I must have done about a hundred and ten to Michigan County that night
It was down by the crossroads out bout willow bank
Seen the buick with Ohio plates behind the wheel was Frank
Well I chased him through them county roads
Till the sign said Canadian border five miles from here
Pulled over to the south out the highway watched his taillights disappeared
Yeah me and Frankie laughin' and drinkin' nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria
While the band played The Night Of The Johnstown Flood
I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother should
Man turns his back on his family ain't no good
About Highway Patrolman
Johnny Cash's "Highway Patrolman" stands as a gritty, narrative-driven piece from his later career, reflecting the outlaw country sound that defined his public persona. Recorded during a period when Cash frequently explored themes of lawlessness and moral ambiguity, the track captures the tension between authority and the individual spirit. The song's raw delivery and stark production highlight Cash's ability to transform simple storytelling into profound emotional resonance, characteristic of his work in the 1970s and beyond. It serves as a testament to his commitment to authentic, unpolished vocals that conveyed the struggles of the American working class and the complexities of the justice system.