Sad Man's Tongue Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Kingofstilport 

Cover art for Sad Man's Tongue lyrics by Volbeat

This song is their tribute to one of their biggest influences, Johnny Cash, who is mentioned in the lyrics (Leave your Johnny Cash song and get home). He also inspired this song, which is modeled on his classic "Folsom Prison Blues." The song encapsulates the journey of a free-spirited drifter who resists societal norms and military obligations, choosing instead to embrace a life of music and storytelling, reminiscent of the legendary Johnny Cash.

In an interview, Michael Poulsen said about the song how "As I remember, I wrote it about this guy who is a drifter. He is kind of his own spirit, traveling around the world. He’s a pretty lonely guy who kind of goes by his own rules. He’s a rebel. Until they want to get him into the military, and he’s trying everything he possibly can to just stay as a free spirit on the road, because he goes against the weapons and everything. He just wants to have a simple life, and he doesn’t see any kind of responsibility going into Uncle Sam, and doing work for him. He refuses to bear weapons, because nobody has done anything harmful to him, so why should he be a bad guy to anybody else but himself? So he pretty much tried to live the free life."

Song Meaning
Positive
Subjective
Enjoyment
Tribute
Influence
Freedom
Rebellion
Journey