Originally recorded by Johnny Cash in 1962, Busted became a hit when Ray Charles did a soul version a year later. This is the typical down and out blues song, from the master himself.
- Won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording
Busted
Ray Charles
My bills are all due and the baby needs shoes and I’m busted
Cotton is down to a quarter a pound, but I’m busted
I got a cow that went dry and a hen that won’t lay
A big stack of bills that gets bigger each day
The county’s gonna haul my belongings away cause I’m busted
I went to my brother to ask for a loan cause I was busted
I hate to beg like a dog without his bone, but I’m busted
My brother said there ain’t a thing I can do
My wife and my kids are all down with the flu
And I was just thinking about calling on you ’cause I’m busted
Well, I am no thief, but a man can go wrong when he’s busted
The food that we canned last summer is gone and I’m busted
The fields are all bare and the cotton won’t grow
Me and my family got to pack up and go
But I’ll make a living, just where I don’t know cause I’m busted
I’m broke, no bread, I mean like nothing
Songwriters: Harlan Howard
© Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.