Jim CLEMENTS - as far as the eye can see
"Pour moi, la peinture représente la liberté ultime - il est donc tout naturel que les grands espaces, la riche histoire et les peuples indépendants de l'Ouest américain se traduisent si bien sur la toile. Mon désir est d'honorer l'esprit de l'Occident dans chaque peinture que je fais."
La maison et le studio de Jim Clements sont situés dans la prairie, dans la région de Flint Hills, dans le centre-sud du Kansas.

Illustration musicale: Kenny ROGERS - Coward of the County
Ses compositions sont chantées avec une voix parfois rauque mais toujours mélodieuse qui attire le public pop tout comme les fans de country. Plus de 60 chansons enregistrées par Kenny Rogers ont atteint le top 40 des meilleures ventes US

Everyone considered him the coward of the county
He'd never stood one single time to prove the county wrong
His mama named him Tommy, but folks just called him Yellow
But something always told me, they were reading Tommy wrong

He was only ten years old when his daddy died in prison
I looked after Tommy, 'cause he was my brother's son
I still recall the final words my brother said to Tommy
"Son, my life is over, but yours has just begun"

"Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble if you can
Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
I hope you're old enough to understand
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"

There's someone for everyone and Tommy's love was Becky
In her arms, he didn't have to prove he was a man
One day while he was working, the Gatlin boys came calling
They took turns at Becky an' there was three of them

Tommy opened up the door and saw Becky crying
The torn dress, the shattered look was more than he could stand
He reached above the fireplace and took down his daddy's picture
As his tears fell on his daddy's face, he heard these words again

"Promise me, Son, not to do the things I've done
Walk away from trouble if you can
Now it won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek
I hope you're old enough to understand
Son, you don't have to fight to be a man"

The Gatlin boys just laughed at him when he walked into the bar room
One of them got up and met him half way cross the floor
When Tommy turned around they said, "Hey look! Old Yellow's leaving"
But you could've heard a pin drop when Tommy stopped and locked the door

Twenty years of crawling was bottled up inside him
He wasn't holding nothing back, he let 'em have it all
When Tommy left the bar room, not a Gatlin boy was standing
He said, "This one's for Becky", as he watched the last one fall

And I heard him say
"I promised you, Dad, not to do the things you've done
I walk away from trouble when I can
Now please don't think I'm weak, I didn't turn the other cheek
And Papa, I should hope you understand
Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man"
Everyone considered him the coward of the county

Paroles : Billy Edd Wheeler / Roger Dale Bowling