Jim Dean of Indiana (Phil Ochs) It was on an Indiana farm in the middle of the country Growin' in the fields of grain, Jim Dean of Indiana His mother died when he was a boy, his father was a stranger Martin Winslow took him in, nobody seemed to want him The hired man sang like a ?strong?, sometimes he'd repent him 'Cause he woould never do the chores, he was lost in dreaming He never seemed to find a play with the flatlands and the farmers So he had to leave one day, he said to be an actor Once he'd come back to the farm with starlets from the stages They locked themselves inside his room, the people turned their faces A neighbor ran from the movie house, chicken they were scattered He swore he saw upon the screen Jim Dean of Indiana He played a boy without a home, torn with no tomorrow Reaching out to touch someone, a stranger in the shadow The Winslows left for the movie town, they drove across the country They hoped that he would stay around and they hoped he would be free He talked to them for half an hour but he was busy racing He left for the great fine road, they left for Indiana Then Markus heard on the radio that a movie star was dying He turned the tuner way down low, so Ortense could go on sleeping It was not until they reached the farm where the hired man was waiting The wind rushed silent through the grain, it was just as they had thought They buried him just down the road, a mile from the farm house That is where I placed a flower for Jim Dean of Indiana. ------------------------------------------------------------------- copyright Barricade Music recorded by Phil Ochs on his final studio album "Greatest Hits" (1970) (ironically titled, because it featured all new songs) The song has probably more to say about Ochs' state of mind in 1970 than about James Dean. MJ
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!