Lyrics to
The Ballad Of Hollis Brown

This version of The Ballad Of Hollis Brown was released by Nazareth in 1973.

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Hollis Brown he lived, on the outside of town
Hollis Brown he lived, on the outside of town
With his wife and five children
In his cabin broken down

He looked for work and money, and he walked a ragged mile
He looked for work and money, and he walked a ragged mile
Your children are so hungry
That they don’t know how to smile

Your baby’s eyes look crazy and they’re tuggin’ at your sleeve
Your baby’s eyes look crazy and they’re tuggin’ at your sleeve
You walk the floor and you wonder why
With every breath you breathe

The rats have got your flour, bad blood it got your mare
The rats have got your flour, bad blood it got your mare
Is there anyone that knows
Is there anyone that cares

You prayed to the Lord above to please send you a friend
You prayed to the Lord above to please send you a friend
Your empty pockets tell you
That you ain’t got no friend

Your baby’s a cryin’ louder now it’s poundin’ on your brain
Your baby’s a cryin’ louder now it’s poundin’ on your brain
Your wife’s screams are a stabbin’ you
Like dirty, drivin’ rain

Your grass is turnin’ black and there’s no water in your well
Your grass is turnin’ black and there’s no water in your well
You spent your last lone dollar
On them seven shotgun shells

Way out in the wilderness a cold coyote calls
Way out in the wilderness a cold coyote calls
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That’s hangin’ on the wall

Your brain it is a bleedin’ and your legs can’t seem to stand
Your brain it is a bleedin’ and your legs can’t seem to stand
Your eyes fix on the shotgun
That you’re holdin’ in your hand

There’s seven breezes blowin’ around the cabin door
There’s seven breezes blowin’ all around the cabin door
Seven shots ring out
Like the oceans pounding roar

There’s seven people dead on a South Dakota farm
There’s seven people dead on a South Dakota farm
Somewhere in the distance
There’s seven new people born.

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Nazareth has released many songs over the years besides The Ballad Of Hollis Brown. Nazareth released songs from 1971 to 1998 spanning across albums like Nazareth, Excercises, Razamanaz, Loud 'N' Proud, Rampant, Hair Of The Dog, Play 'N' The Game, Close Enough For Rock 'N' Roll, Expect No Mercy, No Mean City, Malice In Wonderland, The Fool Circle, 2XS, Sound Elixir, The Catch, Cinema, Snakes 'N' Ladders, No Jive, From The Vaults, Move Me, and Boogaloo. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Nazareth.

If you're a fan of 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1973 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and The Ballad Of Hollis Brown by Nazareth

The lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown are just the words, phrases, verses and chorus that Nazareth used when the song was created in 1973. The lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown have both easy-to-spot meanings and hidden metaphors that have been discussed by the music press and fans, but only Nazareth and any collaborators know all of the inspirations for the song.

If you like etymology or breaking apart phrases and words, it is easy to understand the lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown by Nazareth. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown" means the words set to the music of The Ballad Of Hollis Brown, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Nazareth. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown and the lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Nazareth who came here looking just for the lyrics to The Ballad Of Hollis Brown, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

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