AboutDr. J. M. Allen Expertise I am a long time fan of Bluegrass and older country/folk music (20-70's) and have a fairly extensive tape and sheet music library of the same and have played the music non-professionally for many years. I can (hopefully) assist with information about artists and lyrics. Please try to make it the older stuff, I don't listen to much "modern" country except George Strait anymore....it ain't got no soul anymore :)
Experience I grew up in the 60's listening to all the old greats and learned to play the music. I have spent a lot of time reading about the genres and have gotten a chance to meet several of the big names over the years.
Question About 20 years ago, I heard a song about a mentally deficient person named Lester(?). The story was told from the point of view of the kid who had known him. The chorus went something like "Lester, here's a quarter, and Lester, here's a dollar. Take whichever one you want, it's yours to keep. Then they'd always whoop and holler, cuz Lester never took the dollar". The song ended when Lester died and left the singer a fortune in quarters. At one point Lester said, "The day I take the dollar is the day the game will end." Please help me find the title and artist - I've looked a lot, and people think I'm crazy.
Answer The character is named Luther. I've heard a couple of different folks sing it...not sure but I think Johnny Russell wrote it but Boxcar Willie had it out on record years ago. Here are the lyrics:
I can still remember
The first time I saw him
Silver-haired old man
Even then
But we hit it off together
And fished old Paynee River
Through the years I'm proud to say
Luther was my friend
They all called him crazy
Said his mind was simple
They even talked of puttin' him away
But he wouldn't hurt nobody
And I hated all the town folk
The way they treated Luther
And the game they used to play
They said, "Luther here's a dollar
Luther here's a quarter
Take either one you want, old man
Which one will it be"
Then they'd all hoop and holler
And he never took the dollar
He'd take the shiny quarter
Smile and walk away
I watched him growin' older
And I finally gave up countin'
The times they made him play
That awful game
Till one day he lay a-dyin'
And I was sittin' by him
He said "Boy, before before I go
There's somethin' to explain"
"I know you've always wondered
Why I just took their quarters
And now, son
You're old enough to understand"
"But you see, the way I had it figured
Was never take that dollar
The day you do, boy
The money game will end"
They said, "Luther, here's a dollar
Luther, here's a quarter
Take either one you want, old man
Which one will it be"
Then they'd all hoop and holler
But he never took the dollar
He'd take the shiny quarter
Smile and walk away
Now Luther lay a-sleepin'
In the ground down by the river
Lord knows I miss that old black man
But twenty sacks of quarters
And the wisdom of his thinkin'
Have made my life much easier
Than I had ever planned
Well, I often go to see him
And I place a paper dollar
And a brand new shiny quarter
On his grave
And I feel my body shiver
As a cool breeze from the river
Blows that paper bill up through the trees
And far away
Luther, here's a dollar
Luther, here's a quarter
Take either one you want, old man
Which one will it be
He lived and died in squalor
And he still won't take the dollar
But there's a pile of quarters
Heaped high on Luther's grave
Luther, here's a dollar
Luther, here's a quarter
Take either one you want, old man
Which one will it be
Yes, they'd all hoop and holler
And he never took the dollar
He'd take the shiny quarter
Smile and walk away
Luther, here's a dollar
Luther, here's a quarter
Take either one you want, old man
Which one will it be
Then they'd all hoop and holler
And he never took the dollar .....FADE
