{"id":64091,"date":"2025-09-22T18:49:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T22:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=64091"},"modified":"2026-04-03T09:33:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T13:33:24","slug":"face-down-in-the-dust-a-ballad-for-the-broken-by-jc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=64091","title":{"rendered":"Face Down in the Dust — A Ballad for the Broken (by JC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam’s friend Ed Payson learned too late that you can hang up your gun, but it won’t let you go. (A “Broken Ballad” recap in rhyme)<\/p>\n

Rating: T\u00a0 Word Count: 250<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Young Billy loved sweet Sally Cass<\/i><\/p>\n

The store keeper\u2019s daughter, a pretty lass<\/i><\/p>\n

But in her eyes he was just a friend<\/i><\/p>\n

Because she loved another<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Old Will Cass was a bitter man<\/i><\/p>\n

Whose son had died by a gunman\u2019s hand<\/i><\/p>\n

The hand of the man that Sally loved<\/i><\/p>\n

The man who killed her brother<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

The law had ruled the fight was fair<\/i><\/p>\n

But the grieving father didn\u2019t care<\/i><\/p>\n

He craved revenge for his reckless boy<\/i><\/p>\n

Against the man returning<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Ed Payson wore a gun no more<\/i><\/p>\n

Young Dave\u2019s death had vexed him sore<\/i><\/p>\n

Forgiveness Will would not extend<\/i><\/p>\n

Hate kept his anger burning<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Befriended by a man in black<\/i><\/p>\n

Ed went home to repair his shack<\/i><\/p>\n

Adam brought supplies and more<\/i><\/p>\n

Then Sally Cass came calling<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

She saw the good in a humble heart<\/i><\/p>\n

He only wanted a brand new start<\/i><\/p>\n

She baked biscuits; he sang a song<\/i><\/p>\n

In love they soon were falling<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Alas their love was not to be<\/i><\/p>\n

Choked by rage and jealousy<\/i><\/p>\n

A father blind and a suitor scorned<\/i><\/p>\n

Would not stand idly by<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Billy called him out; tossed him a gun<\/i><\/p>\n

Ed had no choice but to fight or run<\/i><\/p>\n

The lines were drawn with no way out<\/i><\/p>\n

One man was doomed to die<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Oh careless and impulsive youth<\/i><\/p>\n

Too late he learns a bitter truth<\/i><\/p>\n

You can hang up your gun but it won\u2019t let you go<\/i><\/p>\n

No matter how hard you try\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the end, face down <\/i><\/p>\n

in the dust you\u2019ll lie.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Broken Ballad” (Season 3, episode 6) was written by John T. Kelly<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam’s friend Ed Payson learns too late that you can hang up your gun, but it won’t let you go. (A “Broken Ballad” recap in rhyme)<\/p>\n

Rating T Word Count 250<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10253,"featured_media":380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-poetry","wpcat-9-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":70,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/bb.jpg?fit=308%2C302&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45995,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=45995","url_meta":{"origin":64091,"position":0},"title":"Broken (By Miss Judy)","author":"missjudy","date":"June 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: The Broken Ballad episode ends with many unanswered questions. Life would have changed in small and huge ways following Ed's death. So ... what happened to Will Cass, whose grief pushed him to do despicable things? 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