Dylan appears only to be getting looser as he continues his radio career. Today’s “Theme Time Radio Hour” on XM Radio flowed especially naturally — perhaps an indication that it was not recorded in so many bits and pieces but more in one or two sittings. But that’s speculation. Here’s a fact, as offered by Dylan: “Every day in the United States, 200 new jail cells are constructed. I hope we can keep up!”

One of the most striking songs of the show had to be Bessie Smith, and “Send Me To The ’Lectric Chair.”

I wanna take a journey to the devil down below
I done killed my man – I want to reap just what I sow. …
Judge, Judge, hear me Judge, send me to the ’lectric chair.

That led Dylan to these musings:

“Old Sparky” was the name of Florida’s electric chair, and “Gruesome Gerdy” was the electric chair of Louisiana. They don’t have electric chairs anymore — they threw them out. And even if they did, I don’t think they’d name ’em.

Was that a whiff of nostalgia for the bad old days? Well, you decide. Dylan also said this about chain gangs:

A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial tasks, such as chipping stone, often along a highway. Besides being good punishment, it serves as a deterrent, as you can point them out to people and say, “Don’t let this be you!”

Chain gangs are featured in a lot of movies, perhaps most famously, “I’m A Fugitive From a Chain Gang,” but also, “Brother Where Art Thou?,” “Cool-Hand Luke,” and the Preston Sturges classic, “Sullivan’s Travels.”

Another monster of a record spun by Bob today was Andre Williams’ “Jail Bait.” Hilarious and harrowing at the same time, closing with a vain plea for mercy:

Please Mister Judge! You just let me go this time … I don’t mess with them young girls no more … I ain’t gonna bother none fifteen … I ain’t gonna bother none at sixteen … I ain’t gonna bother none at seventeen … I ain’t gonna mess with none at eighteen … I’m gonna leave the twenty-year old ones alone too! … I’m gonna get me a girl about forty-two … if you just believe what I say and let me go Mister Judge …

This all accompanied by genuinely wailing horns. As Dylan said, “Boy, I don’t know if those were trumpets or elephants at the end of that record.”

Naturally we also heard from Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard. A taped snippet of Merle talking included this quote: “It’s funny, all ex-convicts have something in common — they’ve got their time in, and the rest of you still got yours to do.” Dylan played Haggard’s “Sing Me Back Home,” which Dylan has also sung in concert quite a few times.

All in all, Dylan delivered a show both sobering and rib-tickling today. The Mississippi Sheiks and Kenny Layne and his Bull Dogs also provided standout tunes for yours truly, but there wasn’t a dull one in the bunch.

Dylan ended his broadcast with these words of wisdom:

Let me just remind you, that some people will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen. Nowadays they may use computers. But no matter how they do it, they’re all gonna end up at the same place: behind bars.

You stay on the straight and narrow and I’ll see you next week.

Today’s playlist:

Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
Magic Sam – Twenty-one Days In Jail
Bessie Smith and her Blue Boys – Send Me To The ‘Lectric Chair
Warren Storm - Prisoner’s Song
The Pretenders – Back On The Chain Gang
Andre Williams – Jail Bait
Cannon’s Jug Stompers – Prison Wall Blues
Kenny Layne and His Bull Dogs – Columbus Stockade Blues
Joe Simon – Nine Pound Steel
Jimmy Patton – Okie’s In The Pokie
John Prine – Christmas In Prison
Sir Douglas Quintet – In The Jailhouse Now
The Mississippi Sheiks – The Jail Bird Love Song
Wanda Jackson - Riot In Cell Block Number Nine
Merle Haggard – Sing Me Back Home
Hurricane Harry – The Last Meal

Next week’s theme: FATHER. (Really should’ve guessed that.)

Theme Time Radio Hour with your host, Bob Dylan, on XM Radio.

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