Is This the Way of the Free

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

The song "Is This the Way of the Free" Kenny Jones (1952-1969), 16 year old son of Helen Carter (of the Carter Family) - Johnny Cash's nephew-in-law. Anti-war

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: He said we killed for democracy To make the other people free Is this the way of the free?

Notes

Monument Mn45-1107, white "Disc Jockey — Not for Sale" promotional labels; "Is This the Way of the Free" (Kenny Jones), Copper Creek Music, Inc., BMI, matrix G5W-2314, time 2:40, and "Tale of a Wooden War" (Kenny & Danny Jones), Copper Creek Music, Inc., BMI, matrix G5W-2312, time 2:14; "A Don Law Production"; Monument Record Corp., Nashville, Tenn., Hollywood, Calif. The picture sleeve front, titled "Is This the Way of the Free? ☆☆ Kenny Jones" (Monument 45-1107), shows a dark, shadowed close-up photograph of Jones's face. The back prints the full lyric, a series of verses each ending "Is this the way of the free?", moving from a mortician and a man in white who says "we killed for democracy / to make the other people free" to a mother pulling her son's hearse by hand and the price of "a six foot plot of hallowed land". [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

Kenneth Burton Jones (1952 - 1969), American songwriter and singer; second son of Helen Carter of the Carter Family and Glenn Jones, grandson of Maybelle Carter and nephew-in-law of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Signed to Monument Records and considered destined for a major career, he was killed in an automobile accident at 16. Johnny Cash recorded his 'Sing a Traveling Song' ('Hello, I'm Johnny Cash', 1970) and performed it in tribute at Madison Square Garden (1969); the Carter Family later recorded his '2001 Ballad to the Future'. Buried beside his mother at Hendersonville Memory…

Themes

Anti-War

In collections

Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]