Country Mourning
By Tommy Lynn Sells
Thinking about you
Mind has been drifting
Being here does get mighty lonely
Decided to give you a holler
Saying hello that special way only you can
Trying to find my voice, taking it all in
First words come out like a song
Is that grease of bacon I’m hearing?
Are you standing in the kitchen?
Frying eggs, pulling biscuits
Stirring gravy
Do you have fried tatters? Coffee ready yet?
Really wanting to be home
Won’t be long now
Warden and them will carry my coffin to the gate
Thinking of you driving my old truck
Carrying me away
Promise me you’ll stop at my favourite old bar
And have a cold one
Saying our farewells facing up to what’s about to be done
Asking you to tell Mama, the boys and friends bye for now
Will see y’all soon
As the line goes dead with you on the other end
Trying to find my voice, taking it all in
My words come out like a song to the warden and them
Heard grease of bacon, she was standing in the kitchen
Frying eggs, pulling biscuits
Stirring gravy
Had fried tatters and coffee.
Walking this last mile not alone, having you with me
Seeing you, there’s tears rolling down our cheeks
Just facing up to what’s about to be done
Wanting to hear you say hello that special way only you can
Warden and them bringing my coffin to the gate soon
Thinking of you driving my old truck
Carrying me away
Stop off at the old bar
Having a cold one
Ready to be free at last
Being here does get mighty lonely
Mama, the boys and friends thinking it was something
Trying to find my voice
Hearing grease of bacon, standing in the kitchen
Frying eggs, pulling biscuits
Stirring gravy
Fried tatters, coffee ready yet?
Tommy Lynn Sells
Executed April 3, 2014
No Comments
jimy jones
June 10, 2018 at 1:28 pmsad
jimy jones
June 10, 2018 at 1:28 pmif it is true what the psychologist are saying about psychopath and sociopath then it is high time for the government to come up with a system in the schools to identify this individual early in their childhood enough before they commit these brutal crime and separate them from the society. because what i get from the psychologist this is a conditions not behavior which i thing has no cure like cancer but if identified from an early stage can be managed like the psychopathic child Beth Thomas whose was saved from becoming a bloody kill. But people like Tommy whose weren't discovered early enough hence caused grive ad pain to the family who lost their loved once through them. NOT trying to justify what they deed but IF they are termed to be psychopath then Tommy also is a victim like the victim he murdered hence the government also is to blame for every murder or attacked committed by these emotionless individuals
Sam R Hobson
June 3, 2018 at 9:46 pmSome men murder some men destroy lives in other ways. These guys were innocents once, before they knew it the wrong thoughts took hold in their hearts & minds and were too weak to fight off the hate that drove them to their crimes against humanity. The next thing they knew they had already gone to far no one knows that feeling unless you have done what they have done . I make no excuse for their behavior. I see their lives as a worse tragedy than the lives they took.
Anonymous
October 6, 2017 at 3:38 amLove this poem, rest in peace tommy.
A Friend
April 22, 2014 at 4:47 pmAlex, I appreciate that you took the time to read this post on Tommy, and also to look into his background. However it should be noted that there is more to him that what is posted on Wikipedia.
Tommy admittedly committed heinous crimes and I do not defend or excuse them. I am a parent of young children and also, the victim of a violent crime myself and understand very well the pain of his victims and their families. They have my deepest sympathy.
Tommy committed the same crime I was a victim of and we discussed this. These were powerful conversations for both of us. Tommy was also a victim and we were able to relate to each other on this level. He once wrote that he grew up to become what he hated most. His willingness to share this side of himself shed some light for me on why such awful things come to pass.
There is more to Tommy than what’s posted on the internet. He was also a poet, an artist and a friend to many on both sides of the walls. He was deeply remorseful for his crimes and he hoped to be remembered for something beyond his worst moments.
I see the horror in his crimes. How could I not? But he was a human being and I saw that too. I wish he had not been executed. I respect whatever opinion you may have of Tommy, but if you aren’t willing or able to try to see the tragedy in his death, then MB6 is probably not a web site you will want to spend much time on, as our goal is to show the humanity in prisoners and to give voices to those who would otherwise have none, as we have tried to do here for Tommy.
– Dina
Anonymous
April 22, 2014 at 4:46 pmI really find it hard to reconcile the idea of any commemoration with what sells did to his victims. In addition to the murder for which he was executed, he beat a pregnant woman to death, who had a miscarriage during the beating. Shouldn't we celebrate this man's death rather than his life?