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Mac's Redemption
Music Copyright by Susan Adamson, 1997
Lyrics Copyright by Mike Murray, 1997
360.379.3535
A rambling shack at the edge of town
And a water wagon
Locked in trace to a J.I. Case
A fence all patched and saggin'
A herd of goats and a lonely man
With neither son nor daughter
An old town drunk named Mack MacCowan
Lived by hauling water
DRIFTING DOWN FROM THE EDGE OF TOWN
THOUGH NOT A HEAD BE SHOWING
YOU KNOW THERE'S GOATS AT MACK MacCOWAN'S
WHEN A STRONG NORTH WIND COMES BLOWING
"SHOWERS A DIME" SAID THE PAINTED SIGN
"MARRIAGES--NO WAITING"
PAY YOUR FINE AT MACK'S DREY LINE
GOATS MILK AND LIGHT HAULING
On election day, some old boys played
A prank on home and mother
They'd vote that day for a drunk that lay
Sprawling in the gutter
They made that sot named Mack MacCowan
That man of lowly station
Town J.P. by write-in vote
And caused his transformation
For a drunk to be the town J.P.
A story made in heaven
To repay the town for its faith in him
He went on the water wagon
Fresh goat's milk, or to wash your hide
When your cistern's empty
To tote your load or to take a bride
Old Mack was always ready
So, what's the story behind the story? Is Mac's Redemption based on a true
story? Was there really a Mac MacCowan?
Yes, Mac, a reformed alcoholic, really existed, and the story as to how he became
Justice of the Peace in Froid, Montana is really true. I heard it from my grandfather,
A.E. Kamps, who ran the lumber yard in Froid, and my folks confirmed the story. We lived
on a farm/ranch about 15 miles west of Froid.
Believe Mac's redemption happened in the late 1940s. He also ran the dray line
(water service), sold goat's milk, and provided showers for a dime. He had a very strange
place on the edge of town. As I remember, his house sort of grew over the years -- it was
very narrow and very deep. He had a couple of antique cars (Model A Fords?) that I always
coveted when I was in high school, but his price was too rich for my blood then ($600 in
about 1960).
There's at least one picture of Mac's highway sign ("Marriages any time, night
or day, no waiting") in the liner notes to our CD (which you can pick up from
CD-Baby). It made "Grit" magazine -- then the town fathers made him take it
down.
Mike Murray, October 2004
For more of Mike's projects, go to http://www.smokecreek.com/macsred.html
The McCowans' Who's Who Vol. 12
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