"Busted" is a song written by

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote many popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. C ...

in 1962. It was recorded by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

(with

the Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

) for Cash's 1963 album ''

Blood, Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura N ...

.'' It has been recorded by several notable artists, including

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(also in 1963) and

John Conlee John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1982).

Lyrics

The song is about a dirt-poor farmer who keeps " bustin'".

Charting versions

, with the

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

, reached No. 13 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in 1963. *

reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in 1963.Whitburn, Joel (2000). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', p.121. . This was from his album '' Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul''. A live version with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

was included in Charles' 2005 duets album ''

Genius & Friends ''Genius & Friends'' is a 2005 studio album by rhythm and blues singer Ray Charles, consisting of previously unreleased duets between Ray and artists recorded between 1997 to 2005. The contributing artists were personally chosen by Ray Charles. ...

''. *

reached No. 6 on ''Billboard''s Hot Country Singles chart in 1982.Whitburn, Joel (1996). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p.78. .

References

External links

*Harlan Howard obituaries
New York Times
an
bmi.com
*"Busted" a
Allmusic.com
1962 songs 1963 singles 1982 singles Ray Charles songs Johnny Cash songs Charley Pride songs Nazareth (band) songs John Conlee songs Chris LeDoux songs Patty Loveless songs Wanda Jackson songs Songs written by Harlan Howard {{1960s-country-song-stub