"The One on the Right Is on the Left" is a country song written by

Jack Clement Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter, and record and film producer. Biography Early life Raised and educated in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, Clement was performing at an early age, ...

. It was recorded by Johnny Cash on November 29, 1965, and included on his novelty album ''

Everybody Loves a Nut ''Everybody Loves a Nut'' is the 23rd album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released by Columbia Records in the United States in 1966 (see 1966 in music). The album consists largely of humorous novelty songs. The album's cover art was cr ...

'' (1966). It was the album's third and most successful single (see

1966 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1966. Specific locations * 1966 in British music * 1966 in Norwegian music Specific genres *1966 in country music * 1966 in jazz Events * January 8 – '' Shindig!'' is broadcast f ...

), reaching #2 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Country Singles chart and #46 on '' Billboard''s Pop Singles chart.

Content

The song is a humorous criticism of musicians that put their political views into their music. It tells the story of a folk song group that is "long on musical ability", but ultimately breaks up due to political differences. At the end of the song, a warning is given not to mix politics with one's music. The punch line to the joke is that "the guy in the rear", is less easily labeled: he is a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

and he burned his

driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

(rather than his draft card), etc. Indeed, the song closes by stating that he got drafted.

Track listings

Chart performance

Cover versions

The song was covered, with a few lyrics slightly modified, by Canadian punk rock band Youth Youth Youth on their 1982 demo as well as on their ''Repackaged'' LP released in 1989 on Fringe Records.

Noel Harrison Noel John Christopher Harrison (29 January 1934 – 19 October 2013) was an English actor and singer who had a hit singing " The Windmills of Your Mind" in 1968, and was a member of the British Olympic skiing team in the 1950s. He was the son of ...

sang the song on ''

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...

'' on June 11, 1967. They ended the song by pointing out they had no "guy in the rear" and walked off.

References

External links

* Johnny Cash Billboard Singles

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. 1966 songs Johnny Cash songs 1966 singles Songs written by Jack Clement Columbia Records singles Song recordings produced by Don Law {{1960s-country-song-stub