Nothing tells a story better than the story-songs of country music. A Guitar and A Pen presents, for the first time, the literary work of some of the best storytellers in the world: the songwriters who cut and polish tales down to sparkling three-minute gems. A blend of humor and poignancy, these tales range from Kris Kristofferson's charming tale of how an explicit natural rock formation causes chaos in a small farming town, to the domestic drama of a Kentucky family with six daughters, to Charlie Daniels' character-driven fable of money and unhappiness, to Gary Nicholson's riveting tale of an albino African American singer/songwriter who inspired him to be a musician.

A celebration of music and storytelling, other contributors include Hal Ketchum, Janis Ian, Mark D. Sanders, Tom T. Hall, Marshall Chapman, and Robert Hicks, among many other notable Nashville luminaries.

The day Jimmy killed the rabbit / Tom T. Hall --
Career day / Robbie Fulks --
How I stayed a boy / Tia Sillers --
Whitey Johnson / Gary Nicholson --
Cybersong / Bobby Braddock --
Gathering together / Robert Hicks --
The point / Monty Powell --
Mr. Munch has a murmur / Mark D. Sanders --
Fork / John Hadley --
The box / Kevin Welch --
A rock / Kris Kristofferson --
The care and treatment of camp cooks / Bob McDill --
A big batch of biscuits / John Bohlinger --
Shiny, like new / Dony Wynn --
The clock struck nine / Hal Ketchum --
Of guitars & righteous men / Janis Ian --
The river / Tim Putnam --
Lucky boy / Klem Hayes --
Cheeseburger boogie / Bob DiPiero --
A burning bush will do / Marshall Chapman --
Born and raised in black and white / Don Cook --
He always knew who he was / Hazel Smith --
Curtis Loach / Charlie Daniels --
The elk hunters / Tim Johnson --
Will it ever happen again? / Michael Kosser