Sawyer's Candidacy (From the Word Go, Michael Garvin / Chris Waters)

Sawyer: You tricked me into being decent. That's gotta be the lamest con in the history of cons.
Hurley: Wasn't a con, dude. If you're gonna be our temporary leader, you need to do some damage control.
- Left Behind

One of my all-time favorite B-stories in LOST is in Left Behind, when Hurley essentially cons Sawyer into being nice so he can accept the leadership position that seems to be waiting for him. This was a major step in the right direction for Sawyer; too bad it was so soon followed by John's bad influence. But Sawyer did eventually become the sort of leader Hurley knew he could be, and I think Hurley's guidance helped a lot. Here's a recreation of their conversation at the end of Left Behind, to the tune of Michael Martin Murphey's From the Word Go.

Sawyer’s Candidacy

Sawyer: My mind’s been on bein’ kind
So folks will have pity on me.
But now I’m wonderin’ how
I could fall for your bid to con me.
Hurley: Dude, it’s damage control.
Plus, it’s good for your soul!

Sorry, Sawyer,
But since Jack’s gone and Sayid, Kate and John are too,
You’re our leader.
I guess it’s lousy being you.

Look at the faces out there.
Everyone’s eating boar and smilin’.
You trade vice for a chance to be nice,
And it’s a much happier Island.
Can’t you give it a try?
Sawyer: Hey, you’ve got the wrong guy!

Tell me, Hugo,
How can you think I’m in charge here? Are you insane?
Me, a leader?
This is a ludicrous campaign.

Hurley: Think this was easy for Jack?
Just until he gets back,

Sorry, Sawyer,
But since Jack’s gone and Sayid, Kate and John are too,
You’re our leader.
I guess it’s lousy being you. (3x)

From the Word Go

Meant to Suffer (Talkin' to the Wrong Man, Michael Martin Murphey)

"Some people are just supposed to suffer. That's why the Red Sox will never win the series."
- Christian, Outlaws

Jack and Christian's complicated relationship is right at the heart of LOST. The sixth season may offer a more direct opportunity for reconciliation, but I love that Sawyer gets to help in healing the rift back in the first season. Here's a reflection to the tune of Michael Martin Murphey's Talkin' to the Wrong Man.

Meant to Suffer

Christian: Hey, cowboy. If you’re down under
And drowning all your sorrows in this bar,
Then you must have major problems.
Brooding isn’t gonna get you far.
I let my son think that I hate him.
With a phone call, I could be free.
I’m a weakling. Hesitation
Will make you just as miserable as me.

Maybe I was meant to suffer,
Meant to wallow in my cowardice and sin.
Some folks were meant to suffer.
That’s why the Sox are never gonna win.

Jack: Listen, Sawyer, I should say thank you.
But now that you are handing me that gun,
I’m wondering how she could convince you.
Do I dare to ask you what she has done?
I have a feeling if you were to tell me,
I’d wish that I had never heard your news.
Guess my dad was onto something
When he said the Sox are always gonna lose.

Maybe I was meant to suffer,
Meant to seethe while you make secret deals with Kate.
Some folks were meant to suffer.
My father always chalked it up to fate.

Sawyer: Met a doctor down in Sydney.
Well, his son and him, they’d gotten in a fight,
And he wished he had the guts to tell him,
“I’m proud of you. I love you. You were right.”

He said he was meant to suffer,
But he knew he was to blame for his own fall.
Some folks were meant to suffer;
It looks like Christian never made that call.
Looks like Christian never made that call.

Talkin' to the Wrong Man

Your Vanishing Hut (Vanishing Breed, Michael Martin Murphey)

I've had Island scientist Daniel on the brain since last week's episode of LOST, which focused on him, and tonight's episode had me reminiscing about the beginning of the season again. In this song, to the tune of Michael Martin Murphey's Vanishing Breed, Daniel tries to explain to Sawyer why their lodgings have disappeared and what to expect from this point on.

Your Vanishing Hut

We have no time. There's a bit of a climb
That I need you to let me take.
Come if you want; no talking along the way.
Sorry you're shirtless, but I must avert this
Disaster for all our sakes.
We're dislodged in time, and that's not okay.

Don't make me say this again.
Where's not the question. It's when.

Listen, I'm a quantum physicist, and it's hard to define
Theories this complex for what I suspect's a middling mind.
Just like a record skipping, it seems we're stuck in a rut,
And that's how I explain your vanishing hut.

No way of knowing which way we'll be going
The next time we disappear.
Will it be the future or the past?
Whenever we leap to, the cost will be steep
If we do not shift gears,
'Cause we're dislodged in time, and that's not okay.

Though we can't change our history,
I might have found the key to break free.

Listen, I'm a quantum physicist, and it's hard to define
Theories this complex for what I suspect's a middling mind.
Just like a record skipping, it seems we're stuck in a rut.
That's how I explain your vanishing hut.
That's how I explain your vanishing hut.

Vanishing Breed