Branded is a song that was the opening theme for the 1960's show of the same name. The show, which takes place in the post Civil War era, focused on a U.S. Army cavalry captain who is court-martialed and drummed out of service after being falsely accused of cowardice.
The song is played when Al is being fired from his guard job in the season 5 episode, All Night Security Dude.
Afterward, while he sulks with his broken baton at home, Al quotes the song's lyric to his wife Peggy by asking, "What can I do when I'm branded and I know I'm a man?".
The version used in the episode is shortened, cutting out the first chorus and second verse from the original opening theme.
Trivia[]
- The scene with Al being drummed out and has his baton broken in half by the principal's knee is an almost exact recreation of the opening of the Branded television show.
Lyrics[]
All but one man died,
There at Bitter Creek,
And they say he ran away ...
Branded!
Marked with a coward's shame.
What do you do when you're branded,
Will you fight for your name?
He was innocent,
Not a charge was true,
But the world will never know ...
Branded!
Scorned as the one who ran.
What do you do when you're branded,
And you know you're a man?
Wherever you go
for the rest of your life
You must prove ...
You're a man!