Patches

I was born and raised down in Alabama on a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged my folks used to call me Patches
Papa used to tease me about it cause deep down inside he was hurt
Cause he'd done all he could

My papa was a great old man I can see him with a shovel in his hands
See education he never had he did wonders when the times got bad
The little money from the crops he raised barely paid the bills we made
For life had kick him down to the ground
When he tried to get up life would kick him back down
One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed
Put his hands on my shoulders and in his tears he said
Patches I'm depending on you son to pull the family through
My son it's all left up to you

Two days later pappy passed away and I became a man that day
So I told ma I was gonna quit school but she said that was daddy's strictest rule
So every morning fore I went to school I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on I wanted to leave just run away from home
But I would remember what my daddy said with tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed

He said Patches I'm dependin' on you son
I tried to do my best it's up to you to do the rest

Then one day a strong rain came and washed all the crops away
And at the age of thirteen I thought I was carryin' the weight
Of the whole world on my shoulders
And you know mama knew what I was goin' through

Cause every day I had to work the fields cause that's the only way we got our meals
See I was the oldest of the family and everybody else depended on me
Every night I heard my mama pray Lord give him the strength to make another day
So years have passed and all the kids are grown
The angels took mama to a brand new home
Lord knows people I shed tears but my daddy's voice kept beatin' through my ears
Said Patches I'm depending on you son to pull the family through
My son it's all left up to you

I can still hear my daddy's sayin' to me son
Patches I'm depending on you son to pull the family through
My son it's all left up to you