Patches

I was born and raised down in Alabama

On a farm way back up in the woods

I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches

Papa used to tease me about it, 'course 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 hand, 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

Oh, life had kicked 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 tears, he said

He said, "Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son

To pull the family through

My son, it's all left up to you"

Two days later, Papa passed away, and

I became a man that day

So I told Mama 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 going 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 strength to make another day"

Though years have passed and all the kids are grown

The angels took Mama to a brand-new home

Lord knows, people, I've shedded tears

But my daddy's voice helped me through the years

Saying, "Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son

To pull the family through

My son, it's all left up to you"

Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin'

"Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son

I tried to do my best

It's up to you to do the rest"

I can still hear Papa when he said

"Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son

To pull the family through

My son, it's all that's left"