Patches

Lyrics

(Spoken)  
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  
Of course deep down inside he was hurt  
'Cause he done all he could  
  
(Sang)  
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 time got bad  
The little money from the crops he raised  
Barely paid the bills he made  
So 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  
Then with a tears he said  
Patches, I'm depending on you son  
To pull the family through  
My son, it's all left up to you  
  
(Spoken)  
Two days later papa passed away  
And I became a man that day  
So I told mama I was gonna quit school  
She said that was daddy's strictest rule  
  
(Sang)  
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 always remembered what my daddy said  
With tears in his eyes on his dyin bed  
He said, "Patches, I'm depending on you son  
To pull the family through  
My son, it's all left up to you  
  
(Spoken)  
Then one day a strong rain came  
And washed all the crops away  
And at the age of thirteen I thought I was carrying  
The weight of the whole world on my shoulders  
But you know, mama she knew what I was going through,  
  
(Sang)  
Everyday I had to work the fields  
'Cause that's the only way we got our meals  
You see, I was the oldest of a family  
And everybody else depended on me  
Every night I heard my mama pray  
Lord, give him the strength to make another day  
Though years have passed and all the kids are grown  
And amgels took my mama to a brand new home  
Lord knows people that I she'd a tear  
My daddy's voice kept a-tinging in my ears  
Sayin, "Patches, I'm depending on you son  
To pull the family through  
My son, it's all left up to you...  
  
Patches, I'm depending on you son  
I'm depending on you son  
To pull the family through  
My son, it's all left up to you...