Alabama - 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 times 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 pa**ed 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 this but I wanted a 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 pa**ed and all the kids are grown And amgels took my mama to a brand new home Lord knows people that I shed 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 To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you...