Alabama: Patches

(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 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 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 passed 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...