I was born and raised down in Alabama
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On a farm way back up in the woods
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I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches
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Papa used to tease me about it
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'Cause deep down inside he was hurt
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'Cause he'd done all he could
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My papa was a great old man
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I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see
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Education he never had
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He did wonders when the times got bad
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The little money from the crops he raised
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Barely paid the bills we made
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For, life had kick him down to the ground
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When he tried to get up
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Life would kick him back down
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One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed
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Put his hands on my shoulders
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And in his tears he said
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He said, Patches
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I'm dependin' on you, son
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To pull the family through
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My son, it's all left up to you
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Two days later Papa passed away, and
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I became a man that day
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So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but
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She said that was Daddy's strictest rule
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So ev'ry mornin' 'fore I went to school
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I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
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Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on
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I wanted to leave, just run away from home
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But I would remember what my daddy said
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With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed
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He said, Patches
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I'm dependin' on you, son
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I tried to do my best
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It's up to you to do the rest
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Then one day a strong rain came
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And washed all the crops away
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And at the age of 13 I thought
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I was carryin' the weight of the
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Whole world on my shoulders
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And you know, Mama knew
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What I was goin' through, 'cause
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Ev'ry day I had to work the fields
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'Cause that's the only way we got our meals
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You see, I was the oldest of the family
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And ev'rybody else depended on me
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Ev'ry night I heard my Mama pray
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Lord, give him the strength to face another day
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So years have passed and all the kids are grown
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The angels took Mama to a brand new home
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Lord knows, people, I shedded tears
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But my daddy's voice kept me through the years
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Sing
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Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son
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To pull the family through
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My son, it's all left up to you
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Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin'
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Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son
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I've tried to do my best
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It's up to you to do the rest
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I can still hear Papa, what he said
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Patches...
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Patches
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| Clarence Carter |
