North

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Mama always said me and the old man were two of a kind And now, just like he once did I work these woods north of the C.P. line Mama gets upset when I call her She's living home alone And I guess the old man's voice and mine Always sounded the same over the telephone [Verse 2] Papa's been gone six years now He got to choose the how and when and where he'd die I think about him after work sometimеs Once I've passed thе halfway point on a fifth of rye Papa told me once a man must work if he's going to take care of his And you've got to work the big woods when that's the only work there is But the big woods will just use you up Drain your strength and soul, and ask for more Until you find yourself a broken man pushing forty Who just can't do the job no more [Verse 3] Tonight in this bar I caught myself holding a cigarette The same strange way he did So I raised my glass and I drank a round to the old man And the old man's kid I believe I was the last one to see the old man alive He lost his job at forty-one, took himself out at forty-five I saw him walking down the tote road With his twelve-gauge pump and a pint of rye And it just wasn't in me to stop him Goodbye, Papa, goodbye