Copyright 1995-2005 - Chuck Pritchard

POETS, BARDS & LIARS

I had the occasion just the other day

To visit a friend who'd sorta' become a stray

He'd kinda been put out to pasture, left all alone

His kin had put him into one a them nursin' homes

Old Jack was a hand from away on back

He'd worked on outfits and drives where they's still eatin hard tack

He just got old and they didn't want to bother with him

Things like that oughta be called a sin

But we had a good visit and I got to meet some of his friends

The kind from an era "when men were men"

Old Jack's rode so many miles and worked on long forgotten places

Musta wore out 5 or 6 good hulls and seen at least a jillion faces

He knows more about horses than you could put in a book

But he's missin' them grandkids and sure has a lonely look

And his friend, the one they call "Walkin' Sam"

He was an inventor, some machine with a hydraulic ram

His kids come by about once a week

They stay about half an hour, hardly enough time to speak

They told me that Mr. John passed on last night

Now he's in the care of the big boss with all of his might

His family came by this mornin'

Not to say thanks for takin' care of John, just to gather his belongins

They weren't concerned with how he's been for the last month or two

Just how much money did he have and would the state pay for the funeral too?

Now don't take me wrong, there's lots of folks who tend to their kin

Come visit 'em regular and nearly wear their welcome thin

But there's also a bunch that are going wide open all the time

To fast to care, trying to get rich and stackin' them dimes

They don't care about nobody except themselves

Done sold their soul to the Devil, surely bound for hell

The word "Family," well, they don't know what it means

And their view on life is pretty lean

But they'd better take heed and pay attention to this rhyme

Slow down a little and learn to do things on "Cowboy Time"

Take care of your folks and do what you can do

Cause that old man over in the corner...

One of these days, just might damned well be you