PATCHES

Clarence Carter



SPOKEN:

I was born and raised down in Alabama

On a farm way back up in the woods

I was so ragged the kids would call me patches

Papa used to kid me about it

Of course deep down inside

He was thinkin he had done all he could do

My papa was a great old man

I can see him with a shovel in his hand

See, education he never had

But he did wonders when the time got bad

A little money from the crops he raised

Barely paid the bills we made

Oh life had kicked him down to the plow

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 And in 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

I became a man that day

So I told mama I was gonna quit school

But she said that was dad's strictest rule

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

I tried to do my best, It's up to you to do the rest



SPOKEN:

But 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

And you know, mama knew what I was going through, Cause

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 face another day

Though years have passed and all the kids are gone

I aimed to take my mama to a brand new home

God knows people that I shed a tear

My daddy's voice helped me through the years

Sayin, "Patches, I'm depending on you son

To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you

I could still hear papa when he'd say

Patches, I'm depending on you son

I tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest".



FADE