Patches Lyrics - Dickey Lee

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 

'Cause deep down inside he was hurt 

'Cause he'd done all he could 

My papa was a great old man 

I can see him with a shovel in his hands, 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 we made 

For, life had kick 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 

And in his tears he said 

He said, Patches 

I'm dependin' on you, son 

To pull the family through 

My son, it's all left up to you 

Two days later Papa passed away, and 

I became a man that day 

So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but 

She said that was Daddy's strictest rule 

So every mornin' '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, just run away from home 

But I would remember what my daddy said 

With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed 

He said, Patches 

I'm dependin' on you, son 

I tried to do my best 

It's up to you to do the rest 

Then one day a strong rain came 

And washed all the crops away 

And at the age of 13 I thought 

I was carryin' the weight of the 

Whole world on my shoulders 

And you know, Mama knew 

What I was goin' through, 'cause 

Every day I had to work the fields 

'Cause that's the only way we got our meals 

You see, I was the oldest of the family 

And everybody else depended on me 

Every night I heard my Mama pray 

Lord, give him the strength to make another day 

So years have passed and all the kids are grown 

The angels took Mama to a brand new home 

Lord knows, people, I shedded tears 

But my daddy's voice kept me through the years 

Sing, 

Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son 

To pull the family through 

My son, it's all left up to you 

Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin' 

Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son 

I've tried to do my best 

It's up to you to do the rest 

I can still hear Papa, what he said 

Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son 

To pull the family through 

My son, it's all left up to you