Clarence Carter - Patches Lyrics
I was born and raised down in AlabamaOn a farm way back up in the woodsI was so raggedy, folks used call me, “Patches”Papa used to tease me ‘bout itOf course deep down inside he was hurt‘Cause he’d done all he couldMy papa was a great ol’ manI can see him with a shovel in his handSee, education he never hadBut he did wonders when the time got badThe little money from the crops he raisedBarely paid the bills we madeOh, life it kicked him down to the groundWhen he tried to get up, life would kick him back downOne day papa called me to his dyin’ bedPut his hands on my shoulders and in tears he saidHe said, “PatchesI’m dependin’ on you, sonTo pull the family throughMy son, it’s all left up to you”Two days later papa passed awayAnd I became a man that daySo I told mama I was gonna quit schoolBut she said that was daddy’s strictest ruleSo every morning ‘fore I went to schoolI fed the chickens and I chopped wood tooSometimes I felt that I couldn’t go onI wanted to leave, just run away from homeBut I would remember what my daddy saidWith tears in his eyes on his dyin’ bedHe said, “PatchesI’m dependin’ on you, sonI tried to do my bestIt’s up to you to do the rest”But then one day a strong rain cameAnd washed all the crops awayAnd at the age of 13I thought I was carryin’ the weight of the whole world on my shouldersAnd you know mama knew what I was going through‘Cause every day I had to work the fields‘Cause that’s the only way we got our mealsYou see, I was the oldest of the familyAnd everybody else depended on meEvery night I heard my mama prayLord, give him strength to face another day4 years have passed and all the kids have grownThe angels took mama to a brand new homeGod knows people, I she'd tearsBut my daddy’s voice kept me through the yearsSayin’, “PatchesI’m dependin’ on you, sonTo pull the family throughMy son, it’s all left up to you”I can still hear papa when he said, “PatchesI’m dependin’ on you, sonI tried to do my bestIt’s up to you to do the rest”I can still hear papa when he said, “PatchesI’m dependin’ on you, sonTo pull the family through
