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With skin as tough as a burlap sack |
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He had his second heart attack |
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Last summer but he's still goin' |
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There's a melancholy in his eyes |
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For all of you who care enough |
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To wonder why, well, let me tell you |
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It all started back in 1957 |
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When ole Walt Disney took him by surprise |
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That's the day Old Yeller died |
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Well, that twelve year old became a man |
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Eleven years too soon in Vietnam |
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With his best friend Tommy |
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They were tough as nails and southern born |
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And awfully proud to wear that uniform |
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Then things got scary |
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On April 4th, Tommy left for Heaven |
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The same year the world was taken by surprise |
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That's the day Martin Luther died |
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So before you judge him you need to know |
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There's more to that old man than what you |
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See there on that barstool with a Bourbon in his hand |
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You heard about his younger years |
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But don't leave now there's more to hear |
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That might explain the pain in that old man |
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How quick America forgot |
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About the only war they'd lost |
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And life goes on, that's what they tell ya |
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No ticker tape no reason why |
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Might have never seen the end of that chapter |
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Of his life, if he hadn't met Betty |
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They got married in December 1980 |
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No doubt it was the best day of his life |
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Two days before John Lennon died |
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So before you judge him you need to know |
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There's more to that old man than what you |
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See there on that barstool with a bourbon in his hand |
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Now we've covered chapter two |
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I can almost see a change in you |
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There's still a lot of life in that old man |
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He hadn't had a drink in at least a year |
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To tell the truth I'm shocked he's here |
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But as long as he wants 'em, I'm gonna pour 'em |
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Before you came in I asked him why |
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He just raised his fragile head and wiped his eyes |
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And then he told me |
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I've seen so much in my life I've never questioned |
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This time the good Lord took me by surprise |
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Yesterday my Betty died |
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With skin as tough as a burlap sack |
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He had his second heart attack |
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Last summer but he's still goin' |
