smart in the south

GOOD OLE BOYS LIKE ME

Don Williams

1980

When I was a kid Uncle Remus would put me to bed
With a picture of Stonewall Jackson above my head
Then Daddy came in to kiss his little man
With gin on his breath and a Bible in his hand
He talked about honor and things I should know
Then he'd stagger a little as he walked out the door.

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak tree
And those Williams boys still mean a lot to me - Hank and Tennessee
I guess we're all gonna be what what we're gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?

Now nothing makes a sound in the night like the wind does
But you ain't afraid if you're washed in the blood like I was
Smell of jasmine through the window screen
John R and the Wolfman kept me company
By the light of the radio by my bed
With Thomas Wolfe whispering inside my head.

When I was in school I ran with a kid down the street
And I watch him burn himself up on bourbon and speed
But I was smarter than most and I could choose
Learned to talk like the man on the 6 o'clock news
When I was eighteen Lord I hit the road
But it really doesn't matter how far I go

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak tree
And those Williams boys still mean a lot to me - Hank and Tennessee
I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?