art by jeffrey donato

thank you very much

 I slammed shut the old door
Walked across the cold floor
Grabbed my banjo from the corner and my fiddle from the bed
Tired of being so poor
I could eat a dinosaur
It’s hard to feel the music when you feel so underfed

I left down a dark lane
Looked through a window pane
Saw rich folks a sleepin’ on their satin and lace
Folks who never felt the rain
Folks who never jumped a train
Folks who never slept on a banjo case

CHORUS: Oh Momma and Dad passed away when I was little
Dad left the banjo and Momma left the fiddle
They both left me their Tennessee touch
I said thank you very much, very much, very much

I headed for a pawn shop
Thought I’d make a quick swap
Trade my future for some cash in my pocket
Before I got to make my drop
Something eerie made me stop
And bring that fiddle to my chin just like a rocket

The sound grew like a bad weed
Leaped like a swift steed
Like a runaway wagon it went coursing through the air
I played it like a done deed
I sang like a soul freed
I wasn’t poor, I was a millionaire

CHORUS: Oh Momma and Dad passed away when I was little
Dad left the banjo and Momma left the fiddle
They both left me their Tennessee touch
I said thank you very much, very much, very much

Oh it thundered like a stampede
It shook me like a bent reed
Like a runaway wagon it went coursing through the air
I played it like a done deed
I sang like a soul freed
I wasn’t poor, I was a millionaire

lyrics: Jean James
music: Mary James


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