My family finally lost the farm in 1955*
Great Granddad moved to town after he buried his second wife
The bank took everything for which they suffered and they built
Tried the bottle, tried the cross, but neither one could ease the guilt
When work dried up in the plains he headed north on that old railroad
With his pride left far behind, he took jobs picking crops in Idaho
And as the train rumbled down the track
He declared, “Christ, I'm never coming back
With these two hands I'll build a new life a thousand miles away.”
Stands where he stands, ain't never on the mend
He'll come back at you swinging though he's broken and he's bent
He'll retire to the Choir when his days are good and spent
So say hello to the Devil when you get there
Leonard was my grandpa, grew up motherless and mean
Went west into the Sandhills driving cattle at sixteen
A ninth grade education only gets a man so far
In 1942 he was drafted into the war
A pack of smokes and a shelled out beach was how he celebrated Christmas
His brother Delbert by his side whispered, 'I don't want to die here in Japan.'
But when he spoke, his voice was calm
'We're going home, it won't be long
But if I'm meant to die on this rock, I'm taken someone with me.'
Stands where he stands, ain't never on the mend
He'll come back at you swinging though he's broken and he's bent
He'll retire to the Choir when his days are good and spent
So say hello to the Devil when you get there