Even these days, up by our cottage, every time we go up the little lane that takes us in to our place, we pass a bunch of old rusting vehicles: a VW bug, a Ford sedan and the cab of an ancient Ford pickup. Oddly, they don't seem like eyesores so much as a bit of magic in the forest.
Driving the highway from Ottawa to our cottage, I kept noticing this old blue truck poking its front end out of a forest on the far side of a farmer's pasture. It's become one of the many landmarks that my eye goes to as we drive the highway. So that was in my mind as I wrote this song, the memory of finding an old vehicle and sliding in behind the wheel. That vehicle didn't move an inch but it could take you anywhere. refrain: I'm sitting in the backyard, in my old blue truck The floor's half-gone, and the doors get stuck It's got no motor, it's got no wheels But I like to remember, the way it'd feel When my dad was alive, and he drove us into town In his shiny new Ford, with the windows down We were young and free, maybe happier then When I sit in this truck it's like it all comes back again
Sherry says its time we got rid of that heap It's just an eyesore we don't need to keep There's snakes in the grass, weeds in the wells There's birds making nests, it just looks like hell There's mice in the seat springs and under the hood Well, a truck like that it ain't much good I said it don't move an inch, but it's logging miles Yeah, it don't do much, but it makes me smile refrain
I said remember before the kids were born We'd sit in that truck just to watch the corn The moon'd come floating up over the trees There was no one in the world, just you and me And you held me close till I thought I might cry Just to see how the stars shone in your eyes I was thinking when the kids're grown up and gone We might do it again, just sit here and watch the dawn
Sherry says I guess it won't be a trial We could clean it up some, maybe keep it awhile Everybody's got some crazy old load We'll just have a truck we can't put on the road refrain