I was born and raised down in Alabama On a farm way back up in the woods I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches Papa used to tease me about it 'Cause deep down inside he was hurt 'Cause he'd done all he could
My papa was a great old man I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see Education he never had He did wonders when the times got bad The little money from the crops he raised Barely paid the bills we made
For, life had kick him down to the ground When he tried to get up Life would kick him back down One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed Put his hands on my shoulders And in his tears he said
He said, Patches I'm dependin' on you, son To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
Two days later Papa passed away, and I became a man that day So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but She said that was Daddy's strictest rule
So ev'ry mornin' 'fore I went to school I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on I wanted to leave, just run away from home But I would remember what my daddy said With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed
He said, Patches I'm dependin' on you, son I tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest
Then one day a strong rain came And washed all the crops away And at the age of 13 I thought I was carryin' the weight of the Whole world on my shoulders And you know, Mama knew What I was goin' through, 'cause
Ev'ry day I had to work the fields 'Cause that's the only way we got our meals You see, I was the oldest of the family And ev'rybody else depended on me Ev'ry night I heard my Mama pray Lord, give him the strength to face another day
So years have passed and all the kids are grown The angels took Mama to a brand new home Lord knows, people, I shedded tears But my daddy's voice kept me through the years
Sing Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin' Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son I've tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest