My my myfound in a shoe box my daddy people came from far away mamma lived on the porch of the rich folks my daddy had to work to pay Alabama Mississippi Luisianna Kentucky Texacana I came to see what they could see chasing their long tall tale 'bout the good life we were told it was up route 23 black love got from the coal mines cancer from the steel still my daddy love me don't you know just to feed us kids a meal back in the day up route 23 Well in the midst of all this bad weather I want you to know it was always one good thing but even though we couldn't eat our sorrows but love how much that we could sing time was a demon that they would try to slay guns get tied as horse shoes that's how we used to pass the time away back in the day I'm talking 'bout back in the day that's where I learned to play this here blues