Truck Driver

My uncle died in a fire on his birthday

Redneck that he was, burning trash in the yard one day

On the pile he threw an aerosol can of spray

And that's how he died in the fire that day

Before he retired he was a truck driver

He'd be gone through the winters and all through the summers

In the winters us kids would order dominoes and watch happy days

And in the summer we get frogs at the pond and fry up their legs

My aunt still lives there out in ohio

I visit her and the autumn air, she makes me smile

We remember the story of when I was young

Getting stung by a hornet, she caressed my foot,

Rubbed baking powder on it

I was probably five at their home in nevarre

My cousin's friend was in the yard playing guitar

We all gathered round, listened to her play and sing

And I fell into a trance and knew that one day I'd do the same thing

My uncle died in a fire on his birthday

Out by the barn and his old collection of cars

Third degree burns, a charred up shovel near his hand

My uncle died a respected man

I flew out there, I went to his funeral

It was stormy that day, the sky was deep purple

And babies were crying, kentucky fried chicken was served

And that's how he would have wanted it I'm sure

And after the funeral out there in nevarre,

They all gathered round when I picked up a guitar

They fell into a trance as I sang and I played

And outside the frogs croaked and the mantises prayed