Never on the Mend -

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