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
Oh, 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 dying bed
Put his hands on my shoulders
And in his tears he said
He said, "Patches
I'm depending 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 every morning before I went to school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt
Like 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 dying bed
He said, "Patches
I'm depending 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 thirteen
I felt like I was carrying the weight
Of the whole world around on my shoulders
And you know, mama knew
What I was going through
Cause every day I had to work the fields
That's the only way we got our meals
Just see, I was the oldest of the family
And everybody else depended on me
Every night I heard my mama pray
"Lord, give him strength
To make another day"
Though the years have passed
The kids are all grown
The angels took mama to a brand new home
Lord knows, people
I've shed some tears
But daddy's voice
Kept pounding in my ears
Said, "Patches
I'm depending on you, son
I've tried to do my best
It's up to you to do the rest"
I can hear papa saying
"Patches
I'm depending on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it's all left up to you"
"Patches
I'm depending on you, son
To pull the family through"