The Ballad Of Mr Jenkins

With skin as tough as a burlap sack He had his second heart attack Last summer but hes still goin Theres a melancholy in his eyes For all of you who care enough To wonder why, well, let me tell you It all started back in 1957 When ole Walt Disney took him by surprise Thats the day Old Yeller died Well, that twelve year old became a man Eleven years too soon in Vietnam With his best friend Tommy They were tough as nails and southern born And awfully proud to wear that uniform Then things got scary On April 4th, Tommy left for Heaven The same year the world was taken by surprise Thats the day Martin Luther died So before you judge him you need to know Theres more to that old man than what you See there on that barstool with a Bourbon in his hand You heard about his younger years But dont leave now theres more to hear That might explain the pain in that old man How quick America forgot About the only war theyd lost And life goes on, thats what they tell ya No ticker tape no reason why Might have never seen the end of that chapter Of his life, if he hadnt met Betty They got married in December 1980 No doubt it was the best day of his life Two days before John Lennon died So before you judge him you need to know Theres more to that old man than what you See there on that barstool with a Bourbon in his hand Now weve covered chapter two I can almost see a change in you Theres still a lot of life in that old man He hadnt had a drink in at least a year To tell the truth Im shocked hes here But as long as he wants em, Im gonna pour em Before you came in I asked him why He just raised his fragile head and wiped his eyes And then he told me Ive seen so much in my life Ive never questioned This time the good Lord took me by surprise Yesterday my Betty died With skin as tough as a burlap sack He had his second heart attack Last summer but hes still goin