Route 23

My my my
found 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