The Ballad of Mr. Jenkins

With skin as tough as a burlap sack
He had his second heart attack
Last summer but hes still goinTheres a melancholy in his eyes
For all of you who care enough
To wonder why, well, let me tell youIt all started back in 1957
When ole Walt Disney took him by surprise
Thats the day Old Yeller diedWell, that twelve year old became a man
Eleven years too soon in Vietnam
With his best friend TommyThey were tough as nails and southern born
And awfully proud to wear that uniform
Then things got scaryOn April 4th, Tommy left for Heaven
The same year the world was taken by surprise
Thats the day Martin Luther diedSo 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 handYou heard about his younger years
But dont leave now theres more to hear
That might explain the pain in that old manHow quick America forgot
About the only war theyd lost
And life goes on, thats what they tell yaNo ticker tape no reason why
Might have never seen the end of that chapter
Of his life, if he hadnt met BettyThey got married in December 1980
No doubt it was the best day of his life
Two days before John Lennon diedSo 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 handNow weve covered chapter two
I can almost see a change in you
Theres still a lot of life in that old manHe 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 emBefore you came in I asked him why
He just raised his fragile head and wiped his eyes
And then he told meIve seen so much in my life Ive never questioned
This time the good Lord took me by surprise
Yesterday my Betty diedWith skin as tough as a burlap sack
He had his second heart attack
Last summer but hes still goin