Good Ole Boys

One of the blogs I read regularly (given the nature of some of the posts, one might even say "religiously") is by a school teacher in Alabama. He is a member of the Church of Christ, the tradition in which I was raised, and his faith is central to his identity. But his identity is, like mine and maybe yours, complex and his posts reflect that.

I was thinking of him today because every year about this time of year Don Williams, the country singer popular in the 1980s, comes to town to do a show at the Crystal Grand. Although he had a number of hits, my favorite (about which I have posted before) is one by Bob McDill called "Good Ole Boys Like Me." It always hit home and it reminds me of my blogger friend Joe.

Click the arrow to listen to it. The lyrics can be found below.

When I was a kid Uncle Remus he put me to bed
With a picture of Stonewall Jackson above my head.
Then daddy came in to kiss his little man
With gin on his breath and a Bible in his hand.
He talked about honor and things I should know
Then he staggered a little as he went out the door.
 

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees,
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me -- Hank and Tennessee.
I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be,
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?
Nothing makes a sound in the night like the wind does,
But you ain't afraid if you're washed in the blood like I was.
The smell of Cape Jasmine through the window screen,
John R and the Wolfman kept me company,
By the light of the radio by my bed with Thomas Wolfe whispering in my head.

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees,
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me -- Hank and Tennessee.
I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be,
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?
When I was in school I ran with a kid down the street
And I watched him burn himself up on Bourbon and speed.
But I was smarter than most and I could choose,
Learned to talk like the man on the six o'clock news.
When I was eighteen Lord I hit the road, but it really doesn't matter how far I go,
 

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees,
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me -- Hank and Tennessee.
I guess we're all gonna be what we're gonna be.

So what do you do with good ole boys like me?
Yeah, what do you do with good ole boys like me?