Legacy

My pappy was a rough and a serious man, Up in the morning ‘fore six a.m., Out to the barn and we mustn’t play, Feed the cows and the horses hay, Get the chores and the milking done Before the dawn and the rising sun. Never a thanks or the thought of pay- I didn’t mind, it was just his way. Some pappys laugh and horse around But I had respect for that hard-working man, Who could barely read or write his name, And he made sure I wouldn’t be the same. His lack of learning always made him sad, So he gave me all that he’d never had. Yes, he gave me all that he’d never had. Now I went to college and I earned my way, Sure I’d make that education pay. According to some it was no loss For I became a corporation boss. Now I have a wife and a couple of teens, A great big house and a limousine. My kids have never been like me, They have plenty of money and time to run free. No kid of mine need bend his back Or heft a load to earn his tack. They weren’t raised like my old man, To dig in the dirt or live off the land. I gave them all that we’d never had And that’s the reason why they turned out bad. Yes, that’s the reason why they turned out bad. This poem was written as a bluegrass song.