Drive (For Daddy Gene)

[Verse 1] It was painted red the stripe was white It was 18 feet from the bow to stern light Secondhand from a dealer in Atlanta I rode up with daddy when he went there to get her We put on a shine, put on a motor Built out of love, and made for the water Ran her for years, until the transom got rotten A piece of my childhood will never be forgotten [Chorus] It was just an old plywood boat With a 75 Johnson with electric choke A young boy two hands on the wheel I can't replace the way it made me feel And I would turn her sharp And I would make it whine He'd say, "You can't beat the way a old wood boat rides" Just a little lake cross the Alabama line But I was king of the ocean When Daddy let me drive [Verse 2] Just an old half ton short bed ford My Uncle bought new in 64 Daddy got it right cause the engine was smoking A couple of burnt valves and he had it going He'd let me drive her when we haul off a load Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals Smiling like a hero who just received his medal [Chorus] It was just an old hand me down Ford With 3 speed on the column and a dent in the door A young boy two hands on the wheel I can't replace the way it made me feel and I would press that clutch And I would keep it right He would say a little slower son Your doing just fine Just a dirt road with trash on each side But I was Mario Andretti When Daddy let me drive [Bridge] I'm grown up now 3 daughters of my own I let them drive my old jeep Across the pasture at our home Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file And pull out that old memory And think of me and smile And say [Chorus] It was just an old worn out jeep Rusty old floor boards Hot on my feet A young girl two hands on the wheel I can't replace the way it made me feel And he'd say Turn it left, and steer it right Straighten up girl now, you're doing just fine Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride But I was high on a mountain [Outro] When Daddy let me drive[x2] Oh he let me drive It's just an old plywood boat With a 75 johnson And electric choke