Smoke Rise

[Verse 1] She was something in her formative years She'd hide her accent, it would reappear When she would brag on what daddy bought last night Only pretty girls were in that crowd They'd tease a handful of poor kids out loud And even then, I knew it wasn't right [Chorus] Smoke rises You were never kind Good news I've left you all behind Some who hoped that it would last Smoke rise I'm glad you're in my past [Verse 2] Most of the kids were better than me Or at least they thought so And it was plain to see That children are cruel And I didn't have a fighting chance I wasn't a jock, I wasn't a brain We weren't well-off and mama couldn't explain Why no one would take a poor boy to the dance [Chorus][x2] [Verse 3] Those bold rich kids find it hard to embrace When they bus black kids in from all over the place The county tried to prove their schools were all the same Old Jim Crow tried to integrate But in the South, its hard to relate When Grandpa used the "N" word with no shame [Chorus]