Drive (For Daddy Gene)

[Verse 1] It was painted red, the stripe was white It was 18 feet from 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 75 Johnson and an electric choke A young girl, two hands on the wheel I can't replace the way it made me feel And I would turn her sharp I would make it whine He'd say, "You can't beat the way a old wood boat rides" Just a little lake across 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 burnt valves and he had it going He'd let me drive her when we haul off a load Down a dirt strip, we'd haul 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 girl, 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, girl You're doing just fine Just a dirt road with trash on each side But I was Mario Andretti When Daddy let me drive [Bridge] Soon I'll be grown up With 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 Steer it left, and turn 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 When Daddy let me drive Oh, he let me drive Oh, he let me drive [Outro] It's just an old plywood boat With a 75 johnson And electric choke