i was born and raised down in alabama on a farm way back up in the woods i was so ragged that folks used to call me patches papa used to tease me about it cause deep down inside he was hurt cause hed done all he couldmy papa was a great old man i can see him with a shovel in his hands see education he never had he did wonders when the times got bad the little money from the crops he raised barely paid the bills we madefor life had kick him down to the ground when he tried to get up life would kick him back down one day papa called me to his dyin bed put his hands on my shoulders and in his tears he saidhe said patches im dependin on you son to pull the family through my son its all left up to youtwo days later papa passed away and i became a man that day so i told mama i was gonna quit school but she said that was daddys strictest ruleso every mornin fore i went to school i fed the chickens and i chopped wood too sometimes i felt that i couldnt go on i wanted to leave just run away from home but i would remember what my daddy said with tears in his eyes on his dyin bedhe said patches im dependin on you son i tried to do my best its up to you to do the restthen one day a strong rain came and washed all the crops away and at the age of 13 i thought i was carryin the weight of the whole world on my shoulders and you know mama knew what i was goin through causeevery day i had to work the fields cause thats the only way we got our meals you see i was the oldest of the family and everybody else depended on me every night i heard my mama pray lord give him the strength to make another dayso years have passed and all the kids are grown the angels took mama to a brand new home lord knows people i shedded tears but my daddys voice kept me through the yearssing patches im dependin on you son to pull the family through my son its all left up to youoh i can still hear papas voice sayin patches im dependin on you son ive tried to do my best its up to you to do the resti can still hear papa what he said patches im dependin on you son to pull the family through my son its all left up to you