American Song Box

Lyrics

I have the name my mother gave me
I have her smile and my father's eyes
one was a boat that carried me safely
the other a star that I could sail her by

My father was hard and my mother was tender
one a heavy hand and the other a doe
one was a shyster and the other a singer
together they raised us all five in a row

So little comes free
and the rest don't come easy
we laugh and we bleed, often at the same time
I carry the stone of my family before me
but it's not mine alone, it passes on down the line

My children are kind and filled with a promise
their mother is tender and temperate of mind
I'm just a shyster and I'm just a singer
but I'm tryin' to do better with the rest of my life

I still have the name that my mother gave me
I still have her smile and my father's eyes
I'm still the boat that my mother made me
and I can still see the star that I can sail her by