Chapter Eighty-Five
WILLIE'S SONG
[ a song, country ]
You may park in a mansion grand; a castle built on sand
Have more than enough while your poor neighbors lack
Check out in a silk-lined box 'neath a hand-carved granite rock
But you can't keep the shirt that’s on your back
No you can’t, no you can’t
No you can’t take it with you when you go
No matter how hard you work, no matter how hard you play
All you get to keep is what you gave away
You may shack with a drop-dead fox in a borrowed krib that rocks
Run it up on plastic and never intend to pay
Drive a great big fancy car, party hard on caviar
But the grim reaper will come collect some day
No you can’t, no you can’t
No you can’t take it with you when you go
No matter how you complain and no matter how much you pray
All you get to keep is what you gave away
Oh, When it’s time (when it’s time), when it’s time (when it’s time)
When it’s time to leave this world someday
No matter what we do, believe or think or say
All we get to keep is what we gave away
Yeah, you may bitch and moan, ask for an extended loan
But all we get to keep is what we gave away *
Imagination Library
The Teammates
For Kids Foundation
Tennessee Children's
Charities Directory
DEDICATED TO: Songwriter, singer, actress, entrepreneur and all around fine and
decent human being Dolly
Parton; America
will always love you. Also dedicated to Garth Brooks and Rickey
Skaggs, two
good examples of American musicians of conscience who use their fame and fortune wisely to help
others.
*FootNote: Inspired by record executive Fred Foster’s tribute to Willie Nelson in the
video documentary My Life, quoting an apparently anonymous
somewhat famous quotation: “When comes the time to leave this world someday, what you get
to keep is what you gave away.”
|