The Mountain Man And Me

[Verse 1]
He lives up on the mountain in a rundown country shack
They’d say “Don’t go around him, you might never make it back”
As a boy, I’d lie awake in my bed at the orphan home
And I could hear the old man play guitar, the gospel blues he moaned
The sound of the music would take me away
I knew I’d meet that mountain man someday, someday

[Verse 2]
One night after supper, that old feeling got the best of me
I heard that sound and I gave in to my curiosity
I climbed up on the mountain and there on the porch he sat
With a Mason jar beneath his feet and a guitar on his lap
Thе sound of the music took me away
I knew I’d meet that mountain man somеday

[Chorus]
Tall as an oak tree covered with age
The mountain was his audience, the front porch was his stage
And he sang “Rock of ages, precious memories
Son, there’s a better place for you and me”

[Verse 3]
We talked and talked for hours, he told me about his life
He spoke with pride of a beautiful girl that once had been his wife
He said she died while giving birth to a child he’d never seen
The townsfolk said he couldn’t raise a boy, they claimed he was crazy and mean
The county took his son away
He’s lived up on the mountain since that day, yeah

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 4]
Later in the evening, he held me to his side
He said he hoped he had a boy like me then he closed his eyes and died
In his hand he held a picture and my face had turned blood red
When I realized it was just the same as the one above my bed
The good Lord took my daddy away
But I know we’ll be walking hand in hand someday

[Chorus]
Tall as an oak tree covered with age
The mountain was his audience, the front porch was his stage
And he sang “Rock of ages, precious memories
Son, there’s a better place for you and me”

[Outro]
There’s a better place for the mountain man and me