Back Road Into Town

(album: City In The Sky - 1974)

I asked Mama many times
What kept Papa so far behind
What in the world was holding my Daddy down?
Papa always dropped his head
Lord, he seemed so afraid
Like he was carrying a heavy burden all the time

There was a man up in the big house
Papa was afraid to speak out
The man kept my Daddy's nose right on the ground
Yeah, your Papa he was mighty good
He was doing the best he could
All his life he lived just for you

Twelve kids, he had a heavy load
He couldn't walk the front road
On his face he always wore a frown
It was for you and the others too
He was trying to make it through
He had to take the back road into town

Every year your Papa would say
Next year, I'm gonna move away
I wanna take my children away from here
He said I've almost lost my fear
I think I see my way clear
I'm gonna take a stand and be a man
But then the man would come from the big house
Daddy would always back out
And end up right again behind the plow

Twelve kids, he had a heavy load
He couldn't walk the front road
On his face he always wore a frown
It was for you and the others too
He was trying to make it through
He had to take the back road into town

When he finally made up his mind
Your Daddy had wasted too much time
Your Papa just put it off a little too long
'Cause all the years that Papa was sleeping
The time kept right on creeping
'Til it was time for him to lay his body down
He did it all against his will
He got lost back in them fields
My Daddy never made it into town

Twelve kids, he had a heavy load
He couldn't walk the front road
On his face he always wore a frown
It was for you and the others too
He was trying to make it through
He had to take the back road into town

Twelve kids, he had a heavy load
He couldn't walk the front road
On his face he always wore a frown
It was for you and the others too
He was trying to make it through
He had to take the back road into town

Twelve kids, he had a heavy load
He couldn't walk the front road
...