Alaska Or Bust

(album: Clear To Venus - 2001)

Margie, won't you listen to an old man's wish
They say it's mighty pretty in Alaska
My daddy used to talk about those deep sea fish
So there's something, darling, that I wanna ask you
So don't you turn me down

In the morning we would listen to the cattle calling
Lowing in the land of Okeechobee
Where it's flatter than the cardboard on the carport floor
And the cattails seem to wave just like they know me

Ah, but Enoch in the tackle shop
Goes on about the salmon caught
The time he and his brother sailed to Juneau

So get in, I'll do the driving
The bag's already packed and in the truck
Margie, get in, put down those dishes
The town will see us go if we're in luck
So come on, it's Alaska or bust

I've been holding down this farm that daddy left me, darling
The kids have married off and moved away
And the doctor says I'm healthy for an old man dying
Well enough to seize another day

So get in, I'll do the driving
Your bag's already packed and in the truck
Margie get it, these bones are dry
I've been running, but the cancer's catching up
So come on, it's Alaska or bust

There were days when I imagined that the clouds were mountains
Towering above the rolling ocean
And I was sailing on my tractor, turning hay out in the pasture
Catching salmon of my own while I was mowing

So get in, I'll do the driving
Your bag's already packed and in the truck
Margie get in, there's not much time
I've been running, but the cancer's catching up
The town will see us go if we're in luck

So come on, it's Alaska or bust