as i pulled in
next to an old beat up car
i saw him,
he wadn't that far away
layin' there on the sidewalk
doin' his bit a' self talk
remeberin' memories
written in chalk
fillin' in the seams
with drunk caulk

as i got out
heard him say,
guess it was his lucky day,
"hey fella', nice truck.
got a buck
for a friend
down on his luck?"

and as i looked at him
i remembered then
how i felt way back when.

i staired him in the eye,
saw that look
a grown man gets
when he wants ta' cry
i remembered why

hey old man,
think ya' can stand?
let's go in
& listen ta' the band.
sit in side & feel
like a man
who's on his feet.
pardner, wouldn't that be neat.
friend, it's my treat.

he looked at me.
then he gave me a smile.
" pardner, it's been awhile.
guess it's been a mile or two.
but, if you're buyin' that'll do."

so i picked him up to his feet.
took him in and gave him a seat.
told 'em agin, " my treat".

so the waitress asked me
" what'll be?"
i could see she just meant me.
she looked at him
her glance was grim,
guess she figgered
he was one a' them,
some old has been.

told her there & then,
"this old man & me,
we'll be drinkin' whisky,
and it's on me.
so bring 'em on
& keep 'um comin'.
tell the band ta' keep on strummin'.
play it long & play it hard,
sumpin' sad,
for me & my pard."

then he looked
me in the eye,
said "why?"
but he knew.
i was feelin' blue
& whiskeyed do.
but i didn't want ta' drink alone.
wanted a friend
who i could moan & groan
to. yeah, any old friend would do.

so i ask him ta' tell me true
" hey, pardner, how did you
end up where your are?
what made ya' slip so far?"

he looked me in the eye,
guess he saw that look
a grown man get's
when he want's ta' cry.
then he told me...
"it was a goodbye"

"i used ta' be a married man,
back then i could stand,
even played in a country band.
i loved her & she loved me.
hell, thought that's the way it's supposed ta' be.
figgred we'd be together
forever & ever.
never thought we'd sever
those ties.
course back then,
i didn't know the "why's".
back then,
i never thought about "goodbyes"
never believed my lies,
but i thought she did.
then i hid
my Self in the bottle.
ran my Self full throttle.
at first she'd cottle
and she'd cover my mistakes.
after awhile,
she was takin' double takes.
after awhile,
she said
'for christ sake...
stop your drinkin, please start thinkin'
'bout the kids & me.'
but i couldn't see.
so i let it go too long.
kept singin'
that young man's song.
still don't know
whether
it was right or i was wrong.
all i know today
is she's gone.
and i just sorta remember,
think it was in November,
maybe December.
sometime around a Holiday,
that was the day she went away.
damn, pard,
waddn't 'nutin i could say...
'cept " i love you & sorry
for the way's it's been."
but then..
she knew that.
that was old hat.
words & phrases i'd said before.
guess she just got bored
or tired.
anyway, she retired
from bein' my wife.
got tired a' the stress & strife.
guess she decided ta' find a new life."

that's when i looked in his eye
saw that look & knew why...
when your eye's get red
& your heart has bled,
& a livin' man still feel's dead.
feel's like Life's a book you done read.

the ending is sad
&
you done had
all the story
in that book.
all that i' ve loved
it took
ta' give ya' that look
that a grown man get's
when he's ready ta cry.
all a' that livin'
a grown man let's
pass him by,
'till
as an old man
he's ready ta' die.

so then i ordered another round.
figgered i'd found
the courage ta' say
what'd happened
ta' me that day...

"well,
ole fella',
i here your story.
but, what?
me worry?
first she cryed.
said she'd tried.
said she couldn't understand why.
said she was tired a' all my lies.

then i got that look
in my eyes.
the one a grown man gets
when he's ready ta' cry.
the feelin' he knows
when it shows
the next words are
"goodbye".

so i'm sittin' here drinkin'.
sittin' here thinkin'.
my eye's a blinkin'
ta' keep from cryin'.
knowin the feelin's
of "goodbye-in's".

so we drank 'till we were drunk,
that old man & this old skunk.

then we went outside
side by side,
& he thanked me for the drinks,
said "son, try not ta' thinks...
'bout them things
you done wrong.
try not ta' remember
that same ole' song."

"young fellar'" he said
"that book's been read.
so remember, pardner,
you ain't dead.
so go along,
sing your song.
find out friend,
where you belong."

and so we parted,
both a' us
broken hearted.
but we were friends,
he & me,
'till the ends,
yeah that we be.

as i slipped into my truck
i 'member the words
i last heard
from that old wino...
"f***...now i'm drunk,
and the day's gone bye.
now i'm drunk...
and i still don't know
why
she said goodbye."