I just got back
From my old home town
Land of the tall green corn
And the good black ground
My brothers and sisters
All gathered 'round
To split up what's left
Of two good lives left, both gone and down
We emptied out the drawers
The garage and the closets
Divvied up the family treasures
And all the portraits of us
Shed a few good tears
Share a few good laughs
Then we each drove away
With a box full of family artifacts
A cardboard box
Full of this and that
Lace tablecloths, shared dishes
And faded photographs
Whoever said,
"You can never go back"?
Well I did today
With a box full of family artifacts
Look at this old bowl
Faded roses on the side
Takes me back to the kitchen table on seventh street
At breakfast time
Here's Dad's old silver dollar
All shiny and worn
A 1922 Liberty Eagle
The year that he was born
And here's Mom's old rosary
With Jesus taped to the cross
I can still see her lips moving now
As she prayed for us
A cardboard box
Full of this and that
Lace tablecloths, shared dishes
And faded photographs
Whoever said,
"You can never go back"?
Well I did today
With a box full of family artifacts
It's hard to think
Boils down to this
A man and woman lived their lives
And raised their kids
It doesn't look like much
When you pack it all up
There's so much more that can't be boxed
It's all the memories
Whoever said,
"You can never go back"?
Well I did today
With a box full of family artifacts
I just got back
From my old home town
Land of the tall green corn
And the good black ground
My brothers and sisters
All gathered 'round
To split up what's left
Of two good lives left, both gone and down