Patches
Chairmen Of The Board Lyrics
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On a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged the kids would call me patches
Papa used to kid me about it
Of course deep down inside
He was thinkin he had done all he could do
My papa was a great old man
I can see him with a shovel in his hand
See, education he never had
But he did wonders when the time got bad
A little money from the crops he raised
Barely paid the bills we made
Oh life had kicked him down to the plow
When he tried to get up life would kick him back down
One day papa called me to his dyin bed
Put his hands on my shoulders And in tears he said
Patches, I'm depending on you son
To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
Two days later papa passed away
I became a man that day
So I told mama I was gonna quit school
But she said that was dad's strictest rule
So every morning 'fore I went to school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on
I wanted to leave this but I wanted a home
But I always remembered what my daddy said
With tears in his eyes on his dyin bed
He said, "Patches, I'm depending on you son
I tried to do my best, It's up to you to do the rest
But then one day a strong rain came
And washed all the crops away
And at the age of thirteen I thought I was carrying
The weight of the whole world on my shoulders
And you know, mama knew what I was going through, Cause
Everyday I had to work the fields
Cause that's the only way we got our meals
You see, I was the oldest of a family
And everybody else depended on me
Every night I heard my mama pray
Lord, give him the strength to face another day
Though years have passed and all the kids are gone
I aimed to take my mama to a brand new home
God knows people that I shed a tear
My daddy's voice helped me through the years
Sayin, "Patches, I'm depending on you son
To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
I could still hear papa when he'd say
Patches, I'm depending on you son
I tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest".
The lyrics of Chairmen Of The Board's song Patches tell the story of a young man raised on a farm in Alabama, who takes on the responsibility of supporting his family after his father's death. The singer, referred to as "patches" due to his ragged clothes, is urged by his dying father to take care of the family in his absence. The song speaks to the resilience and determination of the human spirit in the face of adversity, as the singer struggles to make ends meet and keep his family together in the wake of his father's passing.
The overarching theme of the song is one of responsibility, as the singer is thrust into the role of provider for his family at a young age. Despite his difficulties, he perseveres and is able to support his family through hard work and determination. The lyrics also touch on themes of sacrifice, obligation, and the importance of family.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born and raised down in Alabama
I was born and raised in Alabama
On a farm way back up in the woods
I lived on a farm deep in the woods
I was so ragged the kids would call me patches
I was so poor that other kids teased me and called me patches
Papa used to kid me about it
My dad used to joke with me about it
Of course deep down inside
Of course, deep down, he knew it wasn't funny
He was thinkin he had done all he could do
He was thinking he had done all he could to provide for the family
My papa was a great old man
My dad was a great man
I can see him with a shovel in his hand
I can picture him working hard with his shovel
See, education he never had
He never had the opportunity for an education
But he did wonders when the time got bad
Despite this, he worked hard and made the best of tough situations
A little money from the crops he raised
The family only made a small amount of money from the crops he grew
Barely paid the bills we made
It was a struggle to make ends meet
Oh life had kicked him down to the plow
Life had been hard on him and he had to work hard on the farm
When he tried to get up life would kick him back down
Whenever he tried to improve his situation, life would get even harder
One day papa called me to his dyin bed
One day my dad called me to his deathbed
Put his hands on my shoulders And in tears he said
He gripped my shoulders and tearfully spoke to me
Patches, I'm depending on you son
I need you to take care of the family now
To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
You're the only one left who can help us through this
Two days later papa passed away
Two days later, my dad died
I became a man that day
I became a responsible adult overnight
So I told mama I was gonna quit school
I told my mom I was going to drop out of school
But she said that was dad's strictest rule
But my mom reminded me that my dad always wanted me to finish school
So every morning 'fore I went to school
So every morning before school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
I fulfilled my duties on the farm before leaving for school
Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on
Sometimes I felt like giving up
I wanted to leave this but I wanted a home
I wanted to leave the farm, but I also wanted to provide for my family
But I always remembered what my daddy said
But I always remembered my dad's words
With tears in his eyes on his dyin bed
With tears in his eyes on his deathbed
He said, "Patches, I'm depending on you son
He said, "You have to take care of the family now
I tried to do my best, It's up to you to do the rest
I did the best I could, but it's up to you now
But then one day a strong rain came
But then a strong rainstorm hit
And washed all the crops away
And destroyed all of our crops
And at the age of thirteen I thought I was carrying
At thirteen years old, I felt like I was carrying
The weight of the whole world on my shoulders
The weight of the family's future was resting on me
And you know, mama knew what I was going through, Cause
And my mom understood everything I was dealing with
Everyday I had to work the fields
Every day I had to work hard on the farm
Cause that's the only way we got our meals
Because farming was our only source of food
You see, I was the oldest of a family
I was the oldest child in the family
And everybody else depended on me
Everyone else in the family relied on me
Every night I heard my mama pray
Every night I heard my mom pray
Lord, give him the strength to face another day
"Please help him find the strength to keep going"
Though years have passed and all the kids are gone
Although many years have gone by and my siblings have grown up and left
I aimed to take my mama to a brand new home
I wanted to give my mom a better life in a new home
God knows people that I shed a tear
God knows how much I struggled
My daddy's voice helped me through the years
My dad's words of encouragement helped me during the tough times
Sayin, "Patches, I'm depending on you son
He would say, "You're the one who has to take care of the family now
To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
"You're the only one left who can help us through this"
I could still hear papa when he'd say
I can still hear my dad's words
Patches, I'm depending on you son
"You have to be the one to take care of the family now"
I tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest
"I did what I could, now it's up to you to do what you can"
Contributed by Kayla W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jrye5
A lot of people lived lives like this in the rural Deep South. Rick Bragg, the author, Rick Hall, the man responsible for most of the music produced in Muscle Shoals, all had childhoods that were incredibly rough. Wonderful testament to the human spirit.
Chuck Pattillo
Just to clarify, this is the original version by the songwriter General Johnson and recorded in Detroit. You're thinking of Clarence Carter's cover version which was recorded later at Muscle Shoals.
Mario Henrique
Nando Reis e Sérgio Britto se inspiraram nessa versão.
_l3m35_
@Alencar Batista Copiaram não, é uma versão. Mas eles não se basearam nessa, mas na versão do King Sounds & The Israelites.
Alencar Batista
Se inspiraram não, copiaram.
Mike
Powerful song
John Flanagan
A song for all times and all people.
Andy Paton
Pure gold
Wesley Dickens
some incredible songwriting there.
Paul Morson
Powerful