Help Somebody
Van Zant Lyrics

Well grand daddy was a hilly billy scholar blue collar of a man
My grandfather was a man of many contradictions - he was born and brought up in the rural countryside but was an intellectual, and while he did all the manual labor himself, his work ethic belied the fact that he didn't believe in taking help from anyone.

he came from the school were you didn't need nothin
For him, everything he ever wanted or needed had to be earned through his own hard work and perseverance, and he passed that philosophy on to his children and grandchildren.

if you couldn't make it with your own 2 hands
In his world, there was no hope for those who weren't willing to put in the necessary effort and sweat to make something of themselves.

he was back woods, backwards
My grandfather was proudly a man of the country, with all the rough edges and old-fashioned ways that entails.

used words like no sir, yes ma'am, by god, be darn, hell yeah i'm American
Despite his simple ways, my grandfather was a true patriot, and he took great pride in his country and his heritage. He spoke in a way that was respectful of others, and infused his speech with the same spirit of strength and determination he brought to his own life.

and all the years he walked this earth
Throughout his long life, my grandfather remained steadfast and unchanging in his beliefs and his way of life.

I swear all he did was work
He was the kind of man who never stopped doing, never stopped striving for excellence and a better life for his loved ones.

he said the devil dreams on an idle horse
He believed that laziness was a path to ruin, and that one had to be always active and engaged with the world in order to avoid falling into temptation and ruin.

so you listen to me 'squirt'
He knew that his advice and wisdom were valuable, and he didn't hesitate to share his opinions with others, even if they didn't always like what he had to say.

Don't get too high on the bottle
My grandmother was a wise woman, and she warned against the pitfalls of getting too caught up in life's pleasures and temptations, like drinking.

and get right with the man
Her advice was always to focus on what really mattered - namely, one's relationship with the divine and the spiritual side of life.

fight your fights
Another piece of sage wisdom from my grandparents was to never give up in the face of adversity, and to always keep fighting for what one believed in.

find the grace
They also emphasized the importance of finding grace and mercy in life, and accepting that not everything can be changed or controlled by one's own actions.

in all the things that you can't change
Sometimes life throws us a curveball, and what's important is how we react to those challenges, not whether we can control them or not.

and help sombody if you can
Ultimately, they maintained that the most important thing in life was spreading kindness and helping others in whatever way we could.

I never let a cowboy make the coffee
Finally, they had a great sense of humor and knew how to enjoy the small things in life, exemplified by my grandfather's aversion to being served coffee by anyone who wasn't up to his standards!

yeah that's what granny always said to my grandad
My grandparents had a deep love and respect for each other, which was obvious in everything they did and said.

and he'd say never tell a joke that aint that funny more than once
My grandfather was a master of the witty one-liner, and he knew that humor was an important part of life, as long as it was genuine and not forced.

and if you wanna hear God laugh tell him your plans
Finally, they knew that sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry, and that there are greater forces at work in the universe beyond our control.

And get right with the man!
Overall, their message was simple and powerful - to strive to live a life of hard work, kindness, love, and respect, and to always keep one's faith and hope in something greater than ourselves, no matter what life throws our way.