It was painted red, the stripe was white
It was 18 feet from bow to stern light
Secondhand from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy when he went there to get her
We put on a shine, put on a motor
Built out of love, and made for the water
Ran her for years, until the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood will never be forgotten
It was just an old plywood boat
75 Johnson and an electric choke
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I cant replace the way it made me feel
And I would turn her sharp
I would make it whine
Hed say, You cant beat the way a old wood boat rides
Just a little lake across the Alabama line
But I was king of the ocean
When Daddy let me drive
Just an old half ton short bed Ford
My uncle bought new in 64
Daddy got it right cause the engine was smoking
A couple burnt valves and he had it going
Hed let me drive her when we haul off a load
Down a dirt strip, wed haul trash off of Thigpen Road
Id sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero who just received his medal
It was just an old hand-me-down Ford
With 3 speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I cant replace the way it made me feel and
I would press that clutch
And I would keep it right
He would say a little slower, girl
Youre doing just fine
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When Daddy let me drive
Soon Ill be grown up
With daughters of my own
I let them drive my old jeep
Across the pasture at our home
Maybe one day theyll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile
And say
It was just an old worn out jeep
Rusty old floor boards
Hot on my feet
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I cant replace the way it made me feel
And hed say
Steer it left, and turn it right
Straighten up girl now, youre doing just fine
Just a little valley by the river where wed ride
But I was high on a mountain
When Daddy let me drive
Oh, he let me drive
Oh, he let me drive
Its just an old plywood boat
With a 75 johnson
And electric choke