It was painted red, the stripe was white
It was eighteen feet from the bow to the stern light
Second hand from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy when he went there to get 'er
Put on a shine put on a motor
Built out of love and made for the water
Ran her for years 'till the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood that'll never be forgotten
It was just an old plywood boat
With a seventy-five Johnson with electric choke
A young boy two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And I would turn her sharp and I'd make it wide
And he'd say you can't beat the way an old wood boat rides
Just a little lake 'cross 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 sixty-four
Daddy got it right 'cause the engine was smokin'
A couple of burnt valves and he had it goin'
He'd let me drive her and we'd haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smilin' like a hero that just received his medal
It was just an old hand-me-down Ford
With a three speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young boy two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
I would press that clutch and I'd keep it right
And he'd say a little slower son you're doin' just fine
Just a dirt road with trash on each side but I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me drive
I'm grown up now three daughters of my own
I let 'em drive my old jeep 'cross the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file
And pull out that old mem'ry 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 can't replace the way it made me feel
And he'd say turn it left and steer it right
Straighten up girl now you're doin' just fine
Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride
But I was high on a mountain when daddy let me drive
daddy let me drive oh he let me drive
She’s just an old plywood boat
With a seventy-five Johnson with electric choke
