He had a stroke in '95
They thought it best that he reside, in a nursing home
The family vowed they'd never leave him
The last time they came to see him, was three years ago
He spent his whole life providin'
Now he was down to relyin?, on Medicare
The nurses took a liking to him
They'd get his wheelchair out and push him, on sunny days
He couldn't walk, he couldn't speak, seemed so far out of reach
But in his mind as far as they knew he could be
Fly fishin', workin' on that firebird engine
Runnin' 99 proof moonshine across that county line
3,2,1 and ignition, off on some space shuttle mission
Playin' QB for the Cowboys, gettin' high on the crowd noise
And the bright lights
Cause deep inside things were rockin' in the mind
Of John J. Blanchard
One afternoon in June
A nurse saw his finger move, about had a heart attack
She went screamin' down the hall
Hey, it's a miracle ya'll, I think he's comin' back
The doctors all rushed in, said do you know what year this is
How many fingers am I holding and where've you been
and he said
Fly fishin', workin' on that firebird engine
Runnin' 99 proof moonshine across that county line
3,2,1 and ignition, off on some space shuttle mission
Playin' QB for the Cowboys, gettin' high on the crowd noise
And the bright lights
Yeah all this time things were rockin' in the mind
Of John J. Blanchard
He had a stroke in '95
They thought it best that he reside, in a nursing home