Cherokee Purples

I still see you when I close my eyes
On your back porch in the summertime
The kids on Mama's side
In the back yard running wild as kudzu vines

If y'all get burnt, break off some aloe
If y'all get stung rub in some tobacco
If y'all get hot or thirsty, you know where the hose is
Fireflies, june bugs, cicadas
Menthol lights and heirloom tomatoes
Grab anything you want from the garden
Just better stay out of my roses

Ain't it funny how a memory comes flooding back so fast
When you accidentally stir up moments from the past
Back when things were easy, not a care in the world
Back when summer days seemed to move in circles
Duke's mayonnaise & Cherokee Purples

I got out when I got older
But I never could shake that chip off of my shoulder
As big as the Buick we use to pile in to go up to L&S Fast Stop
Mountain dew or big league chew
And if you were good you could have both
Advance pay for another day, just don't tell your Mama

Ain't it funny how a memory comings flooding back so fast
When you accidentally stir up moments from the past
Back when things were easy, not a care in the world
Back when summer days seemed to move in circles
Duke's mayonnaise & Cherokee Purples

We lost her back in '95 but every year single year about this time
Something silly as a sandwich brings her back
To the forefront of my memory
I can still hear the way she laughed or the way that sweet tea tasted
Grab a chair, boy from over there
These beans ain't gonna snap themselves