Lyrics

Written by: Mark Brine

1. He was a hillbilly singer from way backAnd he musta been eighty years oldWith a beat-up old hat ... and a long overcoatAnd, I swear, he was thin as a pole

2. And the crowd tried hard not to laughAs he sang them ole songs out of tuneAnd strummed on a guitar that looked like it been In a pawn shop that same afternoon

Chorus 1:But, to himself, he was ole Jimmie RodgersYo-da-lee-da-lo-da-lay-hee—eeeeBut when he’d walk off that stage ... he’d be just as unknown As when his dream of success came to be

3. He just couldn’t keep time to the rhythmOf the song he was singin’ so loudI could tell he’d been through a whole lot moreIn spite of ‘em all, he was proud
4. Then he told everyone, he was famous one timeAnd he’d sang once behind Patsy ClineThen some wise guy stood up and shouted“Get off and I’ll buy you some wine”

Chorus 2:But, to himself, he was ole Jimmie RodgersI-dee-oh-da-lee-da-lay-hee—eeeeBut he was singin’ so bad, it just made me feel sadAlmost like they was laughin’ at me

5. The old man just kept right on tryin’ But his eyes showed the sign of a tear‘cause, the hard facts of failure were so hard to faceFor a man, I could tell had been there

Chorus 3:But, to himself, he had been Jimmie RodgersYo-dee-oh-da-lee-da-lay-hee—eeeeBut when he walked off that stage, he was all washed-up
It just taken a whole lifetime too see...©1982 Dream City Music (BMI)