Roxie's Boys

Note: Here are the lyrics of a song I wrote for a special presentation at the rural one-room school house my father and his brothers attended in Luber, Arkansas. The four boys grew up not far from the small school, and all of them — at one point or another — married and, like many from the south, moved north to find work in factories. All of them — except my father — eventually made it back to Arkansas. It always was his dream, however, to get back “down home.”

Roxie’s Boys

Farm chores kept them busy, first light till darkness fell
With hardly any time to play, as far as I can tell
The life they lived weren’t easy, the days were hard and long
They pushed right through it anyway, humming a country song

Summer shoes were a luxury, even when they went to town
Clay dust covered up their feet, until the summer rains came down
Their overalls were threadbare, but they lasted all year long
Those Stewart boys would make it through, humming a country song

They were Roxie’s boys, full of country pride
They respected dear old grandpa, until the day he died
Never worrying about tomorrow, or complaining about today
They were Roxie’s boys, that’s all I need to say

They grew up into manhood, all tall and strong and proud
Seasoned by all they’d been through, maybe a little bit too loud
They all moved to northern cities, then families came along
So they worked those factory jobs all day, humming a country song

But the cities weren’t too friendly, to the boys from Luber Road
Three came back home to family, to lighten up the load
One said he would soon return, and waited much too long
But he raised us up on country pride, while humming a country song

They were Roxie’s boys, full of country pride
They respected dear old grandpa, until the day he died
Never worrying about tomorrow, or complaining about today
They were Roxie’s boys, that’s all I need to say