Rebel Souvenirs

REBEL SOUVENIRS
Jim Pipkin & David Schronce 2004 BMI

Out along the back roads
where the proud old remnants dwell
Step in off the front porch
There's a feeling you can tell
We don't have a living room
It's called the parlor here
Full of dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs

I was hub high to a tractor tire
When I first learned the rules
The stories on our parlor walls
Were not discussed in school
Honors won, causes lost
And interracial fears
Dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs

Our ancestors farmed this land
From childhood to their graves
Now we stock the big box stores
With the work of Asian slaves
Seems the more things stay the same
The more they disappear
Dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs

Tucked away in cedar chests
Old memories still hide
Folded right beside them
Are the flags that do not fly
From frames along the mantle
Gaze those long-dead volunteers
Dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs

Whether we were right or wrong
Was up for us to choose
One Revolution we helped win
One we had to lose
The fires of freedom roared right through
But left some embers here
Dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs

Mansion, shack, or double-wide
Fadin' year year by year
Dark wood, ticking clocks
And rebel souvenirs