John J. Blanchard Songtext
von Anthony Smith

He had a stroke in ′95
They thought it best that he reside
In a nursing home
His family vowed they'd never leave him
The last time they came to see him
Was three years ago
He spent his whole life providing
Now he was down to relying
On Medicaid
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 fishing, working on that Firebird engine
Running 99 proof moonshine across that county line
321 And ignition, off on some space shuttle mission
Playing QB for the Cowboys
Getting high on the crowd noise
And the bright lights
All deep inside things were rocking in the mind
Of John J. Blanchard

One afternoon in June
A nurse saw his finger move
′Bout had a heart attack
Went screaming down the hall
"Hey, it′s a miracle y'all
I think he′s coming 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 fishing, working on that Firebird engine
Running 99 proof moonshine across that county line
321 And ignition, off on some space shuttle mission
Playing QB for the Cowboys
Getting high on the crowd noise
And the bright lights
All this time things were rocking in the mind
Of John J. Blanchard


He had a stroke in ′95
They thought it best that he reside
In a nursing home