Not Everybody at the Fence Is Your Enemy

Not Everybody at the Fence Is Your Enemy
Bubba Patrick — Porch Wisdom with Bubba & Trigger

[Intro — Martin guitar, piano and harmonica]

[Spoken]
Trigger, that man’s walking his poodle.
He ain’t surveying the property.
You can stand down.

[Verse 1]
You were posted by the fence line,
Little chest all puffed with pride.
Had a leaf caught in your whiskers,
Had the whole street terrified.
Well, perhaps that’s overstating—
They kept walking just the same.
But you gave each passing sneaker
An inspection and a name.

[Verse 2]
There was Trouble with a stroller,
There was Danger on a bike,
There was Highly Suspicious Grandma
On her daily morning hike.
Then the fellow from the corner
Stopped to wave and say hello.
You announced him to the county
Like we didn’t ought to know.

[Chorus]
Not everybody at the fence is your enemy,
Some folks only stopped to say hello.
Let me get a word in edgewise,
Give that wagging tail a go.
You can watch the gate without a fuss,
Take a breath and look around.
Not everybody at the fence is your enemy—
Son, we live in a pretty good town.

[Verse 3]
Later on I saw that fellow
At the mailboxes out front.
Said, “Good morning,” got a head nod,
And I thought, “Well, ain’t he something.”
Started building me a story
’Bout how proud that man must be.
Had him figured out completely—
He’d said half a word to me.

[Spoken]
Now, Trigger…
I believe we’ve got a similar problem.

[Verse 4]
Next day he came by the driveway,
Said, “I hope I wasn’t rude.
Had my brother on the telephone,
He’s been having quite a few
Long nights sitting at the hospital.”
I said, “How’s he doing now?”
Then I put my mail down on the hood
And we stood and talked awhile.

[Instrumental — Harmonica solo, fiddle answers]

[Bridge]
I don’t know what someone’s carrying
When I see ’em passing by.
Might be looking at the sidewalk,
Might have something on their mind.
I can leave a little room there,
Let ’em tell me who they are.
Funny what a conversation does
Before you get too far.

[Verse 5]
Now that fellow stops on Fridays,
You go meet him at the gate.
He remembers where to scratch you,
So you let him stay till late.
I’ve been trying out your method—
Well, the friendly part, at least.
I’ll say hello and shake his hand.
You can handle sniffing feet.

[Final Chorus]
Not everybody at the fence is your enemy,
Some folks turn into a friend.
Let ’em finish saying “Good morning”
Before you raise the roof again.
There’s a porch chair if they’ve got the time,
We can sit a spell and see.
Not everybody at the fence is your enemy—
That’s a lesson for my dog and me.

[Tag]
Keep an eye out for the neighbors,
Give a friendly tail a whirl.
Save a little of that energy—
You’re gonna need it for the squirrels.

[Outro — Spoken]
See? Nice fellow.
You had him all wrong.

[Pause]

Yes, I know.
I did too.

[Harmonica flourish and band finish]

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Not Everybody at the Fence Is Your Enemy Bubba Patrick — Porch Wisdom with Bubba & Trigger [Intro — Martin guitar, piano and harmonica] [Spoken] Trigger, that man’s walking his poodle. He ain’t surveying the property. You can stand down. [Verse 1] You were posted by the fence line, Little chest all puffed with pride. Had a leaf caught in your whiskers, Had the whole street terrified. Well, perhaps that’s overstating— They kept walking just the same. But you gave each passing sneaker An inspection and a name. [Verse 2] There was Trouble with a stroller, There was Danger on a bike, There was Highly Suspicious Grandma On her daily morning hike. Then the fellow from the corner Stopped to wave and say hello. You announced him to the county Like we didn’t ought to know. [Chorus] Not everybody at the fence is your enemy, Some folks only stopped to say hello. Let me get a word in edgewise, Give that wagging tail a go. You can watch the gate without a fuss, Take a breath and look around. Not everybody at the fence is your enemy— Son, we live in a pretty good town. [Verse 3] Later on I saw that fellow At the mailboxes out front. Said, “Good morning,” got a head nod, And I thought, “Well, ain’t he something.” Started building me a story ’Bout how proud that man must be. Had him figured out completely— He’d said half a word to me. [Spoken] Now, Trigger… I believe we’ve got a similar problem. [Verse 4] Next day he came by the driveway, Said, “I hope I wasn’t rude. Had my brother on the telephone, He’s been having quite a few Long nights sitting at the hospital.” I said, “How’s he doing now?” Then I put my mail down on the hood And we stood and talked awhile. [Chorus] Not everybody at the fence is your enemy, Some folks only stopped to say hello. Let me get a word in edgewise, Give that wagging tail a go. You can watch the gate without a fuss, Take a breath and look around. Not everybody at the fence is your enemy— Son, we live in a pretty good town. [Instrumental — Harmonica solo, fiddle answers] [Bridge] I don’t know what someone’s carrying When I see ’em passing by. Might be looking at the sidewalk, Might have something on their mind. I can leave a little room there, Let ’em tell me who they are. Funny what a conversation does Before you get too far. [Verse 5] Now that fellow stops on Fridays, You go meet him at the gate. He remembers where to scratch you, So you let him stay till late. I’ve been trying out your method— Well, the friendly part, at least. I’ll say hello and shake his hand. You can handle sniffing feet. [Final Chorus] Not everybody at the fence is your enemy, Some folks turn into a friend. Let ’em finish saying “Good morning” Before you raise the roof again. There’s a porch chair if they’ve got the time, We can sit a spell and see. Not everybody at the fence is your enemy— That’s a lesson for my dog and me. [Tag] Keep an eye out for the neighbors, Give a friendly tail a whirl. Save a little of that energy— You’re gonna need it for the squirrels. [Outro — Spoken] See? Nice fellow. You had him all wrong. [Pause] Yes, I know. I did too. [Harmonica flourish and band finish]

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