The Old Timers Are Almost Gone

JB Fleet | Traditional Country Storytelling Ballad

[Verse 1]
There’s an old man sittin’ on a front porch swing,
Knows a thousand things they don’t teach these days.
How to read the clouds, when to plant the corn,
How to mend a fence before the break of dawn.
He’s got hands like leather and a back that’s bent,
A lifetime of lessons that don’t cost a cent.
But the world’s in a hurry, everybody’s moved on,
And the old timers are almost gone.

[Verse 2]
Grandma’s in the kitchen with her apron tied,
Makin’ Sunday dinner like she has all her life.
A pinch of this, a little of that,
Never wrote a single recipe down on a pad.
She knows who married who, and where we came from,
Why that old oak stands and what her daddy’d done.
But nobody’s askin’ how she learned it all,
And someday there won’t be nobody left to call.

[Chorus]
The old timers are almost gone,
And we’re losin’ more than people when they move on.
Every story untold, every lesson unlearned,
Every bridge they built, every field they turned.
You can’t Google the sound of your granddad’s laugh,
Or buy back a Sunday you let slip past.
One day we’ll wish we’d listened all along,
’Cause the old timers are almost gone.

[Verse 3]
They lived through wars and hard times too,
Made a little go far, did what they had to do.
They could fix most anything with what they had,
And taught their children right from bad.
They knew their neighbors, they knew their land,
A promise was a promise and a handshake would stand.
And I wonder what’ll happen when their voices fade,
Who’s gonna teach the things they gave?

[Bridge - Soft, emotional]
So pull up a chair, let the old man talk,
Ask him where he’s been, ask him roads he’s walked.
Write down the recipes, record those names,
Ask about the pictures in those dusty frames.
Let Grandma tell that story one more time,
Even if you’ve heard it a hundred times.
‘Cause someday you’ll be sittin’ in that chair,
With a little one askin’ what life was like back there.

[Final Chorus - Building with emotion]
The old timers are almost gone,
But what they taught us ought to carry on.
Pass down the stories, pass down the land,
Pass down the love and the work of their hands.
Teach your children where their people came from,
What they stood for and what they’d done.
And when our own time comes to move along,
Let ‘em say we kept the old ways goin’ strong.

[Outro - Quiet acoustic guitar]
There’s an empty chair on a front porch swing,
And a thousand things I wish I’d asked him.
If you’ve still got yours, don’t wait too long…
The old timers are almost gone.

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The Old Timers Are Almost Gone JB Fleet | Traditional Country Storytelling Ballad [Verse 1] There’s an old man sittin’ on a front porch swing, Knows a thousand things they don’t teach these days. How to read the clouds, when to plant the corn, How to mend a fence before the break of dawn. He’s got hands like leather and a back that’s bent, A lifetime of lessons that don’t cost a cent. But the world’s in a hurry, everybody’s moved on, And the old timers are almost gone. [Verse 2] Grandma’s in the kitchen with her apron tied, Makin’ Sunday dinner like she has all her life. A pinch of this, a little of that, Never wrote a single recipe down on a pad. She knows who married who, and where we came from, Why that old oak stands and what her daddy’d done. But nobody’s askin’ how she learned it all, And someday there won’t be nobody left to call. [Chorus] The old timers are almost gone, And we’re losin’ more than people when they move on. Every story untold, every lesson unlearned, Every bridge they built, every field they turned. You can’t Google the sound of your granddad’s laugh, Or buy back a Sunday you let slip past. One day we’ll wish we’d listened all along, ’Cause the old timers are almost gone. [Verse 3] They lived through wars and hard times too, Made a little go far, did what they had to do. They could fix most anything with what they had, And taught their children right from bad. They knew their neighbors, they knew their land, A promise was a promise and a handshake would stand. And I wonder what’ll happen when their voices fade, Who’s gonna teach the things they gave? [Chorus] The old timers are almost gone, And we’re losin’ more than people when they move on. Every story untold, every lesson unlearned, Every bridge they built, every field they turned. You can’t Google the sound of your granddad’s laugh, Or buy back a Sunday you let slip past. One day we’ll wish we’d listened all along, ’Cause the old timers are almost gone. [Bridge - Soft, emotional] So pull up a chair, let the old man talk, Ask him where he’s been, ask him roads he’s walked. Write down the recipes, record those names, Ask about the pictures in those dusty frames. Let Grandma tell that story one more time, Even if you’ve heard it a hundred times. ‘Cause someday you’ll be sittin’ in that chair, With a little one askin’ what life was like back there. [Final Chorus - Building with emotion] The old timers are almost gone, But what they taught us ought to carry on. Pass down the stories, pass down the land, Pass down the love and the work of their hands. Teach your children where their people came from, What they stood for and what they’d done. And when our own time comes to move along, Let ‘em say we kept the old ways goin’ strong. [Outro - Quiet acoustic guitar] There’s an empty chair on a front porch swing, And a thousand things I wish I’d asked him. If you’ve still got yours, don’t wait too long… The old timers are almost gone.

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