Verse 1)I was just a boy on a porch swing chairBreathing in the smoke of the south texas airGrandpa struck a match, handed me a RedTaught me how to stand, remember what he saidNow he’s up in heaven, looking down on meWhile I’m staring at the smoke through the willow treeYeah, I send a little prayer up to the skyWith a heavy heart and a tear in my eye.(Chorus)And I’m still smoking Marlboro RedsThinking 'bout the words that my grandpa saidI’m a long way out from where I beganDoing everything right, doing all that I canBut the ghost of that boy is still in my headAnd I’m still smoking Marlboro Reds.(Verse 2)Back in twenty-fourteen, I grabbed my toolsLearning from the masters who didn't play by rulesPipe fitters from the Delta, tough as iron and gritThat was my gang, man, we never did quitSweat on the collar, calluses on the handWorking my ass off to be a better manThey taught me how to weld, they taught me how to liveTo lay down a line with everything I had to give.(Chorus)And I’m still smoking Marlboro RedsThinking 'bout the words that my grandpa saidI’m a long way out from where I beganDoing everything right, doing all that I canBut the ghost of that boy is still in my headAnd I’m still smoking Marlboro Reds.(Bridge)Now I’m the superintendent, sitting in the trailer chairSigning off on papers, checking blueprints over thereI put in all my effort, try to run this job site rightBut the pressure gets to heavy when the day turns into nightThey see the boss man, they think I’ve got it madeBut they don’t see the foundation that those old timers laid.(Guitar Solo)(Verse 3)No, I’ll never forget the mud on my bootsOr the Mississippi boys who watered my rootsI can wear a clean shirt, I can run the whole crewBut I’m still the same kid that my grandpa knew.(Outro)So I walk out to the truck when the whistle finally blowsFlick a little lighter where the cold wind blowsYeah, I’m the boss man now, that's what they all sayBut I’m just fitting pipe at the end of the dayA prayer for the old man...And another Marlboro Red.(Fade out on a lonely acoustic guitar and harmonica)
