Monkey Ward and the Outhouse Door

[Intro - Harmonica solo] [Verse 1] Out on the edge of a dry, broke farm We had one good chair and a coffee can But come each spring, like a holy charm That fat catalog hit my old man’s hand Stacked ‘em by the stove for winter Dog eared pages, cowboy dreams Then summer came and the pages thinned ‘Cause life out here ain’t always clean [Chorus] Monkey Ward, you saved our hides From busted boots to Saturday pride From wishin’ on a mail‑order bride To paper by that creakin’ door Monkey Ward, you did it all From Sunday shirts to outhouse walls You were scripture in the hall And a comfort when the corn ran low once more [Verse 2] Mama circled curtains with a kitchen knife Said, “One of these days, we’ll have ‘em, too” Brother traced a saddle, planned his life Like ink and sweat could drag him through Out in the shed where we sat down Where the moon cut cracks in the plank‑board floor We turned your pages, soft and brown With something they weren’t printed for [Chorus] Monkey Ward, you saved our hides From busted boots to Saturday pride From wishin’ on a mail‑order bride To paper by that creakin’ door Monkey Ward, you did it all From Sunday shirts to outhouse walls You were scripture in the hall And a comfort when the corn ran low once more [Bridge] Funny how a book of dreams Ends up where the wild wind moans Part storefront window, part latrine Part escape plan, part old bones I still smile when I see your name On a dusty shelf in some antique store Smell that pine, hear that hinge complain And I’m thirteen, reachin’ for the door [Chorus] Monkey Ward, you saved our hides From busted boots to Saturday pride From wishin’ on a mail‑order bride To paper by that creakin’ door Monkey Ward, you did it all From Sunday shirts to outhouse walls You were scripture in the hall And a comfort when the corn ran low once more