GCDG
AJ
pulled to the lake to do some fishin’
with my best friends in our twentys
this old black man that everyone noticed
just sitting there under a tree
an old straw hat Coke bottle glasses
raggedy clothes chewing a cigar butt no ashes
his pants way too short with really thin socks
patent leather shoes sitting by the dock
my friend Michael starts playing the guitar
The old man walks up,he’s really the star
he says that music is so so sweet
sweetest I ever have heard
you play like an angel you sing like a bird
I cast my line sitting on the dock
watching my bobber watching it rock
old cool Papa says “you getting any bites?”
A chill goes down my spine
my memories ignite
I look up and say AJ’s that you?
ain’t nobody called me that in years
who the hell are you?
it’s Nial oh my God, I finally found you
I jumped up and kissed him,
can’t believe it’s true
and we hugged and danced
and my friends all stared
they gathered around
as the old man shared
he started telling stories
about how he changed my diaper
we just laughed and laughed
and hugged each other tighter
I told my friends how he taught me to fish
when I was three or four
sitting on the shore
He’d always say “are you getting any bites?”
and that’s the line that caused us to reunite
this is the man that raised me
my dad was always gone
AJ would be doing a project
or working on the lawn
and I would always hang with him
because he was really cool
and we would have deep conversations
before I went to school
AJ would drink and get thrown in jail Am Em
call my dad to post the bail Am Em
my dad would say I got some yardwork to do
AJ would come and make the old place new
this was the man that raised me
and taught me how to play ball
that day all my friends finally met him
realized they don’t know me at all