[Intro]




[Verse 1]

             
 It was painte

      
d red, the str

ipe was white
        
It was eightee

n feet from th

e bow to the s

tern light
             
 Second hand f

       
rom a dealer i

n Atlanta
   
I rode up with

 daddy when he

 went there to

 get 'er
             
 Put on a shin

 
e, put on a mo

tor
 
Built out of l

ove and made f

or the water
             
 Ran her for y

              
ears 'til the 

 
transom got ro

tten
             
A piece of my 

              
childhood that

       
'll never be f

orgotten


[Chorus]

             
It was just an

      
 old plywood b

oat
        
With a seventy

-five Johnson 

with electric 

choke
             
 A young boy, 

     
two hands on t

he wheel

 I can't repla

ce the way it 

made me feel
             
And I would tu

              
rn her sharp a

      
nd I'd make it

 whine
        
He'd say you c

an't beat the 

way an old woo

d boat rides
            
 Just a little

              
 lake 'cross t

   
he Alabama lin

e
             
But I was king

             
 of the ocean 

              
when daddy let

              
 me drive


[Verse 2]

             
 Just an old h

         
alf-ton short 

bed Ford
   
My uncle bough

t new in sixty

-four
             
Daddy got it r

              
ight 'cause th

  
e engine was s

mokin'

 A couple of b

urnt valves an

d he had it go

in'
             
 He'd let me d

              
rive her and w

     
e'd haul off a

 load
        
Down a dirt st

rip where we'd

 dump trash of

f of Thigpen r

oad
             
I'd sit up in 

              
the seat and s

          
tretch my feet

 out to the pe

dals
             
Smilin' like a

             
 hero that jus

 
t received his

 medal


[Chorus]

             
It was just an

      
 old hand-me-d

own Ford
        
With a three s

peed on the co

lumn and a den

t in the door
             
 A young boy, 

     
two hands on t

he wheel

 I can't repla

ce the way it 

made me feel
             
I would press 

              
that clutch an

     
d I'd keep it 

right
        
He'd say a lit

tle slower son

, you're doin'

 just fine
            
 Just a dirt r

             
oad with trash

              
 on each side 

          
but I was Mari

o Andretti
             
  When daddy l

     
et me drive


[Interlude]

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[Bridge]

             
 I'm grown up 

            
now, three dau

ghters of my o

wn
   
I let 'em driv

e my old jeep 

'cross the pas

ture at our ho

me
             
 Maybe one day

          
 they'll reach

 back in their

 file
         
And pull out t

              
hat old mem'ry

         
 and think of 

me and smile


[Chorus]

             
And say it was

              
 just an old w


orn out jeep
 
Rusty old floo

rboards, hot o

n my feet
             
 A young girl,

      
 two hands on 

the wheel

 I can't repla

ce the way it 

made me feel
             
And he'd say t

              
urn it left an

 
d steer it rig

ht
 
Straighten up 

girl now, you'

re doin' just 

fine
            
 Just a little

              
 valley by the

  
 river where w

e'd ride
             
But I was high

              
 on a mountain

             
 when daddy le

    
t me drive
             
   Daddy let m

       
e drive
             
Oh, he let me 

            
drive


[Outro]

             
 She's just an

      
 old plywood b

oat
             
With a seventy

              
-five Johnson 

              
with electric 

       
choke