[Intro]

      


[Refrain]

           
Once I was sev

            
en years old, 

             
my mama told m


e
              
Go make yourse

              
lf some friend

              
s or you'll be

 
 lonely
           
Once I was sev

              
en years old


[Verse]
            
   It was a bi

            
g, big world, 

but we thought

 we were bigge

r
            
   Pushing eac

              
h other to the

              
 limits, we we

   
re learning qu

icker
            
   By eleven s

       
moking herb an

d drinking bur

ning liquor
            
   Never rich 

              
so we were out

              
 to make that 


steady figure


[Refrain]

           
Once I was ele

            
ven years old,

            
 daddy told me

,
              
Go get yoursel

              
f a wife or yo

               
u'll be lonely
           
Once I was ele

                   
ven years old


[Verse]

            
  I always had

            
 that dream li

              
ke my daddy be

             
fore me
            
  So I started

              
 writing songs

             
, I started wr

              
iting stories
            
Something abou

            
t that glory, 

just always se

emed to bore m

e
            
‘Cause only th

              
ose I really l

              
ove will ever 

           
really know me


[Refrain]

           
Once I was twe

              
nty years old,

            
 my story got 

   
told
            
Before the mor

              
ning sun, when

             
 life was lone

       
ly
           
Once I was twe

                    
nty years old


[Verse]

            
  I only see m

  
y goals, I don

't believe in 

failure
            
  ‘Cause I kno

              
w the smallest

              
 voices, they 

             
can make it ma

  
jor
            
I got my boys 

            
with me, at le

    
ast those in f

avor
            
And if we don'

              
t see before I

              
 leave, I hope

             
 I'll see you 

     
later


[Refrain]

           
Once I was 20 

            
years old, my 

          
story got told
            
I was writing 

              
about everythi

             
ng I saw befor

       
e me
           
Once I was 20 

           
years old

           
Soon we'll be 

            
30 years old, 

              
our songs have

      
 been sold
              
We've traveled

              
 around the wo

              
rld and we're 

            
still roaming
           
Soon we'll be 

                       
30 years old


[Verse]

            
I'm still lear

         
ning about lif

e,

my woman broug

ht children fo

r me

So I can sing 

them all my so

ngs
             
and I can tell

             
 them stories
          
Most of my boy

s are with me,

some are still

 out seeking g

lory
    
And some I had

 to leave behi

nd,
             
my brother I'm

             
 still sorry


[Bridge]

           
Soon I'll be 6

        
0 years old, m

y daddy got 61
            
Remember life 

              
and then your 

              
life becomes a

          
 better one
           
I made a man s

        
o happy when I

 wrote a lette

r once

I hope my chil

dren come and 

visit, once or

 twice a month


[Refrain]

           
Soon I'll be s

            
ixty years old

              
, will I think

              
 the world is 


cold
              
Or will I have

              
 a lot of chil

             
dren who can w

      
arm me
           
Soon I'll be 6

     
0 years old

           
Soon I'll be s

            
ixty years old

              
, will I think

              
 the world is 


cold
              
Or will I have

              
 a lot of chil

             
dren who can w

      
arm me
           
Soon I'll be 6

     
0 years old


[Verse]

            
Once I was sev

            
en years old, 

              
my mama told m

 
e
              
Go make yourse

              
lf some friend

              
s or you'll be

      
 lonely
              
Once I was sev

                  
en years old
            
Once I was sev

           
en years old