Patches
Dickey Lee
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I was born and raised down in Alabama On a farm way back up in the woods I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches Papa used to tease me about it 'Cause deep down inside he was hurt 'Cause he'd done all he could My papa was a great old man I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see Education he never had He did wonders when the times got bad The little money from the crops he raised Barely paid the bills we made For, life had kick him down to the ground When he tried to get up Life would kick him back down One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed Put his hands on my shoulders And in his tears he said He said, Patches I'm dependin' on you, son To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you Two days later Papa passed away, and I became a man that day So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but She said that was Daddy's strictest rule So every mornin' 'fore I went to school I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on I wanted to leave, just run away from home But I would remember what my daddy said With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed He said, Patches I'm dependin' on you, son I tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest Then one day a strong rain came And washed all the crops away And at the age of 13 I thought I was carryin' the weight of the Whole world on my shoulders And you know, Mama knew What I was goin' through, 'cause Every day I had to work the fields 'Cause that's the only way we got our meals You see, I was the oldest of the family And everybody else depended on me Every night I heard my Mama pray Lord, give him the strength to make another day So years have passed and all the kids are grown The angels took Mama to a brand new home Lord knows, people, I shedded tears But my daddy's voice kept me through the years Sing, Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you Oh, I can still hear Papa's voice sayin' Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son I've tried to do my best It's up to you to do the rest I can still hear Papa, what he said Patches, I'm dependin' on you, son To pull the family through My son, it's all left up to you
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Written by: Barry Mann, Larry Kolber
Lyrics © DYAD Music Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Music Genre"Patches" by Dickey Lee falls into the genre of teenage tragedy songs, also known as "death discs," which were very popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
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Song ReleaseThe song was released on May 21, 1962, by the record company Smash Records.
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Lyrics and Themeknown for its tragic theme, the song tells a heartbreaking story of a teenage boy who is devastated by the death of his love, Patches, who commits suicide after their parents forbid them from being together due to class differences.
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Chart Success"Patches" is the biggest hit of Dickey Lee's career. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the summer of 1962.
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Banned from RadioSome radio stations banned the song due to its sensitive tragic theme about a girl committing suicide.
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Cover VersionsOver the years, various artists have covered the song, including Clarence Carter whose version reached number two on the U.S. R&B Singles chart in 1970.
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SongwritersNot only performed by Dickey Lee but the song was also co-written by him alongside with Steve Duffy.
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InspirationThe song is said to have been inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet."
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AwardClarence Carter's version of the song won a Grammy for the Best R&B Song in 1970.
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ReputationDespite the controversies and ban from radio stations, the song "Patches" is still remembered as a classic in its genre and continues to be played on oldies radio stations.
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Citation
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"Patches Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/6459475/Dickey+Lee/Patches>.
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