EDS' PRAYER (C) Ron Burres & Lewis Parsons
IT WAS A HUMID DAY IN SUMMER AT A
SPOT DOWN BY THE CRIK
THEY WERE BAPTISIN’ ALL THE
BABIES AT THE YEARLY CHURCH PICNIC
THESE FOLKS ALL SHOWED UP COMMIN’
FROM MILES ARROUND
TO SHARE THE CELEBRATION OF BELIEVERS
IN THIS LITTLE TOWN
THE WOMEN FOLK WERE ALL BUSY, KETCHIN
UP ON ALL THE NEWS
YOU JUST DON’T GET TO DO THAT WHEN
YOU’RE SITTIN IN THE PEWS
THE KIDS WERE BUSY PLAYIN, TRYIN’ T’
KETCH SOME FROGS
MEN WERE PLAYIN’ HORSEHOES AND
TALKIN’ ABOUT THEIR DOGS
LATER ON WITH DINNER OVER AND
THINGS WERE PUT AWAY
THE CROWD SLOWLY GATHERED TO FOR
THE SERVICE OF THE DAY
THE PREACHER ROSE UP
SLOWLY, STIFF FROM SITTIN ON THE GROUND
HE BRUSHED THE GRASS OFF HIS
PANTS AND TURNED TO FACE THE CROWD
A BIG OLD GRAY HAIRED MAN, HIS ROUND FACE
WAS WET WITH SWEAT
HIS FOLDED HANDS WERE SLICK AND GREEZY
FROM CHICKEN HE’D JUST ET
HE SAID THANK Y’ALL FOR
COMMIN’ AND NOW THAT WE’VE ALL BEEN FED
WE’LL HAVE A THANKS AND A PRAYER FROM
OUR NEWEST MEMBER, ED
OL’ ED WAS LOOSLEY HUNG
TOGETHER LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO FALL APART
N’ HE LOOKED A LITTLE
IGNERT, BUT HE WAS REALLY KINDA SMART
ED HADN’T BEEN TO CHURCH TO
MUCH, HE’D BEEN A LONER MOST HIS LIFE
WHEN HE FINALLY GOT RELIGION IT
WAS JUST TO PLEASE HIS WIFE.
SHE WAS SITTIN THERE BESIDE
HIM, YOU COULD TELL SHE’S MIGHTY PROUD
SHE KNEW WITHOUT HER COAXIN', ED
WOULDN'’T BE THERE IN THIS CROWD
WELL OL’ ED STOOD UP ALL
EMBARASSED, AND HE SWALLERED KINDA HARD
HE LOOKED AT ALL HIS
NEIGHBORS, SITTIN’ ROUND A WAITIN’ IN THE YARD
HIS CALLOUSED HANDS WERE
SHAKIN, HE FEARED HIS VOICE WOULD FREEZE
THE LITTLE CROWD OF
WORSHIPERS COULD HEAR THE KNOCKIN’ OF HIS KNEES
HE LOOKED UPWARD TOWARD THE
SKY N’ STRUGGLED TO KETCH A SOME AIR
HE STAMMERED SOME AND CLOSED HIS
EYES, THEN STARTED WITH HIS PRAYER
LORD
I THANK YOU FER THE RAIN Y’
SENT, A BIT MORE THAN WE PRAYED T’ GET
IT HELPED TO SAVE OUR CROPS, BUT
OUR FLOORS ARE ALL WARPED AND WET
Y’ KNOW I’M NOT COMPLAININ
LORD, I KNOW WHAT YOU DO’S FOR THE BEST
BUT WHEN YOU HEAR US PRAY FOR
RAIN, COULDYA SHARE SOME WITH THE WEST
THE CORN WE PLANTED BEEN FLOODED
OUT, MOST OUR MILK COWS ARE GONE OR DEAD
THEY WERE DROWNED DEAR LORD Y’
KNOW, WHEN THE FLOOD COVERED UP THE SHED
THE TRASH N’ MUD’S FILLED UP THE
WELL, AND OUR CROP OF COTTONS GOT THE WILT
IF YOU HADN’T BEEN LOOKIN OUT FOR
US, LORD, I KNOW WE WOULDA ALL BEEN KILT.
I KNOW WE NEEDED THAT WIND STORM THE
THAT YOU SENT THE OTHER DAY
BUT WE LOST ALMOST ALL OUR
CHICKENS AND IT BLEW OUR OUTHOUSE CLEAN AWAY
AN’ WATCH THEM LIGHTNIN’ BOLTS
LORD, I KNOW YOU DIDN’T MEAN NO HARM
COULD YA PLEASE HIT A TREE NEXT TIME
LORD, ‘CAUSE THE FIRE BURNT DOWN MY BARN
I DON’T KNOW HOW WE’D GET
ALONG WITHOUT ALL YOUR HELP AND SUCH
MAYBE LORD, FOR JUST A
WHILE, COULD YOU NOT HELP US OUT SO MUCH
ED SEEMED TO PAUSE HIS PRAYIN’, YOU
COULD TELL HE WAS AFRAID
IT’S LIKE HE SUDDENLY
REALIZED ALL THE THINGS THAT HE HAD SAID
HE STOOD THERE THINKIN, Y’ COULD THE
WHEELS TURNIN IN HIS HEAD
IT WAS PURTY PLAIN FOR ALL TO SEE HE
WISHED THAT HE WERE DEAD
HE’S HOPING FOR SOME WAY TO
END WHAT WAS S’POSED T’ BE A PRAYER
THIS BUNCH OF STUPID
QUESTIONS THAT HE SEEMED FORCED TO SHARE
YOU COULD SEE HE WAS A
BLUSHIN’ FROM THE COLOR THAT HIT HIS EARS
HIS POOR WIFE SAT THERE SOBBIN’, POOR
GIRL WAS MORTIFIED TO TEARS.
YOU COULD SEE HER TUGGIN’ AT HIS
PANTS, AND TRYIN’ TO SIT HIM DOWN
SHE WAS HOPIN’ THAT THEIR
NEIGHBORS WOULDN’T RUN HIM OUTA TOWN
ED WRUNG HIS HANDS
IN DESPERATION AS HIS VOICE STARTED IN AGAIN
IN CLOSIN LORD I WANT T’ THANK
Y’ FOR THIS CHANCE I’VE HAD T’ PRAY
AND FOR SENDIN’ ALL THOSE BLESSIN’S,THAT
I’VE MENTIONED HERE TODAY
THE PREACHER KNEW HE HAD TO DO SOMETHIN’
AND DO IT MIGHTY FAST
HE THO’T ED HAD LOST HIS MARBLES FROM
THE QUESTIONS HE HAD AST
BEFORE ED COULD END HIS PRAYER AND
THE LAST AMEN WAS SAID
THE PREACHER JUMPED TO HIS FEET BEFORE
ANYMORE WAS SAID
HIS COAT AND TIE WERE ALL MESSED UP HIS
FACE WAS FLUSHED AND RED
HE WAS PRAYIN’ FOR A MIRICLE,
ANYTHING TO SHUT UP BROTHER ED
THE PREACHER KNEW THE JIG WAS UP, HE
RAISED HIS VOICE ABOVE THE DIN
HE STARTED SINGIN’ ROCK OF AGES, AND
AST ‘EM ALL TO JOIN RIGHT IN
HE FINALLY GOT THEIR ATTENTION, AS HE
RAN THIS WAY AND THAT
ED WAS JUST STANDIN THERE, SO THE
PREACHER HAD HIM PASS THE HAT
THE FOLKS LOOKED AT EACH OTHER, AND
THEN THEY LOOKED AWAY
A LOT OF THEM WERE QUITE DISTURBED BY
WHAT THEY’D HEARD THAT DAY
AS ED PASSED THE HAT AMONG ‘EM, HE
WAS LOOKIN KINDA’ SAD
FROM SOME HE GOT ‘GRATULATIONS, BUT
MOST OF THEM WERE MAD
‘BOUT THEN LIGHTNIN’ STARTED FLASHIN,
AND IT THUNDERED PURTY LOUD
COULD IT BEEN A WARNIN’, FROM THAT
LITTLE BITTY CLOUD
I KNOW IT DON’T SEEM LIKELY, IT WAS
THE STRANGEST THING TO SEE
BUT WHEN OL’ ED CAME BY COLLECTIN’, I
SWEAR HE SLYLY SMILED,
AND THEN HE WINKED AT ME
NOW I WAS PURTY YOUNG BACK THEN WHEN
ALL OF THIS TOOK PLACE
AND MY MEMORY AIN’T TO GOOD BUT I
STILL CAN SEE EDS’ SMILIN’ FACE
I’VE THOUGHT OF THIS QUITE OFTEN WHEN
DOUBTS RUN CROSS MY MIND
THAT GOD HEARS THE PRAYERS OF MAN AND
ANSWERS IN HIS TIME
BUT SOME TIMES IT’S REALLY DIFFERENT
THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND
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