JELLY JAR                Patty Gayle                                                                                                        

 

In my fifty third summer I find myself thinking

About all the times we’d sit around drinking

Cussing and discussing and laughing hard

And drinking whiskey in a jelly jar

 

Morning coffee strong and black

Rabbit or squirrel or something like that’s

Always crackling in the frying pan

And that gravy spoon in mama’s hand

 

Afternoon tea boiling in the pot

Sweat pooling in your sweet spot

Tickling down the back of your knees

Get out on the porch to catch a breeze and  

 

Your slip is damp from the water cooler

Sitting around smoking old roll your own buglers

Too damn hot for the dogs to bark

So you wait ‘til the evening or close to dark and

 

Take a ride across the county line

For some beer and whiskey and screw top wine

About sundown we’d get to thinking

Maybe it’s time we started drinking

Cussing and discussing and laughing hard

Drinking homemade whiskey in a jelly jar

Oh yeah

 

Daddy Paul’s dancing in the kitchen

Pauline’s drunk started her bitching

Sitting around the table playing penny ante poker

Take a quick nip maybe a toke and

 

Your slip is damp from the water cooler

Sitting around smoking old roll your own buglers

Too damn hot for the dogs to bark

So you wait ‘til the evening or close to dark and

 

Take a ride across the county line

For some beer and whiskey and screw top wine

About sundown we’d get to thinking

Maybe it’s time we started drinking

Wait ‘til the evening or close to dark

Then we’d drink our whiskey in a jelly jar

Cussing and discussing and laughing real hard

Drinking homemade whiskey in a jelly jar