Tony Joe White - Lake Placid Blues
Am G Am
At the time I was too young for the meaning
Am G Am
But it's become much clearer through the years
Am G F
We gathered round the boy in his army clothes
Dm Em Am
Said goodbye and his mother shed her tears
Am G Am
Every day she watched for the postman
Am G Am
But the long awaited letter was over due
Am G F
It's not the silence that makes you crazy
Dm Em Am
It's the sound of a heart breaking in two
F G Am
Then it came across the ocean
F G Am
It was hard to understand the awful news
F G Am
I don't know why I still remember
Dm Em Am
I guess it's just the Lake Placid Blues
I turned 18 and left that part of the country
Went down on the Padre Island coast
Of all the hard times I still remember
The repossession of the guitar hurt the most
The paupers stood in line outside the mission
And I huddled there beside them in the rain
A priest came to the door with empty eyes
I could see he no longer felt their pain
Some were searchin' for forgiveness
And others only wanted food
I needed more than I could ask for
There is no comfort with the Lake Placid Blues
It's hard to find good friends in a lifetime
You can usually count 'em on one hand
I shivered by the fire and the dawn was breakin'
And I scattered his ashes on the sand
And the silver cranes came over in formation
In a sacred manner they flew
And I will always remember
The sky, the Lake Placid Blues
