A Little List
by John Allen Latta © 2011

She blew into the bar,

Elbowed up next to me and said, “I’m buying”

“Honey, it’s stormin’ like the end of the world out there and I ain’t lying”

She said, "I’m lookin’ for a man with two strong hands,
 "Who ain’t a scared of trying.”

Then she shoved at me a beat-up old list of rules

Said, “This is all my daddy left me now I think they’re yours”

(Chorus)
              Can’t always do what you want

By God you do what you oughtta

When faced with a difficult choice

It’s from the Good Book you borrow

Every day you try to give someone a helping hand

Be sure to lead more than you follow
And whatever the world tosses at you

Boy, you take care of my daughter.

Well I spied her up and down,

Really liked what I saw, my brain was frying

And things being what they were

With jobs being more than scarce I said, “Huh, I’m applying”

She tore off in her car, I followed in old Hank

His tires were crying

And as the lightning snapped and the thunder cracked

I could see old daddy’s rules just a flashing in my lap

(Chorus)

(Bridge)

A little list of rules taught me how to live

With a little bit of take and a whole lot of give

Yeah life’s like the midway of the county fair

You gotta keep pushing forward and try not to stare

Been more than twenty-years

Since that rainy, twister night in that old Tulsa bar

We got a farm, three girls, sixty-five-hundred acres

And two brand new barns

When it’s time to give the girls hands in marriage

For a gift we ain’t a looking too far

We’re gonna copy down a little list of beat-up rules

Say, “These have served us pretty well

And now we think they’re yours"

Chorus and out