My father died a year ago today
The rooster started crowing when they carried Dad away
There beside my mother in the living room I stood
With my brothers and my sisters knowing Dad was gone for good
Well, I stayed around just long enough to lay him in the ground
And then I caught a plane to do a show up north in Detroit town
Because I'm older now, I ain't got no time to cry
I've got no time to look back, I've got no time to see
The pieces of my heart that have been ripped away from me
And when the feeling starts to coming, I've learned to stop 'em fast
'Cause I don't know if I let 'em go they might not want to pass
And there's just so many people trying to get me on the phone
And there's bills to pay and songs to play and a house to make a home
And I'm older now, I ain't got no time to cry
I can still remember before there was a Merle
So many things have changed so much here in my world
I remember sitting on the front yard when an ambulance went by
And just listening to those sirens I would break down and cry
But now I'm walking, I'm talking, doing just what I'm supposed to do
Working overtime to make sure I don't come unglued
'Cause I'm older now, I ain't got no time to cry
I go lay down on the sofa and I watch the evening news
There's a half a dozen tragedies from which to pick and choose
The baby that was missing was found in a ditch today
And there's bombs a'flying and people dying not so far away
I'll take a beer from the 'frigerator and go sit out in the yard
And with a cold one in my hand I'm gonna bite down and swallow hard
'Cause I'm older now, I ain't got no time to cry
It's true, I guess I'm older now, I just ain't got no time to cry
