Spoken:
He was born one mornin`
It was cold and it was snowin`
And from the start he never had a chance
And though the doctors said he couldn`t live
His mama had some faith to give
`n` they brought him to her and his mama named him Vance
He was sick a long time then
I used to sit by him
I`d rub his head and he would squeeze my hand
But he never cried, he`d grit his teeth and smile at me
`cause he couldn`t speak
And that`s when I began to respect the little man
And I think Vance was three right about then
He started school and one day
He came home and at the doorway I could tell
The little man didn`t want to come inside
He had met a girl but her boyfriend Smitty
Had caught him walkin` home with her
And nearly killed Vance
But then Vance never cried
And the only thing that Smitty hurt was pride
And he said
(Sung)
Papa do you become a man when you`re twenty-one?
And I said Age doesn`t make a man a man, my son
Spoken:
He looked at me so puzzled with eyes so young and kind
`n` I think Vance was seven about that time
I guess they say that first love is the very best
At least it was with Vance
`cause he`d scratched Becky on his desk
But Becky went with Smitty and Vance was very small
And he used to dream what it`d be like to be tall
And then a few years later Vance came in one day
And told me and his mama that he had to go away
To be fitted for a uniform
And though his mama shed a tear
He kissed her and said he`d see us in two years
And he looked at me and said Papa, I`m gonna be a man
Well, two years to the day
Vance came walkin` in the driveway `n`
I didn`t recognize him from his size till he got near
He came in and he hugged his mama
And said Hey, Papa, little man, wanna go with me somewhere `n`
grab a beer?
So we`re sittin` at this table when
This fella at the bar started buggin` Vance
Callin` him Soldier
But Vance kept his cool
And he said Papa, that guy is Smitty and he`s to be pitied now
cause that`s the same guy that used to bully me in school
Then Smitty said the wrong thing
When he brought up Becky`s name `n`
Vance finally stood and said Boy, what did you say?
And it did my heart so much good when Vance hit ole Smitty
And it took two of Smitty`s friends to carry him away
Well, Vance left the very next mornin` `n`
It was cold and it was snowin`
And from the first, life hadn`t been much fun
But he had finally made a stand `n`
He`d become a self-made man and
Incidentally, he had just turned twenty-one
