Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,

"Go make yourself some friends or you'll be lonely."

Once I was seven years old.

It was a big big world, but we thought we were bigger

Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker

By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor

Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure.

Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me,

"Go get yourself a wife or you'll be lonely."

Once I was eleven years old.

I always had that dream, like my daddy before me

So I started writing songs, I started writing stories

Something about that glory always seemed to bore me

'cause only those I really love will ever really know me.

Once I was twenty years old, my story got told

Before the morning sun, when life was lonely

Once I was twenty years old.