Alabama Wild Man

Now my daddy was a hard-shelled Alabama preacher

My mama was a dedicated Sunday school teacher

My brother went to college and got a PhD

Daddy said the only dud in the family was me

He said, "Boy, you ain't never gonna amount to a thing

All you do is sit around with that silly-looking guitar and sing

You hang around them juke joints most of your time

Making music like some wild man done lost his mind

Going 'hook it!' Now what's that supposed to mean, boy?

And 'sock it to me,' you're just a wild man, boy"

Well, one day my daddy told me, "Boy, I've had enough

Now you pack up that guitar or you just pack up your stuff"

So I left with my guitar and I organized me a band

Called myself the Alabama Wild Man

Well, I worked in every joint from New York to the Gulf

Singing songs for pennies, never making enough

Many nights I lived on coffee and cold sardines

Soda crackers and pork and beans

But friends, I finally went to Music City, USA

Said, "I'm the Alabama Wild Man, folks, and I'm here to stay"

Took my guitar and I showed 'em what I was talking about

So we made a little record and we put it out

With me going, "Uh, hook it! Hook it, boy!

Hook it again! Sock it to that guitar!"

Now I'm driving me a Cadillac a city block long

An Alabama Wild Man can do no wrong

'Cause I'm a-selling them records and I'm working them shows

And people loves me everywhere I go

But friends, a funny thing happened 'bout a week or so back

I played a show in my hometown and the place was packed

And guess who was sitting out on a front row seat

Was my daddy grinning up at me and patting his feet

Saying, "Sock it to your daddy, Wild Man!

Hook it! Hook it! Play that guitar, son! Show 'em!"

Yeah, that's my boy all right

Taught him everything he knows

Bought him his first guitar

Hook it, son! Keep them checks coming in

We gonna pay for the drive next week