You Know I've Always Been a Dreamer

"Take it to the Limit," The Eagles




Someone once told me Don Williams' song "Good Ole Boys Like Me" paints a strong picture of my dad's life. With interest, I listened to the song and heard the lyrics "...With Thomas Wolfe whispering in my head." At the time, my dad was breezing through Wolfe's Look Homeward, Angel, spouting off memorable quotes and willing me to read it next. In the next stanza, Williams muses:

Nothing makes a sound in the night like the wind does
But you ain't afraid if you're washed in the blood like I was

Again, fitting: My dad's strong Catholic upbringing certainly conjures the idea of being "washed in the blood," regardless of the less-than-cleanly image the line otherwise denotes. But really, my dad's life, passions, and experiences are entirely too varied and decorated to be summed up within the lines of a single song. He's creative, generous, temperamental, passionate, kind, focused, and a fervent follower of his dreams. His accolades are plentiful, but a stranger would never know this due to his humble nature. His strength and heart are inspiring, and I'm so lucky...


But I was smarter than most, and I could choose
Learned to talk like the man on the six o’clock news
When I was eighteen, Lord, I hit the road
But it really doesn't matter how far I go...

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees
And those Williams boys they still mean a lot to me;
Hank and Tennessee
I guess we’re all gonna be what we’re gonna be
So what do you do with good ole boys like me?