I Was Born
The little boy in shorts hugs the guitar,
a future Ishmael he is, a someday Sal Paradise
Boone-born of Blue Ridge near Doc, his hero.
He dreams of the road, of oncoming trains,
everything sounding like a song,
everyone saying “don’t chase such dreams.”
The boy reads, he listens, he dreams, he travels
in his mind.
As a man he seeks the clubs and coffeehouses
on the road to the other side of the world,
a poor boy waiting on the rain,
silver drops from above like spare change.
He lays it down in the saintly ancient city by the sea,
his fresh face tight, intent on the task,
Doc over his shoulder singing softly
the tradition he’s had since birth.
The young man keeps the old ways alive,
the old ways keep the young man alive.
Looking up from his work he says, truly, finally,
“I was born…”
for this, for everything, for Doc — he is in tune.
Can you hear the voice?
Listen.
Andy Ferrell grew up in the small Blue Ridge Mountain town of Boone, North Carolina, not far from the birthplace and home of bluegrass/country/folk music legend Doc Watson. I Was Born is Ferrell’s debut EP.
