Was painted red, the stripe was white
It was eighteen feet from the bow to the stern light
Second hand from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy when he went there to get her
Put on a shine, put on a motor
Built out of love and made for the water
Ran her for years, 'til the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood it'll never be forgotten

It was just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it make me feel
And I would turn her sharp
And I'd make it whine
He'd say, "You can't beat the way an old wood boat rides"
Just a little lake 'cross the Alabama line
But I was king of the ocean
When daddy let me drive

Just an old half ton, short bed Ford
My uncle bought new in '64
And daddy got it right 'cause the engine was smoking
Couple of burned valves and he had it going
He'd let me drive her, we'd haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero that just received his medal

It was just an old hand me down Ford
With three speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young boy, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And I would press that clutch
And I'd keep it right
He'd say, "A little slower son, you're doing just fine"
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me drive

I'm grown up now, three daughters of my own
I let 'em drive my old Jeep 'cross the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile, and say

It was just an old worn out Jeep
Rusty old floorboards, hot on my feet
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel
And he'd say, "Turn it left and steer it right
Straighten up girl, now you're doing just fine"
Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride
But I was high on a mountain
When daddy let me drive

When daddy let me drive
Oh, he let me drive

She's just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson with electric choke


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Drive (For Daddy Gene) Lyrics as written by Alan Jackson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Drive song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    don't particularyly care for country, in fact, i don't really like it. But this songs is cool

    Jchase2on August 16, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    haha...my roommate used to blast thissong non-stop...i hated it the first, third, fortieth, ninety-second, and last time i heard it...it might be one of the 5 most obnoxious songs ever...

    ZinbobDanon May 05, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i love this song. I can so relate to it and i think a lot of people can.

    poohblueskyon June 29, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    That is the very same reason I like. Most should be able to relate to it. I don't think it's just about illegally advancing in clapped out vehicles.

    JamesDon May 09, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song has special meaning to me because it sounds like my dad. My dad is the one who taught all of his daughters (he has three :) to drive. If only Alan mentioned a Chevy instead of a Ford......

    txteacheron October 10, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Same here txteacher, except for me it was a Ford, and it was my Grandpap, not my Dad. Either way, this song is so sweet, and I now have 2 daughters and a son (girls are 14 and 13, boy is 11) who sing this sing very loudly in the car when it comes on WKLB. They've already started to pester me about driving the car, and my son wants me to get a boat ^^.

    skorpionon October 21, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    it has a sorta special meaning to me for various reasons....but i love the song regardless....

    chasingraindropson November 25, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is great. period. My dad let me drive he's truck down our little dirt road, and I think that this song is one of those 'remeber way back when' songs.

    shyanne_13on June 15, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is so great because it is so relatable! Alan sings about the memories he had with his father and his daughters, who cannot relate to that? Even though we may not have been driving race cars, the feeling of driving for the first time will never be forgotten. We all can remember the first time that our Daddy let us drive...

    JPettiton November 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song reminds of when my dad took me out to the foresty center where i live and let drive for the first time without having to sit on his lap. It was sweet driving that 94 nissan pathfinder. He gave it to me last year, and I don't ever wanna give it up :)

    greyfinderon January 30, 2008   Link

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