Ellsworth

Grandma burned the biscuits
Nearly took the house down with it
Now she's in assisted livin'
We all knew that day would come
We knew she was too gone to drive
The day she parked on I-65
Found her on the shoulder cryin'
She didn't know where she was.

It's like her mind just quit
Oh, but bring up grandpa
It's like someone flipped a switch.

A front porch light and blue Desoto
Couple of straws in a Coca-Cola
You could see it all goin' down
A handsome boy in army green
A tear on his face, down on a knee
Shaky voice, a diamond ring
She'll put you in that town
Tomorrow she won't remember what she did today
But just ask her about Ellsworth, Kansas 1948.

She takes out his medals
A cigar box of letters
Sits and scatters pictures
Black and whites of days gone by.

We started losin' her when she lost him
But to hear her carry on
You'd swear she's seventeen again.

Football games and leaves are cracklin'
Walking her home in his letter jacket
You could see it all goin' down
A perfect night on a front porch glider
Sayin' goodnight for the next three hours
Her tired eyes grow wide and bright
When she talks about that town
Tomorrow she won't remember what she did today
But just ask her about Ellsworth, Kansas 1948.

While the world is fading all around her
Sharin' a sundae at the counter
He's goin' on and on about her
Bet she's right there right now
Tomorrow she won't remember what she did today
But just ask her about Ellsworth, Kansas 1948.