My my my   found in a shoe box   my daddy people came from far away   mamma lived on the porch of the rich folks   my daddy had to work to pay   Alabama Mississippi Luisianna   Kentucky Texacana   I came to see what they could see   chasing their long tall tale 'bout the good life   we were told it was up route 23   black love   got from the coal mines   cancer from the steel   still my daddy love me don't you know   just to feed us kids a meal   back in the day   up route 23      Well in the midst of all this bad weather   I want you to know   it was always one good thing   but even though we couldn't eat our sorrows   but love how much that we could sing   time was a demon   that they would try to slay   guns get tied as horse shoes   that's how we used to pass the time away   back in the day   I'm talking 'bout back in the day   that's where I learned to play this here blues