Otis Gibbs - Ghosts of our fathers

^CHe was almo^Amst blind ^F They say it happens when you've ^Cbeen punched to many times His hands were ^Amstone ^F He was a bare-knuckle ^Cchampion in an earlier life It was hard ^Amnot to stare ^F At his busted up ^Cnose and cauliflower ears And he'd ^Amsmile at me ^F And say the toughest ^Cfighters have their souve^Gnirs

^FHow to carry on When the ^Chardest punch is thrown ^FAnd take away the burden from our ^Cshoulders

He lived ^Amnext door ^F He'd sometimes get with my ^Cfather and talk about life And sit on t^Amhe porch ^F Drinkin' beer and ^Cremembering happier times And I was a ^Amchild ^F And I was far too ^Cyoung to ever understand What it meant to have a ^Amson ^F Who'd been drafted and ^Ckilled in Vietn^Gam

^FHow to carry on When the ^Chardest punch is thrown ^FAnd take away the burden from our ^Cshoulders

My father and ^AmI ^F Tried to keep him ^Ccompany so his mind could rest On Saturday ^Amnights ^F We'd huddle 'round a ^Cblack and white TV set And we all stood and ^Amcheered ^F When Ali knocked out ^CForeman that night in Zaire And later that ^Amnight ^F My father held his ^Chand as he broke down and ^Gcried

^FHow to carry on When the ^Chardest punch is thrown ^FAnd take away the burden from our ^Cshoulders

And there stands a ^Amwall ^F In the clearing ^Cacross from the national mall It's crowded with ^Amnames ^F Of the thousands of ^Cchildren that never came home I stood in the ^Amrain ^F Watching dozens of ^Cmourners stumbling by When I saw his ^Amname ^F I felt the ghost of our ^Cfathers kneeling at my side