When I was a young boy
Watching our TV
All the family came
And gathered around

A young man with a banjo
With a grin from ear to ear
Pickin' out that high and lonesome sound
It wasn't any kind of sound
That I had heard before
Yet it was doggone plain

And clear to me
It was a rockabilly banjo
Wish I knew what he knows
Sittin' on his front porch

Pickin' on the strings
Any kind of music
He can make it sing
It was a rockabilly banjo
Rockabilly banjo

I got myself a fine string
T'was missin' one or two
So I fixed it up
The best that I could do
I played it night and day
In every kind of way

I was pickin' pretty good you could say
I packed it up
Didn't get far
Played for tips
In the mason jar
In the back of my head
That sound called out to me

High up on a ridge
I've been drinkin' too much fizz
Thinkin' I was done
Gonna call it quits
Just thеn music filled the air

He was standin' thеre
He said come sit down
We're gonna play a bit
Playin' all the songs
That I sang so long ago
He shook my hand and said
I'm givin' this to you