Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Grandpa was a Carpenter

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band


Oh, grandpa wore his suit to dinner nearly every day 
No particular reason, he just dressed that way 
Brown necktie with a matching vest and both his wingtip shoes 
He built a closet on our back porch and put a penny in a
burned-out fuse 

Grandpa was a carpenter, he built houses, stores and banks 
Chain-smoked Camel cigarettes, and hammered nails in planks 
He would level on the level, he shaved even every door 
And voted for Eisenhower, 'cause Lincoln won the war 

Well, he used to sing me "Blood on the Saddle" and
rock me on his knee 
And let me listen to the radio before we got TV 
Well, he'd drive to church on Sunday and he'd take me with him
too 
Stained glass in every window, hearing aids in every pew 

Grandpa was a carpenter, he built houses, stores and banks 
Chain-smoked Camel cigarettes, and hammered nails in planks 
He would level on the level, he shaved even every door 
And voted for Eisenhower, 'cause Lincoln won the war 

Well, my Grandma was a teacher, she went to school in Bowling
Green 
Traded in a milking cow for a Singer sewing machine 
Well, she called her husband "Mister," and she walked
real tall and proud 
She used to buy me comic books after Grandpa died 

Grandpa was a carpenter, he built houses, stores and banks 
Chain-smoked Camel cigarettes, and hammered nails in planks 
He would level on the level, he shaved even every door 
And voted for Eisenhower, 'cause Lincoln won the war