The Good Stuff

Well, me an' my lady had our first big fight
So I drove around till I saw the neon light
Of a corner bar, and it just seemed right
So I pulled up
Not a soul around but the old bar keep
Down at the end an' looking half asleep
But he walked up, an' said, "What'll it be?"
I said, "The good stuff"
He didn't reach around for the whiskey
He didn't pour me a beer
His blue eyes kinda went misty
He said, "You can't find that here"
'Cause it's the first long kiss on a second date
Momma's all worried when you get home late
And droppin' the ring in the spaghetti plate
'Cause your hands are shakin' so much
An' it's the way that she looks with the rice in her hair
Eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year
An' askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up
Yeah, man, that's the good stuff
He grabbed a carton of milk an' he poured a glass
An' I smiled an' said, "I'll have some of that"
We sat there an' talked as an hour passed
Like old friends

I saw a black an' white picture an' it caught my stare
It was a pretty girl with bouffant hair
He said, "That's my Bonnie
Taken 'bout a year after we were wed"
He said, "Spent five years in the bar"
When the cancer took her from me
But I've been sober three years now
'Cause the one thing stronger than the whiskey
Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl
The way she adored that string of pearls
I gave her the day that our youngest boy, Earl
Married his high school love
An' it's a new tee-shirt saying, 'I'm a Grandpa'
Bein' right there as our time got small
An' holdin' her hand, when the good Lord called her up
Yeah, man, that's the good stuff
He said, "When you get home, she'll start to cry"
When she says, 'I'm sorry, ' say, 'So am I
An' look into those eyes, so deep in love
An' drink it up
'Cause that's the good stuff
That's the good stuff

by Txorromorro April 1, 2025

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