[Verse 1]
It's painted red, the stripe was white
Was eighteen feet, from the bow to stern light
Secondhand, from a dealer in Atlanta
I rode up with daddy, and when we went there to get her
Put on a shine, put on a motor
Built out of love, and made for the water
Ran her for years, 'til the transom got rotten
A piece of my childhood, that'll never be forgotten

[Chorus]
It was just an old plywood boat
A '75 Johnson with electric choke
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made mе feel
And I would turn her sharp, and I'd make it whine
Hе'd say "You can't beat the way an old wood boat rides"
Just a little lake across the Alabama line
But I was king of the ocean
When daddy let me drive

[Verse 2]
Just an old half-ton shortbed Ford
My uncle bought a new, back in '64
Daddy got it right, 'cause the engine was smoking
A couple burnt valves, and he had it going
He'd let me drive her when we'd haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we'd dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I'd sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero who's just received his medal
[Chorus]
It was just an old hand-me-down Ford
With a three-speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it made me feel and
And I would press that clutch, and I'd keep it right
He'd say, "a little slower girl; you're doing just fine"
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me drive

[Bridge]
I'm grown up now
Three daughters of my own
I let them drive my old jeep
'Cross the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they'll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile
And say

[Chorus]
It's just an old worn out Jeep
With rusty old floor boards, hot on my feet
A young girl, two hands on the wheel
I can't replace the way it, made me feel
And she'd say turn it left, and steer it right
Straighten up girl now, you're doing just fine
Just a little valley by the river where we'd ride
But I was high up on a mountain
When daddy let me drive
Oh, he let me drive
[Outro]
Just an old plywood boat
With a '75 Johnson
With electric choke