Jim Offat was the kind of man
Who would not let you down
They said he was a steady boy
But he kept a bottle round
He got the call like everyone in 1942:
The only road
He'd ever known
The only road
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls
Elizabeth that sweet young thing
Was born with a broken heart
She talked of it but you could tell
She never traveled far
She wrote poor Jimmy everyday
And in the window hung a star
And read the paper for his name
And always crossed her heart
The only road
Whe'd ever known
The only road
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls
The Leyte Gulf in "˜44
Was no place for a boy
Raised on muddy water
Where you could always see the shore
The jap torpedo came by surprise
And hit the engine room
The boys down there just held their breaths
And prayed that someone knew
The only road
They'd ever known
The only road
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls
That night Elizabeth lay down to sleep
And could not catch her breath
She dreamed she saw poor Jimmy's face
Wide-eyed and scared to death
She reached a hand out in the dark
As he took his last gasp
And together and forever
They'll be walking hand in hand
The only road
They'd ever know
The only road
Was gravel, clay and cotton bolls