Song Description
A tongue-in -check recitation about a boy who was illegitimate, but who became rich by oil being discovered on his Mom's farm. His philosophy of life.
| Song Length |
3:40 |
Genre |
Country - Traditional, Country - Cowboy |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Relaxed, Content |
Subject |
Life, Happiness |
| Language |
English |
Era |
2000 and later |
Lyrics
NO NAME, WHAT A SHAME
by Fran Powers-BMI
Verse 1:
I was born kinda sudden down in Arkansas, and no one knew exactly who to call my Paw,
But Mama pointed out one particular man, She said, ?Sonny, call him Papa every chance that you can.?
Well, it didn?t make an awful lot of difference to me, so I called him Papa, just as naturally,
And folks said ?There is a similarity.?
You see, his eyes were cornflower blue, and well, mine were too
Chorus:
NO NAME, WHAT A SHAME, nobody came to claim, NO NAME.
Verse 2:
Time went by and as kids will do, I ate a lot of grits and I grew and grew
Still nobody came to make a claim, so I started in right then and there, to just make myself a name.
Mama said, ?Sonny, everybody makes mistakes, you gotta keep your chin up and look the world right in the face
And don?t go blaming others, if they?re rich or poor or what
Cause it is?nt who you are, it?s what you do with what you got.
Verse 3:
The years passed by and the only thing she owned was a ten acre tract that we called our home.
It wasn?t much to look at, ?til one day a fella drilled and it was right smack dab in the middle of a big oil field.
Now a few days later, when the word got around, I had six or seven Papas in that old town.
All of?em sayin ? I was his?n, right enough
But Mama taught me better than to fall for that stuff.
Chorus:
NO NAME , WHAT A SHAME, everybody wanted to claim NO NAME.
Verse 4:
Then a funny thing happened in this town where I was known as Little Orphan Andy, with no Papa of my own.
All at once, I was accepted by the cream of the crop, and on the Social Register, my name was right up there on top.
Well, it really didn?t matter, ?cause I didn?t have the time. I had lots of other things on my mind,
Like a hospital, church house, a school and some others
Then, I built a special home for unwed mothers.
Verse 5:
Now just the other day, some townsfolk came around and said that I should meet ?em on the outskirts of town.
Driving up, I wondered why so many people came, then I saw this great big sign that said,?Welcome to NO NAME?.
Well, Mom it?s kinda late, but I wanted you to know, I remember all the things you said a long time ago.
But, most of all, Momma, I wanta tell you what
It sure ain?t WHO you are, It?s what you do? .with what you?ve got!
Chorus:
NO NAME, WHAT A SHAME, everybody wanted to claim NO NAME.