He was sitting there, his brush in hand
Painting waves as they danced, upon the sand
With every stroke, he brought to life
The deep blue of the ocean, against the morning sky
I asked him if he only painted ocean scenes
He said for twenty dollars, I'll paint you anything

Could you paint me a Birmingham?
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress, make it early spring
For a while she'll be, mine again
If you can paint me a Birmingham

He looked at me, with knowing eyes
Then took a canvas from a bag there by his side
Picked up a brush and said to me
"Son, just where in this picture would you like to be?"
I said, "If there's any way you can
Could you paint me back into her arms again?"

Could you paint me a Birmingham?
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress, make it early spring
For a while she'll be, mine again
If you can paint me a Birmingham

Paint me a Birmingham
Make it look just the way I planned
A little house on the edge of town
Porch going all the way around
Put her there in the front yard swing
Cotton dress, make it early spring
For a while she'll be, mine again
If you can paint me a Birmingham

Oh, paint me a Birmingham