I can still remember The first time I saw him Silver-haired old man Even then

 

But we hit it off together And fished old Paynee River Through the years I'm proud to say Luther was my friend

 

They all called him crazy Said his mind was simple They even talked of puttin' him away

 

But he wouldn't hurt nobody And I hated all the town folk The way they treated Luther And the game they used to play

 

They said, "Luther here's a dollar Luther here's a quarter Take either one you want, old man Which one will it be"

 

Then they'd all hoop and holler And he never took the dollar He'd take the shiny quarter Smile and walk away

 

I watched him growin' older And I finally gave up countin' The times they made him play That awful game

 

Till one day he lay a-dyin' And I was sittin' by him He said "Boy, before before I go There's somethin' to explain"

 

"I know you've always wondered Why I just took their quarters And now, son You're old enough to understand"

 

"But you see, the way I had it figured Was never take that dollar The day you do, boy The money game will end"

 

They said, "Luther, here's a dollar Luther, here's a quarter Take either one you want, old man Which one will it be"

 

Then they'd all hoop and holler But he never took the dollar He'd take the shiny quarter Smile and walk away

 

Now Luther lay a-sleepin' In the ground down by the river Lord knows I miss that old black man

 

But twenty sacks of quarters And the wisdom of his thinkin' Have made my life much easier Than I had ever planned

 

Well, I often go to see him And I place a paper dollar And a brand new shiny quarter On his grave

 

And I feel my body shiver As a cool breeze from the river Blows that paper bill up through the trees And far away

 

Luther, here's a dollar Luther, here's a quarter Take either one you want, old man Which one will it be

 

He lived and died in squalor And he still won't take the dollar But there's a pile of quarters Heaped high on Luther's grave

 

Luther, here's a dollar Luther, here's a quarter Take either one you want, old man Which one will it be

 

Yes, they'd all hoop and holler And he never took the dollar He'd take the shiny quarter Smile and walk away

 

Luther, here's a dollar Luther, here's a quarter Take either one you want, old man Which one will it be

 

Then they'd all hoop and holler And he never took the dollar .....FADE