He's a natural-born music man
He flew off with the flying machine band
His fingerpicking was second to none
Down in the village when the music was young

It was London town that turned it around
Where four holy men found promise in his sound
That's the time he fell into his own
He landed on an island and called it home

A rainy day man with Carolina on his mind
Had something different that would change the times
Traveling the highways lost in a song
He sang his tunes, and we all sang along

All his rhymes had a reason
He's taken us through the seasons
Stepping into fall with the walking man
Or in his straw hat when it's summer again

He's touched our lives more than a time or two
He's touched mine, I know he got to you
You can't deny all the joy that he's shared
Even when he was a fool to care

Hey James, we all call you by name
We're all glad to see you're still in the game
Share another night under a million stars
Shine behind the footlights playing your guitar

He's a righteous crooner with stories to tell
We've seen the street of heaven and blossoms that fell
He puts a smile on millions of faces
Throughout the world in so many places

I took that ride from Stockbridge to Boston
He made me feel the cold of that frosting
He took us all to St. Tropez in the south of France
Not far from where his father learned how to dance

I'd like to thank you, James, for your music to my ears
You've brought me joy for the last fifty-one years
From eight-track to vinyl, then to cassette and on to disc
The walking man has been walking, but he's never been missed

He's a father and a brother, a husband and a son
When you need a friend in the dark, he's the only one
JT is a lot of things
But he's just James when he starts to sing

11/10/2018

Author's Note: lyric

Posted on 11/10/2018
Copyright © 2024 Thomas K. Hunt