Lyrics

The Murphy Store (4:46)
Words and Music: Mark David Manders

I remember cut-off jeans, that hot sun beating down
Lying in the bed of a one-ton Chevy truck rolling into town
Murphy, a town? Well she wasn’t much more
Than the crossroads of two farm roads where stood the Murphy Store
There were hardwood floors made of coarse wood smoothed over time
And the owner was the counter behind the counter and he never changed his mind
He was a foot soldier who traded following orders at the height of the Cold War
For selling cold-cut sandwiches made-to-order down at the Murphy Store
And the Murphy Store stood for a better way of life
And the Murphy Store stood for fifty years
And in my memories remain the faces and the names
Of the Murphy Store and all the good that she stood for
There was a bench outside for sitting made from leftover barn wood
Right next to the ice machine where the old icebox once stood
And it was a ham and cheese sandwich, a jalapeno on the side
With half a work day under your belt came a burning sense of pride
And there were acres and acres of corn; cotton was no longer King
In a town so small its high school could not field a football team
But you know the best dreams, they seem to thrive when the conditions are poor
And, Brother, I sowed many a seed outside that Murphy Store
Chorus
Somehow Murphy turned into a suburb some summer while I was gone
And when I returned I did not recognize her for the good times she’d fallen upon
And you see progress, it takes no prisoners, especially when land prices soar
So in the name of home improvement they tore down the Murphy Store
Now all that’s left are memories and yellow paint marks the spot
Where a little country store became a parking lot
And I guess the time has come for me to say goodbye for good
‘Cause I can’t hardly stand to stand where that Murphy Store once stood
Chorus