My first
guitar
is a favorite memory
How early in my life it took a hold on me
While other kids were fishing in the creek
and skipping stones
I was skipping school and playing
on my six -stringed sil
ver tongue.
Twenty dollars was a lot of money
then for a hand -to -mouth Vir
ginia mom and dad to spend.
So every night as I played in
my bedroom all along,
I'd thank God and Sears and Roebuck
for my six -string silver tongue.
Not much more than fiberboard
and shiny strings
and imitation tortoiseshell accessories.
In front of momma's mirror
with a makeshift microphone
Preparing for the big time
on my sixth grade silver
tongue
Through high school that guitar
meant more and more to me
It rode in the back seat
of my first car with me
And on Friday nights
I couldn't wait to get the girls along
And I'd sing to them the songs I wrote
on my six -string silver tongue
Well, my music stayed right with me
since those early days
But my old friend disappeared
somewhere along the way
And now I play a new guitar
that's worth its weight in gold
But I still wonder what happened
to my six -string silver tongue
I'll bet it's hanging in some
fancy music store
Or layin' warped and dusty
on some cellar floor
Or maybe it's the prized possession
of some ten -year -old
Dreamin' of the big time
on his six -strand silver tongue
Thank God and Sears and Roebuck
for my six -strand silver tongue
That's a true story,
too. That's exactly the way it happened.
But if I ever run across that guitar again,
I'll recognize it, because I carved my
first girlfriend's initials all over it,
if I could only remember
what her name was.
Let's face it,
folks, it's been a while.
You're beautiful.
Thank you very much.
I've had a lot of great thrills in my professional life, and without a doubt,
at the top of the list would have to go back to 1976 when I was invited
on behalf of our government
and the Soviet government
to make a tour of
the Soviet Union.
And because of that trip,
I was invited to go back in 1988.
And on that occasion,
I was able to take my band with me
and show them off.
And we filmed a television special
that some of you may have
seen.
I'm very proud of that special
because, well thank you, thank
you very much.
It's not just a musical,
it shows you a side of the Soviet
citizens
that you don't get a chance to see.
And I think it just proves once again
that people are just people
all over the world.
Only governments are different.
And we learned a beautiful old
Russian folk song
while we were over there
we'd like to play for you this
evening
called Moscow Nights.
Now this melody
may sound familiar to some of
you
because back in the mid -60s
it was a hit record
for a Dixieland band.
But we learned it from the natives.
This is the way they play it
on this particular rendition.
I will be