My ol' man was a contradiction
A real hard man to figure
He'd read the King James Bible
While sippin' on corn liquor
He'd get drunk, and he'd get to preachin'
Right out on the porch
Alternatin' between cussin' and a prayin'
Spittin' and a praisin' the Lord
No doubt about it
He was a man of both extremes
He had his share of demons
But on Jesus he would lean
(Chorus:)
He'd say, "Fly high like the angels
Run wild like the devil
We're all tryin' to find the middle
Between saint and sinner, wrong and right
Sunday morning and saturday night."
Well, I have sung "Amazing Grace," hymnal in my hand
Played "Stairway To Heaven" in a three piece pick up band
I know the straight and narrow is the path that I should take
But out here in the fast lane, you tend to get a little sideways
I still hear him preachin'
Slurrin' his words a bit
Sayin' the thing about temptation
Is it's so hard to resist
(Chorus)
Back then I didn't realize
The wisdom in the sermon
It took a while to understand
The lesson I'm still learnin'
(Chorus)
Saint and sinner, wrong and right
Sunday morning and Saturday night
He said, "Fly high like the angels."