Miss Charlotte's Game

My first car was a 1958 Willy's CJ5 Jeep. I spent a year rebuilding it with my best friend Jack. I put on a roll-bar, a vinyl top (called a bikini top), rebuilt the engine, did a bunch of body work on it and replaced the heating system. I loved that car. It had 3 forward gears and 2 reverse (power take off unit on the front for the winch system). I drove it up to Maine and down to Maryland. 


Verse 1
We tore her down that summer, me and Jack out in the yard
A ‘58 Willys Jeep, the steel was rough, the work was hard
We scraped the rust, we patched the frame, till our hands were black with grease
When that old flathead roared to life, it sounded just like peace

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt
From the pines of Maine to Chesapeake sand
Freedom was the wheel in my hand

Verse 2
We bolted on that bikini top, the vinyl flapped in wind
Heat from the rebuilt furnace made the winter soft again
A winch up front, the power take-off growled like something wild
That Jeep was more than metal then—it was spirit, young and styled

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt
From the pines of Maine to Maryland clay
That Willys carried my soul away

Bridge
Every dent and scar we made
Was a story in the frame we laid
Nights we drove beneath the stars
Dreams outpacing all the cars

Chorus
Three gears forward, two in reverse
The road unwound, the sky rehearsed
That sound of freedom in second gear
Still hums in my memory clear

Outro
Jack and I grew older, but the echoes still remain
Of that Willys CJ5 and a friendship forged in flame
Somewhere on a backroad turn, if you listen close and deep
You’ll hear that engine rumble on, the promise we still keep

My Willys Jeep

The Muscle Shoals Recordings

Day Before Temptation

My All & All

The Uncloudy Day

Bridging the Tradition

Thunder And Lightning

Mayhayley's House

Diggin'

Front and Center

I Long To See His Face

Risin' Outlaw

Thunderstorms & Neon Signs - Hank Williams III

Return to Windy Mountain

Breaks to the Edge

Digging My Own Grave

Little at a Time - Single

Little at a Time

Digging My Own Grave

Sideline