Philippians 3:12-14

God bless Texas and Deacon Shackleford

He read the bible seven times and he believed every word

That ol' beat up leather book had been through it all

He sat on the back pew so he could chew him a chaw singing

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me

He carried candy for the kids in his Sunday dress coat

He'd take me fishing after church, he taught me things I needed to know

No Deacon didn't have a family, Lord knows he wished he did

He told the whole congregation that I was his grandkid

CHORUS

And today he joined up with Jesus wearing shiny pearl snaps

We sang a few gospel hymns and then the soldier played taps

I bet he's walking with Pete down a street paved with gold

Showing off his brand spanking new wings and his barbed wire halo

He married sweet Emma Grace before the war was through

She held his right arm next to his anchor tattoo

He was on a ship off at sea, when she died in child birth

He lost his whole world from the far side of the earth

He lost the will to love, he lost the will to live

Until he met a man who taught him to forgive

Yeah life took him to hell and back, to hell and back a time or two

But in the end he beat the devil until he was black and blue

Singing I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind but now I see