The Bike Lyrics

I became the heiress to a red and rusted bicycle Built like a tank from Sears Roebuck circa 1952 It had been entrusted to me by my late great uncle Pat And I guess he didn't ride it much Both tires on the bike were flat Pat had died at Christmas time in 1991 He had fallen off the wagon And he sunk into a Christmas funk My father he had found him Two days after he had died Well he drank himself to death one night In a little home he owned by the seaside So I took the bike and I cleaned it up My father he patched up the tires Am I going to town or just spinning my wheels And when I die I wonder how it feels Hey and I'm riding around riding around on it Hey just riding around riding around on it Hey you know I'm riding around riding around on it. Hey! The funeral service was a few days later At a place down the street from where he had lived There wasn't a hell of a turn out He had never married and he never had kids The coffin lid was open Pat was lying inside His sister had a picture of a poodle named Pepper She put it in his hand and then she cried Now I'm riding around in the city Through the smog and the summer heat And I'm blowing through all the red lights I guess you could say I'm feeling lucky And the taxis and the trucks Everybody's blowin' their horns And I got a bicycle bell to ring And I got a notion to sing as I'm riding along chorus Well I didn't even really know him at all And I wonder can he see me As I'm riding along Riding along The day that Pat was buried The air was cold and clear And we drove out to the cemetery And snow flew around in the air And a hired man from the State He played taps on a coronet And a flag was presented to his sister For time in the service that Pat had spent When he used to ride on the bike Way back in ¡®52 He was starting uot a life And the bike it was brand new And life was laid before him like a platter before a king He was young and he was handsome and the world was alive with meaning The world was alive with meaning chorus