I had an uncle named Matthew he was his father’s only boy.
Born just south of Colby, Kansas he was his mother’s pride and joy.
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on.
Love was just a way to live and die.
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
Blue was just the Kansas summer sky.
All the stories that he told me back when I was just a lad.
All the mem’ries that he gave me, all the good times that he had.
Growin’ up a Kansas farm boy life is mostly havin’ fun.
Ridin’ on his daddy’s shoulders, behind a mule beneath the sun.
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on.
Love was just a way to live and die.
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
Blue was just the Kansas summer sky.
Well, I guess there were some hard times, and I’m told some years were lean.
They had a storm in ‘forty seven, a twister came and stripped ‘em clean.
He lost the farm and lost his fam’ly, he lost the wheat and lost his home.
But he found the fam’ly bible, a faith as solid as a stone.
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on.
Love was just a way to live and die.
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
Blue was just the Kansas summer sky.
And so he came to live at our house, and he came to work the land.
He came to ease my daddy’s burden and he came to be my friend.
And so I wrote this down for Matthew, and it’s for him this song is sung.
Ridin’ on his daddy’s shoulders behind a mule beneath the sun.
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on.
Love was just a way to live and die.
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
Blue was just the Kansas summer sky.
Yes, and joy was just a thing that he was raised on.
Love was just a way to live and die.
Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field,
Blue was just the Kansas summer sky.
1974 – John Denver – Album: Back Home Again