Those Old Photographs 
Marvin Floyd
I pulled down the trap door, in the hallway,
I climbed the stairs to my childhood, secret hiding place
I finally opened that big old Trunk, it was  always, in my way
I’d been putting it off,,but I knew,  this was the day  

Right there on top, was my Daddy’s American Flag
Folded, as they always do, on the day he passed..
 It was an empty coffin, draped with the flag
How he died….. no…. We never asked

There’s my Daddy’s baseball glove, and his old 45
A black and white, in his plane, in some far off  war 
Mom and Pop at the beach, see their love over flowing 
Photos of Grandmas and Grandpas, I’ve never known

Chorus.  Those old photographs, brings tears to my eyes,
                   And this tattoo on my arm,  I wear it with pride, 
                   It’s our family tree, there’s no skeletons to hide
                   It’s our family history, that ’s been bonafide

Under Daddy’s flag, was a Civil war uniform
Bloodstained, tattered and torn, it was Great, Great,  Grandpa’s
A dear John letter, I can feel the pain
And a broken Purple Heart, we know who’s it was

Now sit back, let yourself drift back 
Dig deep in that trunk, let yourself, go back in time
Maybe you can see,  Daddy and his plane
And Grandpa in, that uniform with the blood stains

Chorus

It was Grandpa that got the dear John letter
Like that broken Purple Heart, He was no better