The Mind of John J. Blanchard

He had a stroke in '95
They thought it best that he reside in a nursing home
His family vowed they'd never leave him
Last time they came to see him was three years ago

He spent his whole life providin'
Now he was down to relyin' on Medicare
The nurses took a likin' to him
They'd get his wheelchair out and push him on sunny days

He couldn't walk, he couldn't speak
Seemed so far outta reach
But in his mind as far as they know
He could be

Fly fishin', workin' on that Firebird engine
Runnin' '99 proof moonshine cross that county line
3, 2, 1 and ignition
Off on some space shuttle mission

Playin' QB for the cowboy's getting high
On the crowd noise and the bright lights
'Cause deep inside things were rockin'
In the mind of John J. Blanchard

One afternoon in June, a nurse saw his finger move
She 'bout had a heart attack
Went screamin' down the hall
"Hey, it's a miracle y'all I think he's comin' back"

The doctors all rushed in
Said, "Do you know what year this is?
How many fingers am I holdin'
And where've you been?" and he said

"Fly fishin', workin' on that Firebird engine
Runnin' 99 proof moonshine cross that county line
3, 2, 1 and ignition
Off on some space shuttle mission"

Playin' QB for the cowboy's getting high
On the crowd noise and the bright lights
'Cause deep inside things were rockin'
In the mind of John J. Blanchard

He had a stroke in '95
They thought it best that he reside in a nursing home