Numbers on the Cars
Memories and Lap Twenty-Three: Riley Green's Numbers on the Cars
Lyrics
Stopped by that house on Nesbitt Lake
Visiting a house on Nesbitt Lake
He's sittin' in his easy chair
An elderly man is sitting in his comfortable chair
Watchin' a Sunday evenin' race
Observing a Sunday evening race
Tells me my grandma's in the other room
He mentions that the speaker's grandma is in another room
Guess he forgot we laid her down
The man seems to have forgotten that the grandma has passed away
It'll be a year come June
Almost a year since the grandma's passing
Then he mumbles about Vietnam
The elderly man talks about his experiences in Vietnam
He don't know who the hell I am
He doesn't recognize the speaker
But the drivers, well, he tells me who they are
He still remembers the identities of race car drivers
I guess he still knows the numbers on the cars
Despite memory loss, he recalls the numbers associated with cars
Try to get him out like we used to
The speaker tries to engage the elderly man as they used to
But now I load the truck and I drive the boat
The speaker now handles tasks the elderly man can't do
'Cause there ain't much he can do, nah
Limitations in the elderly man's abilities
Cast him a line and watched it as it sank
Reflecting on the past, fishing memories
Thinkin' how we used to talk for hours
Recalling how they used to have long conversations
Now he just stares at the bank
The elderly man now stares at the bank, lost in thoughts
He used to know every stop in this fishin' hole
The elderly man used to know every fishing spot
Though he probably thinks that we're in Mexico
He might think they are in Mexico now
But he knows his way around that boat
Despite memory loss, he retains boat navigation skills
Even in the dark
He navigates the boat even in the dark
And he still knows the numbers on the cars
He still remembers the numbers associated with cars
Well no, he ain't all there
Recognizing the elderly man's cognitive decline
But I don't care
The speaker doesn't mind the cognitive decline
My mind still full of memories with him
Cherishing memories despite the challenges
And he may not know
The elderly man may not know all the lyrics to songs
All the words to the songs
But he recognizes Merle Haggard's voice
But he still knows Merle Haggard's voice when he hears it
When he hears it
I stopped by that house on Nesbitt Lake
Revisiting the house on Nesbitt Lake
With a couple of tickets
Bringing tickets to watch a race together
To go see the Sunday evenin' race
Watching cars race on a Sunday evening
As we watched those cars fly around the track
The speaker asks the Lord for one more moment with his old friend
I asked the Lord if just one more time
Reflecting on the shared love for racing
He'd bring my old friend back
A hopeful plea to bring back the old friend
Then somewhere around lap twenty-three
During lap twenty-three, a significant moment occurs
That old man turned and smiled at me and
The old man turns and smiles, suggesting recognition
For a moment I know he knows where we are
A brief moment of connection, acknowledging the surroundings
And he still knows the numbers
Despite challenges, he still remembers the numbers on the cars
Yeah, he still knows the numbers
He still knows the numbers
Reiteration that he still recalls the numbers on the cars
Numbers on the cars
Emphasizing the enduring nature of this memory
Yeah, he still knows the numbers
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