Lyrics The Penny - David Allan Coe

The Penny

Well the old man looked down and this grandson
And he whispered this Penny’s for good luck
And then he opened his hand and showed him the coin
And the date on The Penny was 1911
And he said when you get older boy maybe you’ll understand
You see this Penny don’t shine anymore like it used to
And this Penny’s been lost and this Penny’s been found
This Penny’s been hid in the jar in the attic
And this Penny’s been buried in a car in the ground
This Penny’s seen wars and this Penny’s has seen the sunshine
This Penny’s felt teardrops and this Penny’s seen rain
And this Penny’s been with me since I was a young man
In fact this Penny’s is all of my life that remains.
And the old man seemed sad as he tried to remember
The stories he told of the life that he led
Why there was the one about the time the old Penny rolled down in the gutter
And he said why I can’t count the times that I took that old Penny to bed
Then he told how he lost everything that once mattered
Lost his wife, his money, his job, and then finally his health
He always held on to that old luck Penny
Lord was he proud of himself.
Well the boy took The Penny and wrapped it in a piece of cloth
And he placed it in his pocket
And he said thanks grandad and the old man just nodded
Then he walked to his bedroom and he laid down this head
They found him there the next mornin' he was layin' there dead
Then the boy reached into his pocket
And took out The Penny that his grandpa had givin' him
Slowly opened the old man’s hand and placed The Penny inside
Then he closed the old man’s fingers around the old coin
And let his hand lay on the old man’s chest
Grandpa he said there’s one place this old Penny hasn’t been
So you better take it with you now
And besides there’s not much you can buy with a Penny these days
And by the way grandpa, I love you.