VERSE 1: G Am D G I had an uncle name of Matthew...he was his father's only boy Am D G Born just south of Colby, Kansas...he was his mother's pride and joy CHORUS: G C Am Yes, and joy was just the thing he was raised on D G C G Love was just a way to live and die C Am Gold was just a windy Kansas wheat field D C G Blue was just a Kansas summer sky VERSE 2: Am D G And all the stories that he told me back when I was just a lad Am D G All the memories that he gave me...all the good times that he had Am D G Growin' up a Kansas farmboy...life was mostly havin' fun Am D G Ridin' on his daddy's shoulders behind a mule, beneath the sun CHORUS: Am D G Well, I guess there were some hard times and I'm told some years were lean Am D G They had a storm in '47...twister came and stripped 'em clean Am D G He lost the farm and lost his family...he lost the wheat, he lost his home Am D G But he found the family bible and faith as solid as a stone CHORUS Am D G So he came to live at our house...and he came to work the land Am D G He came to ease my daddy's burdens and he came to be my friend Am D G So I wrote this down for Matthew...it's for him this song is sung Am D G Ridin' on his daddy's shoulders behind a mule, beneath the sun CHORUS: repeat twice