(David Munyon / S.P. Standley)
I wrote this song when Gene Gillespie was staying with us in Nashville, briefly. I wrote it in 1986- 1997. I was staying in a single room. Dixie Blue was working at The Stage Deli in Nashville and Gene and I were playing music there for „tips“. It was inspired from my friendship with Neil Stiles, and Danny Stiles and Jason Stiles, they live in Carolina. At the same time, I lost a good friend of mine, his name was Denver Maynard, he died in a abandoned Van from Alcoholism. Denver was a great songwriter. He could never figure out how, to not, take the first drink of the day. The people at the Stage Deli in Nashville were very nice to us. They were from Persia. It is the same place I wrote „Shivas Smile“, about Shiva Eftakar, she was the manager at the Stage Deli. Gene Gillespie is a great songwriter too. I think he works part time dealing cards on a Riverboat in Mississippi. I miss Denver, he was with me when I wrote „Hey Benny“, during better days, back then.
The grapevine says you're drinking hard in Charleston
You burned your wings in Tennessee
I hope it's warm in Carolina
Maybe the Coast is what you need
I see you standing by the Ocean
There on that hill near Folly Beach
Where we would sing of truth and promise
Where we would sing of love and peace
Tell all our friends in Carolina
That you last saw me, smiling big,
With one thumb and one foot forward
Still singing at the same old gig
Remember when we watched those three guys landing
When Armstrong made it to the moon
And your guitar was in the pawn shop
We bailed it out that afternoon
Like Lancelot you seemed to grow there
Despite the lines around your eyes
We sat and played that day on Broadway
We sat and sang all night and cried
Tell all our friends in Carolina
That you last saw me, smiling big,
With one thumb and one foot forward
Still singing at the same old gig
The grapevine says you're woking hard in Charleston
You earned your wings in Tennessee
I hope it's warm in Carolina
Maybe the Coast is what you need
I see you standing by the Ocean
There on that hill near Zuma Beach
Where we would sing of truth and promise
Where we would sing of love and peace
Tell all our friends in Carolina
That you last saw me, smiling big,
With one thumb and one foot forward
Still singing at the same old gig