Shootin' For the Stars

When I was young my grandpa and I would talk a lot, Down by the lake at our favorite spot. He would tell me stories about men of his day, How times were hard and they had to make their own way. And all the rich men wore fancy clothes and smoked big cigars, They were the ones shootin’ for the stars. I miss him more than I thought I would now that he’s gone, But through memories and his advice to me he will live on. He said I’m not like him or my dad, That I’m really smart and I would be the first in the family to be a college grad. I’m not going to be working a job like fixing cars, One day I’ll be shootin’ for the stars. I’ve had jobs working here and there, They don’t pay much but I don’t care. I’m having fun with all of my friends right now, There’s plenty of time to accomplish my goals anyhow. It’s okay if I spend some time hanging out in the bars, In a little while I’ll be shootin’ for the stars. It seems the days for going to college have passed me by, I reflect on that with a tear in my eye. That wasn’t a very good time in my life, I came out of it alone with a son and no wife. Even though I have some bruises and scars, Soon I’ll be shootin’ for the stars. I’m a grandpa and soon I’ll retire, My grand plan for life just seemed to backfire. Working construction all these years and breaking my back, Wondering how my life got so far off track. I thought at this age I would be sitting and writing my memoirs, Of my success shootin’ for the stars. My grandson and I talk a lot, Down by the lake at our favorite spot. I tell him he’s not like me or his dad, That he’s really smart and he’ll be the first in the family to be a college grad. And he won’t be working a job like fixing cars, One day he’ll be shootin’ for the stars.