Picker and a Grinner

©1974 Bob Zentz, BMI

        Meet my friend and mentor, Ramblin' Conrad, who was all of the above. And oh! What a great singin' crowd. (BZ)

He was a picker, a grinner, a singer and a sinner
But he sure could blow the mouth-harp something fine
He was a tinker, a joker, a near-beer drinker and a Pall Mall smoker
But I'm proud to say he was a mighty good friend of mine.

    And he could sing all night
    Lord he must have known a million songs
    They made you feel alright
    Til you knew you had to sing along

He was a drunk tank poet, a back porch preacher, and by now I know it that he was my teacher
'Bout life and things and people I'd never have known
He was a Jimmy Rogers fan, he was a honky-tonk, gentle man
And since the night I met him I figure that I must have grown

He was no stranger at the police station, why he said he was arrested once for fortification
He said that could mean anything, just being with a woman, that's all
He was a backstage shaker, a back table snoozer, a G-string breaker and a flat pick loser
But his name in lights was the best thing he could recall

Picker and a Grinner is recorded the CD Gordon Bok and Bob Zentz - Together Again for the First Time and on the Bob Zentz CD Mirrors and Changes
Chords for this song can be found in the Bob Zentz Songbook.