The Curtains Of Old Joe's House

My Daddy Made His Living
In a little southern town
And after school was over
I would help him with his rounds
He'd sit there in his pick-up truck
While I wore out me shoes
But he'd already walk beside me
When I went up to old Joe's

Like all the other kids in town
I'd never seen his face
Though I used to leave his groceries
At the backdoor of his place
And I knew somebody lived there
'cause in the morning they'd be gone
But the curtains of Old Joe's House
Were always tightly drawn

They say that in his younger days he'd loved another man
And when that small town started talking
His friend died by his own hand
There whispers among the women
Hard talk among the men
But the curtains of old Joe's house
Were never pulled again

I could tell you were this happened
But I think you ought to know
That right there where you're living
There are people like Old Joe
For each of us has secrets
That we keep on the backroom shelves

Keep them hidden from our neighbours
And often from ourselves
But everybody has got the right
To be the way they are
If you're not hurting someone else
Then you've not gone to far
So before you start to criticise
The lives that others lead
Take a good look in the mirror
And be sure of what you see

They say that in his younger days he'd loved another man
And what went on between them
No one there could understand
There were whispers among the women
Hard talk among the men
But the curtains of old Joe's house
Were never pulled again