Lyrics

**Verse 1:**
In old south Georgia, born on a July morn,
Gary Pate grew up, where the free spirits were born.
With five siblings around, but a heart just his own,
Naomi, his mother, made their old house a home.
She’d defend him through thick, through the thick and the thin,
With a love like a river that flowed deep within.

**Chorus:**
Oh, Gary, sweet Gary, with your beer and your smile,
All alone in your world, but you danced all the while.
With a smoke in your hand and your music turned loud,
You’d cheer for the Falcons, lost in the crowd.
Now the stars have called you, but your laughter remains,
In the heart of your family, through the joy and the pain.

**Verse 2:**
He liked his Old Milwaukee, always served with some ice,
Sipping it slow, it was his kind of paradise.
A little weed on the side, just to take off the edge,
But he’d never share a puff, no, that was his pledge.
He stayed home with his mother, just the two of them there,
On nights full of horror flicks, they’d laugh without a care.

**Chorus:**
Oh, Gary, sweet Gary, with your beer and your smile,
All alone in your world, but you danced all the while.
With a smoke in your hand and your music turned loud,
You’d cheer for the Falcons, lost in the crowd.
Now the stars have called you, but your laughter remains,
In the heart of your family, through the joy and the pain.

**Bridge:**
But time took its toll, with a cough and a ache,
He’d drive down those dirt roads, trying hard not to break.
No doctor’s advice, just a stubborn old friend,
Toughing it out until the very last end.
But with each passing moment, the light started to dim,
And the shadows grew longer, as the world grew so grim.

**Verse 3:**
One quiet morning, the sun rose so slow,
Gary slipped away, like a leaf in the flow.
Naomi held close the love that they’d shared,
With Troy and Melissa, they gathered and cared.
Charlotte laid beside them, her eyes full of tears,
As they whispered his name, through the weight of their fears.

**Chorus:**
Oh, Gary, sweet Gary, with your beer and your smile,
All alone in your world, but you danced all the while.
With a smoke in your hand and your music turned loud,
You’d cheer for the Falcons, lost in the crowd.
Now the stars have called you, but your laughter remains,
In the heart of your family, through the joy and the pain.

**Outro:**
So here’s to the man who lived life on his own,
With a heart full of laughter, never truly alone.
Up there in heaven, with a beer in his hand,
Jumping with Jesus, screaming God boy go! in that promised land.
Oh, Gary, sweet Gary, we’ll hold you so tight,
In the glow of our memories, you’ll always be bright.