Teddy Bear's Last Ride
I was there the day I saw her cry
After Mama Teddy Bear said 10-4 she turned off the old CB
And her heart overflowed and her tears ran free
And the thanks showed in her face like the sun
For the things those big truckers had done
After the collection there was a handful of change
And a few dollar bills
But most of all
There was this little crippled boy's dream fulfilled
I was Mama Teddy Bear's brother and I lived by her and Teddy Bear since
Oh, I can't remember when
And that's why now, before my memory grows old
The rest of the story just has to be told
I'd come over and sit with Teddy Bear while his mom was away and
Play little games to help him pass the day
And in the afternoon he'd wheel his chair over there by the CB and
He'd go on the air
One by one he'd break them all
And I never knew a good buddy who didn't answer his call
He'd just grin and ask me not to tell his mama
But I'm pretty sure she knew what was going on
But time has a way of taking it's toll and
Much too fast, Mama Teddy Bear was growing old
And I watched as the silver touched her hair
But her one aim in life was Teddy Bear
Then I saw another change take place
Little Teddy Bear was slowly losing the race
I knew it and his mama knew it too
And there was nothing in this whole world either of us could do
He'd talk less and less on the old CB and
There were times when he'd hardly talk with me
He'd just sit
By the window and watch the road
He'd be watching those big 18-wheelers rolling by with their load
And finally he was too weak to get out of bed
One day he looked up at me and said
Would you turn on the radio and go on the air
And tell all my trucker friends
Teddy Bear's just too tired to make it to his chair
Hell, the hardest thing I've done in my time was pick up that mic and say, Breaker one-nine
This is for you truckers who care
I'm calling for your little friend, Teddy Bear
He says to tell you he misses you all and
He's awful sorry he can't answer your calls
They all came back and joked with me
They said that they'd catch him later on the big one-nine
But they never did again catch Teddy Bear on the air
'Cause late one night the angels came
And the last thing he said before he died was
Tell all my trucker friends
How I enjoyed the ride
Mama Teddy Bear couldn't tell them and neither could I
'Cause every time we'd look at the radio we'd just both start crying
The funeral was held at the chapel
Little Teddy Bear started his last ride
And the procession rounded the little city square and
The sound of a hundred engines filled the air
The truckers had dropped their trailers and one by one they fell in line
They all tried to comfort Mama Teddy Bear
And it seemed like the warmth of God filled the air
Slowly, they formed a circle around that little grave
And I saw a lot of big men cry that day
As they paid their last respects
On Teddy Bear's last ride
