Gather ’round and I’ll tell you a tale
Of a man who found his very own trail
He left his home a minor town in a major key
He never put faith in an industry
He never was a cog in the machine
He dropped out of school and moved to the San Francisco Bay
Oh I will try til I won’t be denied
And I would give my whole heart for peace of mind
And I will shelter this little light of mine through stormy weather
If it takes forever
He lived in a bus and shaped his clay
A potter and an artist with no bills to pay
He was a drifting free spirit who lived for himself
Then he moved east to the great valley
He fell in love and she gave him three
And traded the clay for the trade of a hammer and a nail
Oh I will try til I won’t be denied
And I would give my whole heart for peace of mind
And I will shelter this little light of mine through stormy weather
If it takes forever
He worked his body til it worked no more
He gave his life for the lives of four
And when he retired he was content his cup overfilled
The story I’ve told is a common one
The man was real and I his son
I loved him so and now he’s gone but he lives on in me
Oh I will try til I won’t be denied
And I will give my whole heart for peace of mind
And I will shelter this little light of mine through stormy weather
Oh I will try til I won’t be denied
And I will give my whole heart for peace of mind
And I will shelter this little light of mine through stormy weather
If it takes forever