Jason Oglesby - My Hometown, Arkansas Lyrics

In a small town in Southwest Arkansas,
Just over 500 called it home, Wickes where my story starts,
After the fire took our house, we moved there to stay,
With Grandma and my brother Chris, making memories every day

Growing up in Wickes was simple and sweet,
From the EZ Mart to that little café treat,
I'd film the basketball games, and I'd be called Julio,
But what they didn't know, was they made me feel a little less alone

The school was just a step across the street,
From first grade to twelfth, where we'd learn and meet,
Played baseball and basketball, but I had a different role,
With a camera in hand, capturing it all, it made my heart whole

We lived off government aid, but Grandma made it fine,
In the housing projects, life was tough but kind,
Summers spent painting, working on the school's old roof,
It was hard and hot labor, but it gave me the proof

Growing up in Wickes was simple and sweet,
From the EZ Mart to that little café treat,
I'd film the basketball games, and I'd be called Julio,
But what they didn't know, was they made me feel a little less alone

Evenings spent on porches, where stories would unfold,
Listening to Grandma's tales, the warmth banished the cold,
As fireflies danced around us in the twilight glow,
Those moments were treasures that I still hold close

Growing up in Wickes was simple and sweet,
From the EZ Mart to that little café treat,
I'd film the basketball games, and I'd be called Julio,
But what they didn't know, was they made me feel a little less alone.

Now I wander far and wide, but I carry them still,
The laughter and the lessons, the dreams that we fulfill,
Wickes will always be my heart's eternal song,
In the tapestry of life, it's where I belong

Growing up in Wickes was simple and sweet,
From the EZ Mart to that little café treat,
I'd film the basketball games, and I'd be called Julio,
But what they didn't know, was they made me feel a little less alone.

So here's to every moment, etched in memory,
Wickes, my foundation, where my spirit feels free,
Though time may take me far, I'll always be true,
With every step I take, I carry Wickes with me too