Drive-By Truckers - Daddy's Cup Lyrics






Before I could walk, I had a wrench in my hand
I was my Mama's little angel and my Daddy's second chance
He went end over end the first year he went pro
Lost part of his eyesight and he couldn't race no more

But he never lost his touch when he got underneath the hood
He knew how to make them run and he knew one day he would
See his name in victory lane and engraved on that cup
Just like all them other crazy fools with racing in their blood

He would put me on his lap when he'd drive and I'd take the wheel
He'd say "What do you think about that son? How does she feel?
You just wait till them little legs get long enough to reach the gas
Once you put her on the floor one time there ain't no turning back"

Every Saturday, he'd take me out to the garage
He'd take an empty bucket and fill it full of engine parts
He's sit me down and pour em out in front of me on the floor
I'd have to tell him what each one was and what each one was for

We'd jump into the car and go down to the race that night
He'd tell me what each driver was doing wrong and what each one did right
He could always pick the winner before they ever took a curve
#3 might have the car but 43 has got the nerve

Before I turned 18 Daddy said "Now pretty soon
You'll be old enough to drive but I'll leave it up to you
I taught you all about it, taught you everything I know
You gotta have a car to do it and you gotta work and buy your own"

The first one I bought was a Mustang #2
Nobody kept'em any longer than they kept a pair of shoes
They started showing up at every used car lot in town
A V-8 on a go-cart, easy terms, no money down

Me and Daddy and my uncle took her home and tore her down
Checked her out real good, cleaned her up and bored her out
Took out all the seats, pulled the carpet off the floor
Knocked out all the glass and welded up the doors

The first time that I raced my qualifying was a shame
I started out way in the back and came back about the same
I pulled her in the pit, couldn't look my Daddy in the eye
He said "If you quit now son, it's gonna haunt you all your life"

It ain't about the money or even being #1
You gotta know when it's all over you did the best you could've done
Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out
Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have

Since then I've wrecked a bunch of cars and I've broke a bunch of bones
It's anybody's race out there and I've learned to race my own
I'd shove em in the wall and I'd hit em from behind
I'd let them know that I was there, I'd let them know that track was mine

It's been several years now since my Daddy passed away
But his picture's on my dash every time I go to race
I lost more than I won but I ain't gonna give up
Till they put me in the ground or Daddy's name's on that cup





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Drive-By Truckers Daddy's Cup Comments
  1. j.... e....

    Awesome song!

  2. D.... H....

    Do not drive with this on it won't end well , trust me

  3. E.... E....

    Ma dad used to play this band back when a was a kid class tune from Scotland

  4. J.... S....

    Saw them at the Newport folk festival, they blew the widows out and welded up the doors

  5. J.... S....

    Would've loved to have heard Elvis sing this.

    J.... S....

    John Stewart this wouldn’t be Elvis type of thing know I can see Waylon Jennings or Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson singing this

    J.... S....

    @Hayden Clark It's very certainly an Elvis type of thing. Guitar Man meets Speedway.

  6. O.... ....

    I love pussy, America,getting drunk, good music and racing...thats it

  7. T.... ....

    I still ain't forgiven Ford for the Mustang II.

    T.... ....

    Trickbaby souped up Pinto is all they were. Although I read awhile back there’s a kit to turn the notch back into a mini 68 fastback. Idk if it’s still around or not. Saw it years ago in HotRod.

  8. M.... B....

    best story ever!

  9. S.... K....

    perfect song.

  10. U.... F....

    Besides it made me think of my dad who was a new car salesmanager for over 20 years and also liked to watch the races before he passed away from cancer back in 2000

  11. u.... ....

    Good old #3 had the car and the nerves

  12. U.... F....

    Whoever came up with the idea for the video detail my gaw like I ain't playing with y'all it's a cool because I'm colorblind partially but I can see some color and noticed the face on the moon and how the motion was kinda cracklely and at first I the beginning looks like it was raining really cool y'all that's awesome 👍😎

  13. B.... V....

    Me and my pa we're never close but he taught me my work ethic and how to bust my ass so this song got to me...I know it wasn't racing but that's busting your ass props to the boys that this songs about

  14. B.... V....

    You know....I'm not a big fan of the Earnhearts but I'm pretty sure if JR Hurd this song it would drop a tear

  15. B.... B....

    Bad ass!!

  16. J.... ....

    My daughter and I are building our first car together. No replacement for displacement. Don't forget to turn the fuel pump on. Cheers! Thank you, DBT!

    J.... ....

    Not just father son. Father daughter too. Her name will look good in cursive on the roof of her AMC. 😉

  17. t.... ....

    Don't even like racing, but a great father/son song.

  18. S.... Z....

    Should be the NASCAR theme song. Awesome

  19. G.... M....

    let's do it live?

  20. O.... H....

    I was riding at the sand dunes last year and this guy was playing this song around the campfire, took me so long to find this song.

  21. J.... M....

    How does anyone dislike this, much less 63 people!

  22. f.... ....

    get off Facebook. cock suckerberg.

  23. L.... B....

    Story telling at its best

  24. L.... K....

    Judging by the lyrics he's one heck of a dirty racer, great song though

  25. R.... R....

    my chest hair grows outta controll after I listen to this

  26. A.... L....

    Genius band. Genius guitar. Genius lyrics. Genius bass. Genius vocal. Genius drumming.

    A.... L....

    Atomic Lobotomy pedal steel too

  27. B.... F....

    I mite be young but I race cars at tr speedway and tbh this song was meant for me and my dad bc it tells all the things I have done with him

  28. A.... M....

    this song is fucking ass

  29. L.... S....

    Best DBT album!

    L.... S....

    LS Steve. HANDS DOWN THE BEST.

    L.... S....

    Hell yes

  30. N.... Y....

    Great song for father-son relationships; back in the day, every town, somewhere had a speedway and we went every Friday night. All the owners worked on their own cars, so the talent was in the driving and the building. Then we did our own drag races out at a deserted road, 1970's GTO, SS Chevelle, etc.

  31. C.... T....

    I'm a circle track driver haven't got a cup yet but I will and it will go straight to my dads garage where me and the old man built my first car

  32. L.... L....

    bringing up my boy up this way the way I was brought up soaked in oil, grease and loving every minute of it ...love u son

    L.... L....

    Louis Loman respect

  33. J.... D....

    this song pretty much is how me and my dad where but drag racing instead of circle track RIP dad LOVE YOU !

    J.... D....

    Tyler childress

    J.... D....

    This parent done right

  34. C.... B....

    Reminds me of old friends at Caraway Speedway in NC from the nineties. I miss them guys, as I was their auto parts girl with the right clutch for my buddies. A lifetime ago. No names! ;)

  35. J.... M....

    This is the song that sunk in the DBT hooks for me... I had to listen to more, and believe me, I did... still a huge fan of everything they do... 

    J.... M....

    can't put it better than that. I agree nuthin to add.

    J.... M....

    After listening to this album first. It's hard to get into much of their other stuff for me. Any recommendations on good songs or albums?

    J.... M....

    @Gerald Of Riveria Try A Blessing And A Curse or The Big To Do. Alternatively the old favourite Southern Rock Opera.

    J.... M....

    @John Randall sweet thanks man!

  36. R.... ....

    There is a lesson on how to be a parent in this song. Just awesome!

  37. E.... M....

    my new name is Psycho Ricky ,last name? Cadillac of course,  

  38. m.... ....

    this is me and my dads song

    m.... ....

    monstergoat1 same haha

  39. s.... ....

    Makes me wanna change my name to Ricky Bobby or Steve Mcqueen perhaps. ;- D

  40. B.... C....

    This covers every daddy son relationship.

  41. b.... ....

    brilliance. nuff said.

    b.... ....

    boognish1975 neff said

  42. D.... A....

    My favorite racing song...

  43. B.... S....

    Whats local short track racing is all about !

  44. D.... ....

    "Knowing that it's in you and you never let it out
    Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have"

    goddang, that's the truth

  45. i.... ....

    Billy D & the Hoodoos..... lovely as well

  46. N.... ....

    The last lyrics - "If you quit now son, it's gonna haunt you all your life" - still give me shivers and they aren't about racing. They're about anything you want to try for and are scared of failing at. Amazing song.

  47. E.... M....

    LOVE IT

  48. S.... ....

    Wow - Damn - I've never lived in a part of the country where I heard real music like this. Good stuff.

  49. E.... C....

    fuck yeah!