David Hartley


Back through the years
I go wanderin´ once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags
that someone gave us
And how my mama put the rags to use.
There were rags of many colors,
but every piece was small
And I didn´t have a coat
and it was way down in the fall
Mama sewed rags together,
sewing every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
that I was so proud of.
As she sewed she told a story
from the bible she had read
About a coat of many colors, Joseph wore
Then she said 'haps this coat will bring
good luck and happiness
And I just couldn´t wait to wear it
and mama blessed it with a kiss.
My coat of many colors
that my mama made for me
Made only from rags,
but I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money,
but I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors,
my mama made for me.
So with patches on my britches,
and holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors,
I hurried off to school
Just to find them making fun of me.
And I couldn´t understand it,
for I felt that I was rich
And I told `em of the love
my mama sewed in every stitch
And I told them all that story,
mama told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
was worth more than all their clothes.
But they didn´t understand
and I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
but I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors,
my mama made for me
In my coat of many colors