Story Behind The Song

Every summer we would go spend a few weeks or months up on our grandfather's dairy farm. Those sweet memories lingered long after I had left home and moved thousands of miles away. One day, working in a factory, I put on a new pair of leather gloves. The smell instantly took me back to the old farm. I had to grab a pen and paper right then, and that evening finished writing the song.

Song Description

"That Ol' Barn" is a nostalgic song about my own childhood memories of summers spent on my grandfather's dairy farm. The hayloft, the barn dances and finally, years later, the old, grey wood and broken hinges. Just thinking about it takes me back to a time that doesn't seem so far away.

Lyrics

That Ol' Barn copyright 1989 D.W. Folsom

The smell of leather
The smell of hay
We saddled up the horses on a warm summer day
And rode across the fields of our Grandfather's farm
Just to race each other back to that ol' barn

Up in the hayloft
We used to play
Swingin' on a rope and landing in the hay
Those memories will never lose their charm
There was magic in that ol' barn

That ol barn still stands
The labor of my own Grandfather's hands
And for miles down the road
In a sunset of gold
You can see the silhouette of Grandpa's farm
Two silos, a house and that ol' barn

On Friday evenings
You could hear the band
I thought I was in heaven when I held Mary's hand
We danced all night to that sweet country charm
Makin' memories in that ol' barn

That ol barn still stands
The labor of my own Grandfather's hands
And for miles down the road
In a sunset of gold
You can see the silhouette of Grandpa's farm
Two silos, a house and that ol' barn

Time has a way of changing everything
And years have come and gone since I was there
Now overgrown with weeds, the boards are warped and grey
The hinges rusted way beyond repair

The smell of clover
The smell of rain
I wander through the open doors, a child, once again
Someday it may fall, but time cannot harm
All the memories of that ol' barn