Additional Notes:

No Notes Available

Backstory:

I wrote this song after reading a article about Grant Cushinberry in the Topeka Capital Journal back in 2013. I cut the article out and kept it knowing that someday I would write this song. When the article was written Mr. "C" was living in the Eventide Nursing facility in Topeka, and he died prior to the story being published. He spent his entire life in the service of others, and I felt like he needed to be remembered. The lyrics are factual and taken from his life.

Lyrics:

                                                  
At the Eventide Convalescent Center, every fourth Saturday 
Dad and I would go eat dinner, with aunt Opal who was eighty-eight
I was pickin’ at my food, when an old black man sat next to me 
Looked me in the eye and said how do you do, my name’s Cushinberry

Said he was born in an all black town in Kansas, called Nickodemus
In World War II was an Army medic, then settled in Topeka 
Said he was fortunate to have a good mama and dad, who taught him all about God’s grace
The same way son that yours have, or you wouldn’t be here today

Then he said
 You can always find someone who’s got it worse, help ‘em if you can
 God put us on this earth, to help our fellow man
 If you go out of your way to help somebody, you’re returned the favor 
 Cause the time we spend’s just payin’ rent, for God’s little half acre 

Said for years he gave away food and clothes, had a Christian Mission store
Had a sign that read for the needy not the greedy, that hung above the door
Then he said I like to think I gave hope and dreams, to folks who didn’t have any
But son I saw things that just shouldn’t be, here in the land of plenty

You can always find someone who’s got it worse, help ‘em if you can
God put us on this earth, to help our fellow man
If you go out of your way to help somebody, you’re returned the favor 
Cause the time we spend’s just payin’ rent, for God’s little half acre

Four weeks passed, I went back, they told me he had died 
Mumblin’ somethin’ ‘bout a little piece of ground, waitin’ on the other side

You can always find someone who’s got it worse, help ‘em if you can
God put us on this earth, to help our fellow man
If you go out of your way to help somebody, you’re returned the favor 
Cause the time we spend’s just payin’ rent, for God’s little half acre

Yeah the time we spend’s just payin’ rent, to this day I still think of him
Visitin’ with all his friends, on God’s little half acre