Song Description

A true father-son story with a twist involving The Three Stooges. Poignant and humorous with surprising mood and time signature changes, with guitar, mandolin, clarinet and upright bass

Lyrics

BREAKFAST

MY OLD MAN WAS A GENERAL IN THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
HE CARRIED THE WEIGHT OF THE WAR ON HIS SHOULDERS ALONG WITH HIS GOLD STARS
HE WAS GRUFF AND UNFILTERED, A SMOKER AND DRINKER, AND BEING HIS KID COULD BE ROUGH
IT WAS MY OLD MAN'S JOB TO TURN BOYS INTO MEN, MINE WAS TO LEARN TO BE TOUGH

HE BELIEVED IN DISCIPLINE, IN FAMILY AND COUNTRY AND GOD
AND THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF HIM SPOILING THE CHILD 'CAUSE HE DIDN'T SPARE THE ROD
ONCE IN A WHILE HE'D PULL-OFF A SURPRISE AND FUN WOULD OUTRANK THE RULES
BUT MOST OF THE TIME HE WAS CHARACTER BUILDING AND I WAS STUCK HANDING HIM TOOLS

ONCE THE NATIONAL GUARD HAD A CONFERENCE IN TOWN AT THE CHASE PARK PLAZA HOTEL
IT WAS THERE IN THE LOBBY HE SAW THREE CELEBRITIES AND THOUGHT TO HIMSELF "WHAT THE HELL"
WELL MAYBE IT WAS THE UNIFORM OR MAYBE THEY JUST HAD KIND HEARTS
SOMEHOW HE CONVINCED THEM TO MEET THE NEXT MORNING AT O-NINE-HUNDRED SHARP

SO THE NEXT DAY HE WOKE ME UP EARLY AND HANDED ME MY SUNDAY CLOTHES
WHERE HE WAS TAKING ME, HE WOULDN'T SAY BUT HE SMILED ALL THE WHILE THAT HE DROVE
AT THE RESTAURANT I GUESSED I'D BE MEETING HIS BUDDIES, THE TABLE WAS SET UP FOR FIVE
I WAS SHOCKED AND CONFUSED WHEN ONE AND THEN TWO AND THEN ALL THREE STOOGES ARRIVED

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO
I HAD BREAKFAST WITH THE STOOGES
LARRY, MOE AND CURLY-JOE
IT WAS A YOUNG KID'S DREAM COME TRUE
THERE WAS SO MUCH I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
BUT THAT DAY MY WISH WAS HIS COMMAND
WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR ME AND MY OLD MAN
BREAKFAST WITH THE STOOGES

TURNS OUT THEY'D COME TO TOWN FOR A BENEFIT CIRCUS AND A CHANNEL ELEVEN KIDS' SHOW
THEN THEY'RE TEACHING ME TRICKS AND PRETENDING TO FIGHT, MAN, IT LOOKED SO REAL NO ONE WOULD KNOW
MOE SAID PROMISE YOU WON'T POKE YOUR FRIENDS IN THE EYES OR USE A WRENCH AS A NOSE TWISTER
MY FINGERS WERE CROSSED AS I SOLEMNLY SWORE NOT TO TRY ANYTHING ON MY SISTERS

BACK AT HOME I TOLD WHOEVER WOULD LISTEN, "HEY GUESS WHO HAD WAFFLES WITH ME"
AND I SURE WISHED MY DAD HAD REMEMBERED THE CAMERA BUT WHEN I CLOSED MY EYES I COULD SEE
THEN EVERYTHING WENT RIGHT BACK TO NORMAL, THE RULES AND THE TOOLS AND THE REST
BUT I HAD A MEMORY PINNED TO MY HEART LIKE THE MEDALS ON THE OLD MAN'S CHEST

OVER THE YEARS WE FOUGHT OUR BATTLES AS FATHERS AND SONS TEND TO DO
HE RULED HEAVY-HANDED BUT I LIKE TO REMEMBER THAT HE HAD HIS SOFT SIDE TOO
THERE I AM IN THE FAMILY ROOM EATING MY CHEERIOS, WATCHING THOSE THREE ON TV
THE OLD MAN IS STRETCHED OUT IN HIS LA-Z-BOY LAUGHING ALONG WITH ME

HELLO, HELLO, HELLO
I HAD BREAKFAST WITH THE STOOGES
LARRY, MOE AND CURLY-JOE
IT WAS A YOUNG KID'S DREAM COME TRUE
THERE WAS SO MUCH I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
BUT THAT DAY MY WISH WAS HIS COMMAND
WHAT A GREAT DAY FOR ME AND MY OLD MAN
BREAKFAST WITH THE STOOGES

HE WAS GRUFF AND UNFILTERED AND DID HIMSELF IN WITH HIS TWO-PACK-A-DAY CIGARETTES
BUT HE HAD HIS WAYS TO SHOW ME HE CARED AND THAT HELPS WHEN IT COMES TO REGRETS