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The Man Who Picked the Wildwood Flower 
The Man Who Picked the Wildwood Flower 
I only saw five people when they buried Jack Dupree Two diggers and a preacher the funeral man and me The prayer was said and the hole was filled in less than half an hour We said good-bye to the little man who picked the Wildwood Flower 
For twenty years i'd seen him on the lower Nashville streets They said he always earned enough to buy his clothes and eat He'd stop awhile and check his watch with the big clock on the tower That's when I asked him once if he could pick the Wildwood Flower 
He always drew a crowd because he put on such a show He'd dance and sing and play and smile just like a college pro And every time he saw me standing in the crowd I knew the tune that he'd play next would be the Wildwood Flower 
I told him once that he could be what people called a star And he said why boy I'm happy. None of them folks are I'd hate to have to force a smile and feel my self turn sour There ain't no put on in my face when I pick the Wildwood Flower 
Then I saw a thousand people as they began to come Business men, opera stars, party girls and bums And on that little mound of clay bouqueted with endless showers They paid respect to the little man who picked the Wildwood Flower 
This is a version that my Late Uncle used to sing. I don't know where he got it from, but he used to sing it to the tune of The Wildwood Flower. N 
NX OCT98