Special thanks to Matt Menke of KETR Radio who recorded this at the Cowhill Express Coffee Songwriters' Open Mic, hosted by Brad Davis; Briley Davis who took the still photos of me that night; to the Librarians at both Clarksville and DeKalb High Schools for their assistance in finding photos from 1958; and especially to Dr. Kathryn Jacobs, Texas A&M University-- Commerce and her graduate Poetry Class, Fall 2008 where I workshopped a rough poem and it became this song.
I did all the artwork, which includesMagic Markers on orange posterboard; my Bamboo Tablet with the Corel Paint program; modelling clay for the football players and still photos of same; and some photo manipulation, also with the Corel program.
Its a classic rivalry every year when Clarksville plays DeKalb.
Those high school boys look big and mean as they spread out on the field.
Their coaches really pump em up with all the pep talk they can blab,
And each side knows it's up to them to win and never yield.
Boys, the other teams got devil's horns
Theyll mow you down as sure as youre born
And if you lose youll face the scorn at Saturday morning breakfast.
So get out there and make no mistake
Just keep on going, and dont you break
The honor of the whole town's at stake cause it's Friday night in Texas.
Now you may think its a little thing, but its serious here in the Great State.
Cause football, boys, is truly king and in these towns its a big deal
Both the teams were rarin' to go back in 19 and 58
To snort and blow and reap and sow—it's life-and-death and it's so real.
On Friday night in any small town,
The people come from miles around
To watch their boys run a football down 'cause the stadium is the nexus
Of the social life of every fall.
They talk about who'd run the ball
And who got sacked; discussing all about Friday night in Texas.
It was 16 to zip at the quarter; the Bears had Clarksville down.
But the Tigers came back and earned 18 with two minutes left to unwind.
The fans were screaming, the visiting Tigers vindicating their town,
But their frantic coach glared up at the press box, and made the "Run the clock" sign.
Seems the man on the clock was so caught up in the drama unfolding below
That he'd forgot to start it, and then DeKalb made an 80-yard run.
Fourth down on the 2, and goal to go, the Bears made it over the goal,
But the game should have ended a minute before, if only the clock had been done.
A hush fell over the field just then, as the stadium figured it out
The players and coaches stood right there, until someone began to shout:
DeKalb wins! But the players knew that it wasn't exactly right
And the teams looked into the others' eyes and they understood that night.
.
There were none with horns, they were the same,
Just alike in their love for the game,
Did the Bears team feel the shame? Those Clarksville boys did best us
And though it's been discussed since then,
And every year they play again,
It's another story told of when it was Friday night in Texas.
© MaryK Croft 10/12/08
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