I wrote this song a while back and Jean dearly loves it. So, I thought it may be a good time to share it with many of our friends who may remember, “Jean and her shadow” from JHS.
 
When I mentioned, in a previous post, the southern hospitality that was extended to me during my July visit to Tennessee, Jean was among those that were so sweet. She met my sisters and me at the door, looking beautiful and so happy to see us. She had some edible delicacies, a long stem red rose for each of us and a bottle of fine Champaign. Unfortunately, the Champaign arrived as we were leaving. She entertained us for hours that seemed to just fly by. Jean Higgins is a picture of the southern lady you read about in novels. And a stylish one at that.

Jean and I plan, (if we can find time to practice) to reunite in a performance at the International Story Telling events held in historic Jonesborough, Tennessee every October. The mega successful  Story Telling was founded by Jean’s cousin, Jimmy Neil Smith, a Jonesborough native.

Jonesborough High School Outlaws, Jean Higgins and Me
DIGITAL MUSIC FILE

I don’t know how many miles of debt I may owe
Or tons that have flown down the great Ohio
I just know we go back a very long ways
And had a Grand Canyon full of good days

The odyssey of us I guess would begin
In high school when locker mates became friends We’d sing,
“By the Light of the Silvery Moon”
And crack up when singing old hymns in home room

Even the rainbow I thought she could bend
But this skinny kid couldn’t quite understand
Why she got all the guys, but they’d take me along
On church dates and listen to our gospel songs

The obituary, our newspaper friend
Gave an excuse out of school to attend
A funeral of someone whose name we’d not know
But they’d never tell on us, so off we’d go

And climb to the top of the old court house tower
Laugh till we cried looking over the town
Till hunger was stronger than fear we’d be seen
Incognito we’d go for burgers and beans

Now I’m not too proud of some things we have done
Like calling the neighbors pretending they’d won
A new car, a trip or a washing machine
But the payment came due when they caught me and Jean

Now I would never do things we once did
But we were free spirits, just two crazy kids
And though we eventually went separate ways
We both got a Grand Canyon full of good days

We might have been crazy, but we were not bad
Wouldn’t take anything for the good times we had
Some called us goodies, some called us mean
Jonesboro High School outlaws
Me and Jean, high school outlaws
Jean Higgins and me