Three Forward Gears

My first car was a 1958 Willy's CJ5 Jeep. I spent a year rebuilding it with my best friend Jack. I put on a roll-bar, a vinyl top (called a bikini top), rebuilt the engine, did a bunch of body work on it and replaced the heating system. I loved that car. It had 3 forward gears and 2 reverse. I drove it everywhere.

https://soundcloud.com/sweetsongsproject/three-gears-forward

Verse 1

We tore her down that summer, me and Jack out in the yard

A ‘58 Willys Jeep, the steel was rough, the work was hard

We scraped the rust, we patched the frame, till our hands were black with grease

When that old flathead roared to life, it sounded just like peace

Chorus

Three gears forward, two in reverse

A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt

From the pines of Maine to Chesapeake sand

Freedom was the wheel in my hand

Verse 2

We bolted on that bikini top, the vinyl flapped in wind

Heat from the rebuilt furnace made the winter soft again

A winch up front, the power take-off growled like something wild

That Jeep was more than metal then—it was spirit, young and styled

Chorus

Three gears forward, two in reverse

A roll bar shining, the tires kicked dirt

From the pines of Maine to Maryland clay

That Willys carried my soul away

Bridge

Every dent and scar we made

Was a story in the frame we laid

Nights we drove beneath the stars

Dreams outpacing all the cars

Chorus

Three gears forward, two in reverse

The road unwound, the sky rehearsed

That sound of freedom in second gear

Still hums in my memory clear

Outro

Jack and I grew older, but the echoes still remain

Of that Willys CJ5 and a friendship forged in flame

Somewhere on a backroad turn, if you listen close and deep

You’ll hear that engine rumble on, the promise we still keep