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Clean Up Your Own Backyard

Words & Music by Billy Strange / Mac Davis

Back porch preacher preaching at me
Acting like he wrote the golden rules
Shaking his fist and speeching at me
Shouting from his soap box like a fool
Come Sunday morning he's lying in bed
With his eye all red, with the wine in his head
Wishing he was dead when he oughta be
Heading for Sunday school

Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Drugstore cowboy criticizing
Acting like he's better than you and me
Standing on the sidewalk supervising
Telling everybody how they ought to be
Come closing time 'most every night
He locks up tight and out go the lights
And he ducks out of sight and he cheats on his wife
With his employee

Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Armchair quarterback's always moanin'
Second guessing people all day long
Pushing, fooling and hanging on in
Always messing where they don't belong
When you get right down to the nitty-gritty
Isn't it a pity that in this big city
Not a one a'little bitty man'll admit
He could have been a little bit wrong

Clean up your own backyard
Oh don't you hand me, don't you hand me none of your lines
Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Clean up your own backyard
You tend to your business, I'll tend to mine

Recorded: 1968/10/23, first released on single

August 9, 1968 RCA Studio B - Nashville, Tennessee

Beyond The Reef (Overdub) WWA4 4744

October 15, 1968 Goldwyn Studios - Hollywood, California

Let's Forget About The Stars (Track) ____-02
Charro (Track) ____-05
Let's Forget About The Stars (Vocal Overdub) ZPA4 1055-05
Charro (Vocal Overdub) WPA1 8091-SP

October 23, 1968 United Recorders - Hollywood, California

Clean Up Your Own Backyard XPA1 3976-06
Swing Down Sweet Chariot XPA1 3977-10
Signs Of The Zodiac WPA5 2568-09
Almost XPA1 3978-31
The Whiffenpoof Song WPA5 2556-03
Violet WPA5 2557-03

November 25 - 27, 1968 Goldwyn Studios - Hollywood, California

Charro (Track Repairs & Orchestral Overdub) WPA1 8091