Rice & Teeth

Music & Lyrics by Manny Vallarino
© 2020 Manny Vallarino

Verse 1
On a hot, breezy morning
My granddad and I
Drove home from working at his shop
He steered beside a sidewalk
Looked me in the eye
Said, “Listen kid, we gotta chat…”
And the engine stopped

Verse 2
He sat there in his silence
As I rolled my window down
To let the breeze cool down the heating car
Then just like that he said ’em
Words I’d never heard
Without a clue that those words would get me this far

Chorus
“When I had teeth, I had no rice
Now I’ve got rice, but got no teeth
There’s a lesson in this irony of life
You blow just as much as you breathe”

Verse 3
Now I told you that story
Because I want you to know
That everything in life has a cost
My granddad worked hard
From the day he was born
And every ton of rice he earned
Was a tooth he lost

Verse 4
You’ve come here with your dad
To visit his old man
And here I am preaching down to you
But as you can see I’m eating rice
So if you’re asking for advice
As my granddad once said to me, I’ll say to you

Chorus
When I had teeth, I had no rice
Now I’ve got rice, but got no teeth
There’s a lesson in this irony of life
You blow just as much as you breathe

Verse 5
Some day you’ll have a son
And he will have a son
And that kid will visit you from far away
You’ll sit there eating rice
He’ll ask for some advice
And right then you’ll know what to say

Chorus
“When I had teeth, I had no rice
Now I’ve got rice, but got no teeth
There’s a lesson in this irony of life
You blow just as much as you breathe”