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I was just a little boy in elementary school
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English and Math and Science class
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Learning the golden rule
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I learned how to add and how to subtract
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How to multiply and divide
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I learned about bugs and I learned about plants
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And I learned how to read and write
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But my most favorite class of all was my last class of the day
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When my history teacher would tell us tales of old times long gone away
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I was amazed at the way she knew all the people and their names and the 
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places and the dates
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Because when I first learned about General Lee and his Thirteen rebel states.

:Tabbing:

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One day she came to school with a big brown grocery bag
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She opened it up we all helped her hold her up
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This great big X-shaped flag
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She said "Class, now only a fool would tell you this flag is a symbol of hate
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It represents the men who fought and died with pride for our Confederate 
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states

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Your assignment tonight, I want you to write, I want you to pretend
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That one of these brave men came back to life,
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What would you say to him
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Well the school bell rang and I thought and I thought as the bus carried me 
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across town
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I got out my pencil and my notebook pad and this is what I wrote down


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I wrote

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Mr. Confederate man,
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I'd like to shake your hand
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For giving your life for Dixieland
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Mr. Confederate man,

The next day in history class, I put my paper on the teacher's desk
Then she called me up in front of everyone, 
because she said she liked mine the best
As I walked up to the head of the class, 
my teacher smiled and she nodded at me
Then I saw a tear roll down her cheek as I began to read

I read

Mr. Confederate man,
I'd like to shake your hand
For giving your life for Dixieland
Mr. Confederate man,

Played quiet:

I was at home reading through the news, just the other day
When I ran across my old teacher's name and I saw that she had passed away
With a bitter-sweet smile I looked up at my wall, a wrinkled paper and an 
old wood frame
Where underneath penciled words almost faded away, she had marked a great 
big red A
Plus

Mr. Confederate man,
I'd like to shake your hand
For giving your life for Dixieland
Mr. Confederate man,

I wrote

Mr. Confederate man,
I'd like to shake your hand
For giving your life for Dixieland
Mr. Confederate man...