I'll tell you what, y'all.
Throughout the course of this show,
a number of times,
I've looked behind you there,
above that stadium,
there's something that's above the Pitt flag,
and if this is West Virginia Field,
it'd be above the Mountaineer flag,
and that's the American flag back there.
I told y'all earlier how this started for me
as a 19-year-old who just picked up a guitar as a hobby,
trying to find my way in life,
find something that I had a little bit of talent for,
and what my passion was in life,
and I was standing right there
watching the Aver brothers here 12 years ago,
and it has been a long,
long road to get to here,
and I count myself among the very fortunate in this world
to get to do what I love for a living every day,
and it's all thanks to you for coming up to the shows.
For the last 12 years,
the majority of it has not been shows like this.
Most of those years,
we're driving all around the country
and sleeping along the highway as I play
bars and restaurants and cafes and breweries
all along the way,
sleeping with my old dogs who I love and miss very,
very much,
and I
got to do it in relative peace and safety,
and I got to pursue my dream because I'm so
fortunate to get to live here in the United States of America.
I've been all around the developed country.
I've been to all the other countries,
literally
all the other ones that they say that
are just as good as us or better,
and I'm here
to tell you that there's one thing that sets America apart,
and it's that no matter where
you start here,
you can start at the very bottom,
you can end at the top.
Everybody has the freedom to pursue their dream here,
and that is very unique.
That's never existed before on this earth,
so we should all count ourselves fortunate
to be here.
And
for generations since the founding of this country,
this country has had to call upon its men and women
to fight to defend those freedoms for us,
so we get to live in this nice bubble
and pursue our dreams and raise our families.
And for generations,
the men and women of this country
have answered the call,
they can answer it today,
and I believe they will always answer it in the future.
And this song is for one of those.
This song is from my granddad.
It's called Seneca Creek.
We are Seneca Creek!
It's the spring of 1949,
hands went across the county line.
Is there a soul in Seneca Creek?
A girl kneeled and washed her feet.
I told her my name was R.C.
Fares,
that I'd marry her with half a carrot.
She said, I do, but no stone can reach
the prettiest child this here creek.
The mud was deep and the roads were wide.
We'd retreat and then retake the lines.
Korean
winters had torn me down
and killed all the boys from my hometown.
But I'm coming home,
Ruth, my dear.
I got money in my pocket, don't you fear.
We'll build a life by Seneca Creek.
You'll have everything you'll ever need.
Let's build a home by Seneca Creek
and raise ourselves
a family.
I'll work on the farm, you'll work the store.
We'll have everything we ever hoped for.
With the top of a mountain above our heads
and the roar of Seneca by the bed.
Seneca Creek.
And sure know the hard times came.
You loved yours, I did the same.
We made it through the winter's cold and many summers young and old.
And 85, that creek did rise.
But it only took the other side,
the Gandy, North Fork, and Town
Branch to the house still stood that I built for you.
And 94, when you got sick,
we'd make up trips for the hell of it.
Take my hand, Ruth, my dear.
I'll take you back to Henny.
And now you lie on the hill up high,
right beneath the mountain sky.
Seneca Creek sings below.
Atop the trees, it's a lonely crow.
We built a home by Seneca Creek and
raised ourselves a family.
I worked on the farm, you worked the store.
We had
everything we ever hoped for.
With the top of a mountain above our heads
and the roar
of Seneca by the bed.
Seneca Creek.
Pittsburgh,
thank you all so much for coming out to the show.
We love you and appreciate you so much.