My mom woke my dad up And said "It's time to leave!" So they jumped into the old Caprice And tore off into the night On the 4th of July They flew through the darkness Driving like Jehu And they rolled into Ottumwa Before the sun began to rise On the 4th of July In walks Bob and Janice Rachel's on her way To peek in through the window Hoping to hear her grandson cry On the 4th of July My mother watched the fireworks From her hospital bed And after it was all over She held me for the first time On the 5th of July I've got my mother’s brown eyes And my dad’s quiet way And Grandma Rachel’s love of music The morning I arrived On the 5th of July Deep in Iowa country In a Heavenly Hideaway On the shores of Lake Rathbun My folks brought me home On the 5th of July And that was when Life began for me And that was when Life began for me A teacher and a mechanic Brought me into this world They loved me with all their hearts Since the day I opened my eyes On the 5th of July And that was when Life began for me And that was when Life began for me