[Verse 1]
Jason Kelly always had some moonshine whiskey
And he'd drink and ride out on the courthouse lawn
The only shirt he ever wore was an old blue checkered one
With the elbows and the left front pocket gone
Jason was a living local legend
As a kid, I heard his story all my life
Ollie Sims, who ran the bank, had cheated him to death
And how Homer Gray had stolen away his wife
But Jason had a hardy sense of humor
And us kids hung 'round him back of Slim's Café
For hours, he'd entertain us and we'd laugh until wе would cry
When he'd wink at us half-jokingly and say

[Chorus]
"What this town needs is a few good funеrals
That seems to be the only time folks care
What this town needs is a few good funerals
And a few more good people here and there"

[Verse 2]
Jason Kelly died stone-drunk on bootleg whiskey
And I watched them put him in a pauper's grave
A man, so Daddy said, who had the world and lost it all
But a man nobody ever tried to save
But they never laughed with Jason like us kids did
Why, the things he said would tickle us to death
They never noticed friendly lurking in those lonely eyes
Couldn't see beyond the bourbon on his breath
[Chorus]
This town still needs a few good funerals
That seems to be the only time folks care
This town still needs a few good funerals
And a few more good people here and there
This town still needs a few good funerals
And a few more good people here and there