[Verse]  
Lying back in his recliner.  
Staring off into space.  
Nobody would have guessed    
what was behind that face.  
From his photo with the mayor,  
and his mother on the right, 
you'd look through his study and say,  
"He's a stand-up guy."  
  
[Pre-Chorus]    
What a stand-up guy,   
always in the paper,  
smiling at the town  
from those soft brown eyes.    
What a stand-up guy   
who always read the paper,  
cutting out the pictures   
of his friends.  
  
[Chorus]   
Everyone said  
that he was so sweet,  
so kind.  
No one ever knew  
what he had on his mind.    
And no one loved him  
quite like his mom.  
But even a mother  
must know her son.  
  
[Verse]  
From his steering wheel he would wave  
at the cars driving past. 
Some raised their hands to please him 
others would just drive past.   
No one had ever seen him angry  
and he was always on time  
for Sunday morning worship  
with his family close behind.  

​

[Pre-Chorus]  
What a stand-up guy.

A leader in the community,

going the extra length,

involved in all activities.    
What a stand-up guy   
who always read the paper,
searching with a smile  
for every triumph he could find.  
  
[Chorus]   
Everyone said  
he was so sweet,  
so kind.  
No one ever knew  
what he had on his mind.    
And no one loved him  
quite like his mom.  
But even a mother  
must know her son.  
  
[Verse]
You could always recognize  
his red Chevy truck,  
with his black dog in the cab  
catching wind in his tongue.    
They were really quite a pair  
coaching Friday nights.  
But when they found the bodies  
the town folded overnight.  
  
[Pre-Chorus]  
"That stand-up guy,"  
said all those red eyes grieving  
as they cursed at the assembly  
for the way he shaved their heads.    
"He was a stand-up guy,"  
said his mother during group.  
The town had gone and left her  
and the papers were not kind.  
  
[Chorus]   
Everyone used to say  
he was so sweet,  
so kind.  
No one ever knew  
what he had on his mind.    
And no one loved him  
quite like his mom.  
But even a mother  
must know her son.  
   
Everyone that knew him  
said he wouldn't hurt a fly.  
No one ever knew  
he was out of his mind.  
And no one loved him  
quite like his mom.  
But even a mother  
must know her son.