Van Dyke was inspired to write the song from his own experiences as an auctioneer[3] and those of his second cousin, Ray Sims.
[5] The song talks of a young Arkansas boy who would skip school and visit a local auction barn.
Gradually, he becomes a top quality auctioneer, to a point where he ends up purchasing an airplane just to keep up with his sudden business demands.
[7] He describes his childhood admiration of a shop assistant in a local store, followed by his own entry into this profession, from which he ultimately turned to music.
Finally he concludes, that in the year 2000 there may be no LP records or gramophones, but trade will flourish anyway, and he (half-jokingly) dreams about becoming a store manager.