She'd wake us up early every mornin' She'd help us say our prayers every night She was always there to help us through the hard times We could count on her to make everything alright
I remember swingin' on the front porch Papa said there's somethin' I need to say tonight Mama's been sick for a long time Let's pray to God she can make it through the night
(chorus) Mama don't wanna say goodbye She said wipe those tears from your eyes Mama I don't wanna say goodbye It was written in the Heavens and the skies above Son I gave you birth showed you all my love I can't think of this life without you it's hard to try Mama I'm afraid to say goodbye
Now kids I've been hangin' on a long time I hate to leave this world before your grown Remember everything that I've taught you Remember all the good times when I'm gone
(repeat chorus)
She whispered in my ear before she passed away Son it's time to be a man ain't nothin' left to say Jesus walked on water I know it's true When it comes time he'll call you home I hope your ready too
I was cuttin the rug down at a place called 'The Jug' with a girl named Linda Lou When in walked a man with a gun in his hand he was looking for you know who
He said "Hey there fellow with the hair coloured yellow, watcha tryin' to proove? Cuz' this is my woman there and I'm a man who cares and this might be all for you" (I said "excuse me!")
I was scared and fearing for my life I was shaking like a leaf on a tree Cuz' he was lean and mean and big and bad, Lord, pointing that gun at me
Oh! wait a minute mister, I didn't even kiss her don't want no trouble with you and I know you don't owe me but I wish you would let me ask one favour from you
Say won't you Gimme 3 steps, gimme 3 steps mister, gimme 3 steps toward the door? Gimme 3 steps, gimme 3 steps mister and you'll never see me no more."
(Guitar solo)
Oh well the crowd cleared away and I began to pray and the water fell down to the floor and I'm telling you, son, it ain't no fun, staring straight down a fourty-four.
Well, he turned and screamed at Linda Lou, and that's the break I was looking for and you could hear me screaming a mile away as I was headed out toward the door.
Oh won't you Gimme 3 steps, gimme 3 steps mister, gimme 3 steps toward the door? Gimme 3 steps, gimme 3 steps mister and you'll never see me no more."
Big wheels keep on turning, Carry me home to see my kin Singing songs about the southland. I miss ole bamy once again and I think it's a sin. Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her. Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember A southern man don't need him around anyhow.
* Sweet home Alabama where the skies are so blue. Sweet home Alabama, Lord, I'm coming home to you.
In Birmingham they love the Gov'nor. Now we all did what we could do. Now Watergate does not bother me. Does your conscience bother you, tell the truth.
Repeat *
(Solo)
Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers And they ve been known to pick a song or two. Lord, they get me off so much, They pick me up when I'm feeling blue, now how about you.
If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me For I must be traveling on now There's too many places I've got to see If I stay here with you girl Things just couldn't be the same 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now And this bird you cannot change
Oh, and the bird you cannot change And this bird you cannot change Lord knows I can't change
Bye-bye babe, it's been sweet, love 'Though this feeling I can't change But please don't take this so badly 'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame But if I stay here with you girl Things just couldn't be the same 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now And this bird you cannot change
Oh, and the bird you cannot change And this bird you cannot change Lord knows I can't change Lord help me I can't change
Eleven times I been busted, eleven times I been to jail Some of the times I been there nobody could go my bail Well it seems to me, Lord that this ol' boy just don't fit Well I can jump in a rosebush and come out smelling like sh...
Those misters dressed in blue never done so right by me Some of the times I was innocent but the judge said guilty I'm not one to complain now son I tell you true When the black cat cross your trail, Lord It comes in misery times two
(Chorus) Double trouble--that's what my friends all call me (Double trouble) I said, double trouble T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Well I was born down in the gutter With a temper as hot as fire Spent ninety days on a peat farm just doin' the county's time Well now, even mama said Son you're bad news And it won't be too long before someone puts one through you
I was sittin' at home all alone when I heard that telephone ring And there on the line was a friend of mine sayin' he wasn't doin' a thing So I'm steppin' out on the town tonight to party where the drinks are free There's a sweet young thing ready and waitin' on me
(chorus) Young and fine, strike you blind Smokestack lightnin' make you lose your mind She's got looks that kill can fire at will Smokestack lightnin' she's all I need
When we got to the place I got me a taste I knew she'd be good for a game Dancin' out on the floor she was ready for more She knew all the boys by their names I said hey sweet thing let me pull your string Let me take you home I woke up in a hour with my money and my memory gone.
(repeat chorus)
Young and fine strike you blind smokestack lightnin'
Are you a saint then don't be a stranger Were you sent down from Heaven to show me the way And if you ain't then I see a danger You better take a minute and hear what I've got to say
(chorus) 'Cause I'll keep on tryin' to put it straight to you You better give it straight to me 'Cause most women seem to have a good time Makin' a fool out of me I'm keepin' my faith I've made up my mind I've got nothin' left to lose just lay it on the line I'm keepin' my faith yea I'll find the one Who won't steal me blind who won't turn and run I'm keepin' my faith I'm trustin' in you So don't treat me like those other ones do Ain't no gettin' 'round it tell me to my face Do you think I'm a fool for keepin' my faith in you
I'll treat you right I'll do you better I won't disappoint you I won't make you cry My friends tell me if you let her She'll empty your pockets she'll spend you dry
I'm the kind of man that loves all the girls From debutantes to honky-tonk queens I've tasted every brand all around the world But all I see are peaches in my dreams I'm talkin' 'bout, I'm talkin' 'bout them southern women It's a well known fact across the Dixie line And if a man don't agree I can tell you he's blind They can drink with the best and the hell with the rest And if she takes you home you ain't gettin' no rest
(chorus) I'm talkin' 'bout, I'm talkin' 'bout them southern women I'm talkin' 'bout they'll love you so slow them southern women Them southern girls They look like angels on saturday night oh-lord they got a wild side Take you places that you've never been make a man come back again Talk about mama's southern belle little girl learned her lesson well Ain't no others can cast a spell like the sweet southern women
(repeat chorus)
They can make a man feel so proud they can capture him with a southern style Little girl learned her lesson well ain't no others can cast a spell Like the sweet southern women them southern girls
You got to lock your doors, keep the world out We're closin' ourselves in If you watch the news it'll scare you to death To Hell and back again The only justice here's at the wrong end of a gun Got the criminal makin' the laws got the good men on the run I've seen enough
We don't own anything we've got we've givin' it all away But that don't make no sense to me you know who's gonna pay It's the man in the factory workin' twelve hours a day The woman workin' in the restaurant with another kid on the way
[Chorus:] Isn't anything in this life sacred anymore We can't lose what we've got it's worth fightin' for I've seen enough, I've seen enough to make a grown man cry
A man's standin' by the road a sign in his hand He don't want your charity he says I ain't no begger man All I need is a chance to get back on my feet But we just pass him by well it could be you or me I've seen enough I ain't the kind to just sit back and watch the world go 'round It's not too late to change let's turn this shit around
My baby came home late last night I said girl I gotta talk to you I've been drinkin' with the man next door He said he's been singin' with you Whoever's tellin' lies it's time to say bye-bye You know my mama didn't raise no fool
(chorus) You're gonna walk out that door you'll never see me anymore Tell you what I'm gonna do I'm gonna love ya' just one more time I'd love to see what you've got I don't care if it takes all night Gonna make you remember for the rest of your life oh baby We had a good thing a good thing goin' But ain't been seein' eye to eye You had a good thing but it's all over Might as well wave and say goodbye
It's easy to see the guilt in your eyes Girl I want you to tell me the truth Was he worth the risk and all the trouble he's caused Now it comes down to me and you You thought I was blind when you were gone all the time Playin' me for a fool
He drives around in a fancy car Smokes those long cuban cigars He don't know how to play guitar He can't sing but still the pretty girls think he's a star
We play music got families to feed Ain't good with numbers and he knows we can't read If we get a dollar you know he gets three It ain't hard to figure out it's as simple as can be Don't ask me ask the money man
These boys are livin' in a fantasy land I just keep 'em on the road so they can pay the money man I'll be long gone before they understand My promises are strong like a road made out of sand
I wanna be your money man My mortgage is picked up by the band I wanna be your money man The boys, oh they're sleepin' out in the van
Don't ask me ask the money man You boys are livin' in fantasy land You signed the dotted line I'm takin' all I can Your money's lookin' good in my retirement plan That's just the way it is when your playin' in a band
That's my money man down on his knees He ain't prayin' but he damn sure ought to be He's at a place where money doesn't grow on trees And all his prison buddies doin' more than shoot the breeze How does it feel no money man Not too good What did you do with my money man Well I a... Well a you know a... How does it feel to be a honey man Are you sure that your still a man
Aw your dressed up like a little girl Just shootin' the breeze down on your knees Money man, oh money man
I snuck around the corner he had this guy down I through the first punch that's when he hit the ground To survive in the street you gotta win the first round 'Cause if you want eat you gotta be the baddest one around I'm a backstreet crawler
Daddy paid for college I earned a degree Got a job up on Wall Street Where I learned to make the little man bleed That's when I got stomped like a cattle stampede Had a nervous breakdown all my friends and family left me
(chorus) Yeah I'm a backstreet crawler When you see them on the concrete it's their spirit that's harder Yeah I'm a backstreet crawler Where your ego meets defeat and your pride can't get no smaller Yeah I'm a backstreet crawler Yeah I'm a backstreet crawler
I guess you might say it sure is a shame I used to have everything oh how my life has changed Yeah I'm broken and torn I've never been free Lost everything that meant a thing to me
There's a rumour goin' 'round on the backside of town Jake is out to get some revenge Has fire in his eyes since his brother died Shot down by a so-called friend
For a fifty dollar gram is what the neighbors say Drugs had control of his life Caught up on crack you're tryin' to think back The devil had him hooked you could see it in his eyes It's a killer
There's a cold house at the corner of the street The kids come and go there at night Jerry drove up in front of the house Somebody pulled out a knife Jerry freaked out and went for his gun Shot him right between the eyes All he ever wanted was a twenty dollar high But now he's locked up for the rest of his life
(chorus) It's a killer there's no way out baby once your in It's a killer steal from your family Then you'll turn on your friends It's a killer It can happen to you
So don't you never, never give in It's a killer
The neighborhood I used to call home These days it's lookin' like a war zone Unemployment on the rise but the black market thrives Money just keeps changin' hands The laws are gettin' tough sometimes it's not enough To satisfy supply and demand
Trouble breaks out there's fightin' in the streets Bullets flyin' all around An innocent child caught in the line of fire All because there weren't enough drugs to go around
MAMA TOLD ME WHEN I WAS YOUNG "COME SIT BESIDE ME, MY ONLY SON AND LISTEN CLOSELY TO WHAT I SAY AND IF YOU DO THIS, IT WILL HELP YOU SOME SUNNY DAY
TAKE YOUR TIME... DON'T LIVE TOO FAST TROUBLES WILL COME AND THEY WILL PASS GO FIND A WOMAN AND YOU'LL FIND LOVE AND DON'T FORGET, SON THERE IS SOMEONE UP ABOVE."
"AND BE A SIMPLE KIND OF MAN BE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND UNDERSTAND BABY, BE A SIMPLE KIN OF MAN WON'T YOU DO THIS FOR ME, SON IF YOU CAN?"
"FORGET YOUR LUST FOR THE RICH MAN'S GOLD ALL THAT YOU NEED IS IN YOUR SOUL AND YOU CAN DO THIS IF YOU TRY AND THAT I WANT FOR YOU MY SON IS TO BE SATISFIED"
"BOY, DON'T YOU WORRY...YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF FOLLOW YOUR HEART AND NOTHING ELSE AND YOU CAN DO THIS IF YOU TRY ALL THAT I WANT FOR YOU, MY SON IS TO BE SATISFIED."
It was a late night show in Georgia We were on the 'ol highway We know we've lost some friends And family on the way But you know we all feel better And it makes it worth our time To know our bus is rollin' towards That Mason-Dixon line
(chorus)
Oh we can't seem to find the end of the road Roots never grow on the seeds that we sow We've still got our music and so many miles to go You know we can't seem to find the end of the road
We know we've got a legacy that's hard to live up to But there's still a lot of reasons Why we play these songs for you It's a family tradition and as long as we're around That Freebird keeps on flyin' and it never will come down
(repeat chorus)
Oh we can't seem to find the end of the road Roots never grow on the seeds that we sow We can't seem to find the end of the road No matter how far we travel it always seems to slow We still got our music and so many miles to go You know we can't seem to find Lord the end of the road The end of the road
Two feets they come a creepin' Like a black cat do And two bodies are lyin' naked Creeper think he got nothin' to lose So he creeps into this house, yeah And unlocks the door And while a man reaching for his trousers Shoots him full of .38 holes
(Chorus) Its a Saturday night special Got a barrel that's blue and cold Ain't no good for nothin' But put a man six feet in a hole
Big Jim's been drinkin' whiskey And playing poker on a losin' night Pretty soon, Big Jim starts a thinkin' Somebody been cheatin' and lyin' So Big Jim commences to fightin' I wouldn't tell you no lie And Big Jim done grab his pistol Shot his friend right between the eyes
(Chorus)
Hand guns are made for killin' Ain't no good for nothin' else And if you like your whiskey You might even shoot yourself So why don't we dump 'em people To the bottom of the sea Before some fool come around here Wanna shoot either you or me
Cheatin woman make you crazy Cheatin' woman make you a fool She'll leave your heart so lonely Brother there's nothin' you can do Well I can't stand the pain no more She don't want my love for sure She don't even want poor me Knockin' on her front door Why did you make me love you sister When you knew you was untrue You loved every man with pants on Yes a dozen to you is too few I'm gonna shoot you and end your world Then you won't bother poor me You won't bother poor me no longer Cheatin' woman -- gonna shoot ya Oh woman why you do me Oh Lord the way you do I done everything I can baby Seems like nothin' reaches you I'm gonna get that pistol gal I'm gonna shoot you and all your pals You ain't gonna bother poor me You won't bother poor me no longer
I jumped off a boxcar down around Tennessee I was cold tired and dirty hungry as I could be But I had my guitar and a hundred railroad songs So I asked the policeman Can I stay here long He said Mr. Hobo you got to go now We don't want you around See I'm trying to build a respectable town And we don't need a hobo like you around
So I left that town, Lord with my guitar in my hand Still cold and tired, kinda mad at the man But this life that I chose to live, sometime's strange See I'm trying to learn about the old music from ridin' the train I'm a hobo I know, but thta's the price I pay Guess I'll write me another song while I'm on my way Catch me another train and this is what I'll say Mr Choo-choo train take me away
I'm goin' to ride this train Lord until I find out What Jimmie Rogers and the Hag was all about See I play this rock n roll and I think that's fine But I wnta to go back a little further in time I'm a hobo I know but that's the price I pay Guess I'll write me another song while I'm on my way Catch me another train and this is what I'll say Mr Choo-choo train take me away
New York City is a thousand miles away And if you ask me, I'll tell you that's OK Now I'm not trying to put the big apple down 'Cause they don't need a man like me in town I pick cotton down on the Dixie line Work hard all day tryin' to make a dime But that's allright, that's OK by me 'Cause that's the way that it was meant to be Big city, hard times don't bother me I'm a country boy, I'm as happy as I can be I don't like smoke chokin' up my air And some of those city folks well they don't care I don't like cars buzzing around I don't even want a piece of concrete in my town I like sunshine, fresh clean air Makes me feel like you wouldn't care but that's all right, each to his own But one smell from the city And this country boy is gone Big city, hard times don't bother me I'm a country boy, I'm as happy as I can be Well, I don't want to even read about it Let me tell you something, let me tell you true What's right for me might not be right for you Well, you live your way, I'll live mine And I hope that your happy all the time I pick cotton down on the Dixie line Work hard all day tryin' to make a dime But that's all right, that's OK by me 'Cause that's the way that it was supposed to be Big city, hard times never bother me I'm a country boy, I'm as happy as I can be Let me tell ya, ... I said Big city, hard times never bother me I'm a country boy, I'm as happy as I can be Ooh, that's my way, baby I don't want you to even tell me about the big city I don't want to read about it...
I said baby mama, I don't know your name But I said baby, sugar I can play your game Every night when we leave the hall I see you hanging around You wanna ride in my big black car baby Wanna go uptown I know who you are baby I know what they call you girl Never put you down baby I'm just like you baby, I'm on the hunt I know lady People gonna talk about you and me Let me say one thing mama, sugar I do as I please And if you wanna love me baby, I'm your man And all those high-falutin' society people I don't care if they don't undertand My daddy told me a long time ago Said there's two things son Two things you should know And in these two things you must take pride That's a horse and woman, yeah Well both of them you ride
