Montgomery Gentry

His cows get loose and run right through the fast food parking lots
And Daddy gets calls from the mini-malls
When they're downwind from his hogs
When his tractor backs up traffic, the reception ain't too warm
The city's growing around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

He worked and slaved in '68, he bought these fields and trees
He raised his corn and a big red barn and a healthy family
He learned to love the woodlands, he can't stand to do them harm
There's concrete all around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

One day he's gonna leave it all to me
And I'll start my own branch of the family tree
They'll get the message written on the roof of the barn
Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

We're gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm
Oh you know a country boy can survive

Didn't I make you proud
Go and lay my life down
When you called my name
I thought I stood for something
Was doing the right thing when I went away
Now being back should be so simple
But I keep getting mixed signals from everyone
Why do folks sit and judge me
Who I ain't seen what I seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn
Didn't I bleed enough for you
I faced your fears
Felt pain so you won't have to
Didn't I do my best
And wasn't home here when I left

I've seen boys fall to pieces
Grown men cry out for Jesus
Til they're black and blue
I thought God was on our side
Weren't we suppose to be the good guys
That would never lose
Cause I don't see no ticker tape
Or five mile parade
Saying "Thank You son"
Just folks that sit and judge me
Who ain't seen what I've seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn
Didn't I bleed enough for you
I faced your fears
Felt pain so you won't have to
Didn't I do my best
And wasn't home here when I left.

This ain't no temporary, typical, tearful good-bye, uh uh uh
This ain't no breakin' up and wakin' up and makin' up one more time, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

This ain't no give it time, I'm hurtin' but maybe we can work it out, uh uh uh
Won't be no champagne, red rose, romance, second chance, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone
She's gone

She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone
She's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things
Well, she's gone

Long gone, done me wrong
Never comin' back, my baby's gone
Lonely at home, sittin' all alone
She's packed her bags and now she's gone
Never comin' back, she's gone
No no never, no no never, no never comin' back

He works way too much for way too little
He drinks way too early till way too late
He hasn't had a raise since new years day
In eighty-eight gets trampled on by everyone
Except when he comes in here
And he's the product of the Haggard generation
He's got a redneck side when you get him agitated
He got the gold toothed look from a stiff right hook
He's proud he took for his right wing stand on Vietnam
Says he lost his brother there

He yells out Johnny Cash
And the band starts to play
A ring of fire as he walks up
And stands there by the stage
And he say

[Chorus]
Hell yeah! Turn it up! Right on!
Hell yeah! Sounds good! Sing that song!
Guitar man playing all night long
Take me back to where the music hit me
Life was good and love was easy

She's got an MBA and a plush corner office
She's got a don't mess with me attitude
She'll close a deal she don't reveal that she can feel
The loneliness the emptiness
Except when she comes in here
She's the product of the Me generation
She's got a rock and roll side when you get her agitated
She got the tattoo there on her derri??짢re from a spring break dare
In Panama where love was all she thought she'd ever need

She yells out to the band
Know any Bruce Springsteen
Then she jumps up on the bar
And she, and she starts to scream
She say

[Chorus]

Yeah, yeah
Can or can't you get my mind off thinking about
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Hey, hell yeah

[Chorus: x2]

I was there when the men came, and told us all the news
Father forgive them for they know not what they do
Till they walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes

You want to judge me by the whiskey on my breath
You think you know me but you ain't seen nothing yet
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

You work all day in the muck and the mire
Dance a little jig and a stomp by the fire
Ain't too much these boots can't do
Might even kick a little sense into you

Well I'm going up cripple creek going in a run
Going up cripple creek to have a little fun
Law man said they found some tracks
People saw them leavin but they never come back

Oh, you don't know me, you don't know, you don't know you don't know
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

My old man's backhand used to land
Hard on the side of my head
I just learned to stay out of his way
There's been street fights, blue lights
Long nights with the world sittin' on my chest
It just showed me how much I could take
Hard times, bad luck
Sometimes life sucks

[Chorus]
That's all right, I'm okay
It ain't nothin' but another day
But only God knows where I'd be
If you ever stopped lovin' me

The bank man, the boss man, the lawman
All tryin' to get their hands on me
And I ain't even done a danged thing wrong
I've been waylaid, freight-trained, short-changed
By bigger an' badder men
An' all I got to say is: "Bring it on."
Hard rain, rough road
So my life goes

[Chorus]

I need you
Gotta have you
In my life, on my side
Every day I'm alive
Every night when I'm greedy an' needing
You!

[Chorus]

It ain't nothin' but another day
But only God knows where I'd be
If you ever stopped lovin' me

Baby, never stop lovin' me

Ah, just see what your lovin' does to me

Pulled in the driveway, picked up the paper
Found my key, and unlocked the door
I walked in, felt like a stranger
Like I'd never been there before
As I wandered room to room
It was silent as a tomb
Could have heard a teardrop
Could have heard a heartbreak
Never saw the flood come
Even though I felt the rain
Never heard a house sound
So loud with memories
Where there used to be
A happy home
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone
If she talked about leaving, I wasn't listening
If she showed me a sign, well I never saw
Did she stop believing, did I stop giving
Can't put my finger on what went wrong
Now the quietest noise I'm told, is the sound of letting go
Could have heard a teardrop
Could have heard a heartbreak
Never saw the flood come, even though I felt the rain
Never heard a house sound, so loud with memories
Where there used to be a happy home
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone
Whoa...never heard a house sound
So loud with memories
Where there used to be a happy home
In the house on the corner
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone

Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk
At our Christmas party
We were drinkin' champagne punch
And homemade eggnog
Little sister brought her new boyfriend
He was a Mexican
We didn't know what to think of him
Til he sang Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad

Brother Ken brought his kids with him
The three from his first wife Lynn
And the two identical twins
From his second wife Mary Nell
Of course he brought his new wife Kaye
Who talks all about AA
Chain smokin' while the stereo plays
Noel, Noel, The first Noel

Carve the turkey turn the ball game on
Mix Margaritas when the eggnog's gone
Send somebody to the Quik-Pak store
We need some ice and an extension cord
A can of bean dip and some Diet Rite
A box of pampers , some Marlboro Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family

Fran and Rita drove from Harlingen
I can't remember how I'm kin to them
But when they tried to plug their motor home in
They blew our christmas lights
Cousin David knew just what went wrong
So we all waited on our front lawn
He threw the breaker and the lights came on
And we sang Silent Night
Oh Silent Night o' holy night

Carve the turkey turn the ballgame on
Mix Bloody Marys cause we all want one
Send somebody to the Stop 'n Go
We need some celery and a can of fake snow
A bag of lemons and some Diet Sprite
A box of midol, some Salem Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family Feliz Navidad

There's a for-sale sign on a big ol rusty tractor
You can't miss it it's the first thing that you see
Just up the road a pale blue water tower
With I love ginny painted in bright green
Hey that's my uncle bill there by the courthouse
He'll be lowering the flag when the sun goes down
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]
Hey where I was born
Where I was raised
Where I keep all my yesterdays
Where I ran off cause I got mad
And I came to blows with my old man
Where I came back to settle down
This is where they'll put me in the ground
This is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
Yea this is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
This is my town

There ain't much going on here since they closed the mill
The whistle still blows everyday at noon
A bunch of us still go down to the diner
Wonder if that interstates still comin' through
Come the Sunday morning service at the church of christ
There ain't an empty seat to be found
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

Well I bought and painted up that rusty tractor
You can't miss it its sitting right there in our yard
The county came and took that water tower
And that's Ginny with a baby in the car
We're off to Sunday service at the church of Christ
And if we want a seat we better leave right now
And maybe later me and ol t-roy will show you around
Our town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

Sometimes I think what turned her on was my ole' broke down boots
She wanted her a real cowboy, it was a phase she was going through
Not one week after she moved in and I caught her paintin' the bedroom blue
Brought home a bottle of pink Chablis, poured out my best home-brew
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls as she packed her things to leave
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, headed out West
She changed her tune to some Hip-Hop mess
Her dark brown hair went to blonde and her pretty blue eyes went to green
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She was sittin' beside the ocean, lookin' out at the waves
Watchin' how they keep on rollin'
But always seemed the same
She called and said she'd been thinkin' about all those quiet country nights
And whatever she thought was so wrong with me
Suddenly seemed alright
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls when her truck pulled into view
She said I changed my mind when I couldn't change you

She changed direction, headed back home
She changed her tune, it's all Haggard and Jones
Had her dark brown hair pulled back and the bluest eyes you ever seen
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, she's back in my arms
She thought it through, had a change of heart
She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

Yeah
Yeah
She changed it all when she couldn't change me

She couldn't change me
She couldn't change me

Every now an' then, on my home
I stop at a spot where the wild flowers grow, an' I pick a few
Cause she don't tell me to
I go out with my boys all right
But most of the time I call it a night before they do
Cause she don't tell me to
Sunday mornin', I'm in church
An' my butt an' my back an' necktie hurt, but I'm in the pew
She don't tell me to

Any other woman I know would have tried
To control me and it would be over
Blame it on my goin' on my own way attitude
All of that stubbornness melts away
When I wake with her head on my shoulder
An' I know I've got to love her
Until my life is through
Cause she don't tell me to

Well, I got demons and I've got pride
But when I'm wrong, I apologize like she's mine to lose
Cause she don't tell me to
Well, I got dreams in this heart of mine
But nothin' that I wouldn't lay aside if she asked me to
Cause she don't tell me to
An' she don't even know
That she keeps lookin' for the next right thing to do
Cause she don't tell me to
Yeah, yeah

Any other woman I know would have tried
To control me and it would be over
Blame it on my goin' on my own way attitude
And all of that stubbornness melts away
When I wake with her head on my shoulder
An' I know I've got to love her
Until my life is through
What else can I do
What else can I do
Whoa, I love her
Cause she don't tell me to
She don't tell me to

Every now an' then, on my home
I stop at a spot where the wild flowers grow, an' I pick a few
Yes I do

There's a story that my daddy tells religiously
Like clockwork every time he sees an opening
In a conversation about the way things used to be
Well I'd just roll my eyes
and make a bee-line for the door
But I'd always wind up starry-eyed,
cross-legged on the floor
Hanging on to every word
Man, the things I heard

It was harder times and longer days
Five miles to school, uphill both ways
We were cane switch raised, and dirt floor poor
'Course that was back before the war
Yeah, your uncle and I made quite a pair
Flying F-15's through hostile air
He went down but they missed me by a hair
He'd always stop right there and say...

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of

So I'm graduatin' college,
that was mama's dream
But I was on my way
to anywhere else when I turned 18
Cuz when you gotta fast car
you think you've got everything
I learned quick those GTO's don't run on faith
I ended up broken down in some town north of L.A.
Working maximum hours for minimum wage
Well, I fell in love, next thing I know
The babies came, the car got slow
I sure do miss that old hot rod
But you sure save gas in them foreign jobs
Dad, I wonder if I ever let you down
If you're ashamed how I turned out
Well, he lowered his voice,
then he raised his brow
Said, lemme tell ya right now

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
You don't need to make a million
Just be thankful to be workin'
If you're doing what you're able
And putting food there on the table
And providing for the family that you love
That's something to be proud of

And if all you ever really do is the best you can
Well, you did it man

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of
Yeah, that's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of
Now that's something to be proud of

I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I need to find a place where my heart can go to heal
I need to get there pretty quick
Hey mister, what you got out on that lot you can sell me in a pinch
Maybe one of them souped up muscle cars
The kind that makes you think you're stronger than you are
Color don't matter, no I don't need leather seats
All that really concerns me is:

[Chorus:]
Speed, an' how fast will it go
Can it get me over her quickly
Zero to sixty, can it outrun her memory
Yeah, what I really need
Is an open road
An' a whole lot of speed

I'd like to trade in this old truck
'Cause it makes me think of her and that just slows me up
See, it's the first place we made love, where we used to sit and talk
On the tailgate all night long, but now she's gone
An' I need to move on
So give me:

[Chorus]

Throw me them keys so I can put some miles between us
Tear off that rear view mirror, there's nothing left to see here, yeah
Let me lean on that gas, oh she catches up fast
So give me:

[Chorus]

That's what I need
I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I'm tired of spinning my wheels

I was there when the men came, and told us all the news
Father forgive them for they know not what they do
Till they walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes

You want to judge me by the whiskey on my breath
You think you know me but you ain't seen nothing yet
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

You work all day in the muck and the mire
Dance a little jig and a stomp by the fire
Ain't too much these boots can't do
Might even kick a little sense into you

Well I'm going up cripple creek going in a run
Going up cripple creek to have a little fun
Law man said they found some tracks
People saw them leavin but they never come back

Oh, you don't know me, you don't know, you don't know you don't know
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

This ain't no temporary, typical, tearful good-bye, uh uh uh
This ain't no breakin' up and wakin' up and makin' up one more time, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

This ain't no give it time, I'm hurtin' but maybe we can work it out, uh uh uh
Won't be no champagne, red rose, romance, second chance, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone
She's gone

She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone
She's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things
Well, she's gone

Long gone, done me wrong
Never comin' back, my baby's gone
Lonely at home, sittin' all alone
She's packed her bags and now she's gone
Never comin' back, she's gone
No no never, no no never, no never comin' back

I didn't know you weren't supposed to drink the water
I never knew it was so hard to get through south of that border
If I had any idea it took that many pesos to make a dollar
I'd have moved down there
Yeah, I'd probably been a millionaire
Rosa at the bayou told me Sinco de Mayo is their fourth of July
And you don't sneak up on a jabanero pepper and just take a bite
Rosa says the sunsets on some of them beaches that'll make you cry
I said, is that right?
Cause up until tonight

All I knew about Mexico
Was him with my baby on the back of that Harley
Passin' every car as fast as they could go
And all I know about pretty a white sand
Is she's probably on it now sharing a little beach towel
With her "left me for another" man
Or working on a tan I bet
While I'm here trying to forget
All I know about Mexico

And I've heard some pretty scary stuff about them jails down in Tijuana
And it ain't nothin' like the US if you get busted
And I hear he's all hauked up on that marijuana
I can't help but worrying about her being down there when he leaves her
And you know he's gonna leave her
Any day now, yeah, the cops will come around
Wanna know what I've known

All I know about Mexico
Was him with my baby on the back of that Harley
Passin' every car as fast as they could go
And all I know about a pretty white sand
Is she's probably on it now sharing a little beach towel
With her "left me for another" man
Oh she's working on her tan I bet
While I'm here trying to forget
All I know about Mexico

All I knew about Mexico
Was him with my baby on the back of that Harley
Passin' every car just as fast as they could go
And all I know about a pretty white sand
Is she's probably on it now sharing her little beach towel
With her "left me for another" man
Oh she's working on her tan I bet
While I'm here trying to forget
All I know about Mexico
All I know, I know, I know, I know about Mexico

This ain't no temporary, typical, tearful good-bye, uh uh uh
This ain't no breakin' up and wakin' up and makin' up one more time, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

This ain't no give it time, I'm hurtin' but maybe we can work it out, uh uh uh
Won't be no champagne, red rose, romance, second chance, uh uh uh
This is gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone
She's gone

She's gone (gone) gone (gone) gone (gone) gone, she's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone (gone) she's gone
She's gone

Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday
Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things
Well, she's gone

Long gone, done me wrong
Never comin' back, my baby's gone
Lonely at home, sittin' all alone
She's packed her bags and now she's gone
Never comin' back, she's gone
No no never, no no never, no never comin' back

Well I ain't got It all that bad,
there's tougher lies I might have had,
Sometimes I live hand to mouth,
But there are those that go without,
Might be things I wish I had,
But when I look at where I'm at,
I ain't got It all that bad

In my time I've tried it all,
Free love drugs and alco--hol,
Got loaded up to kiss the sky
Just about kissed the world good-bye,
there are those that never made it back,
Me I got lucky and found a lenon path,
Hey I ain't got It all that bad

I've got my sunshine and a few good friends I've found,
A roof to give me shelter when the rain comes down,
I've got tomorrow in a promise that he brings,
A new chance that still worth takin,
And a dream that still has wings

These days I don't ask for much,
Just the grace of God and my woman's touch,
Strength each day to face the fight,
And a place in someone's prayers at night,
Life and love to love and laugh,
IF I end up with half of that,
I ain't got it all that bad,
I ain't got it all that bad,
I ain't got it all that bad

Well I got drunk
So sue me
I made up my mind
To not give a damn
Try to forget
The way you do me
Yea I got drunk 'cause I'm your man

Its not like I found someone else I can hold
To make up from holding you
Its not like I went out and painted the town
Its not like I was untrue

I got drunk
So sue me
Made made up my mind
To not give a damn
I try to forget
The way you do me
Yea I got drunk 'cause I'm your man

What gives you the right
To stay out alnight
Crawl in and lay down the law
We both that you wern't alone
That's the reason you didn't call

So I got durnk
Sue me
I made up my mind
To give a damn
I try to forget
The way you do me
Yea I got drunk
'cause I'm your man
Yea I got drunk
And I still am

Yea I got drunk

I've treated this ol body like a stolen car,
Just some old disposable machine,
Pedal to the metal and a trail of broken hearts,
Yea I'd fill it up with almost anything,
My motto was live fast and go out strong,
But I never thought that I'd live this long

Once I had a woman and she treated me real good,
The kinda love I never will replace,
One day I thought I ain't seen the world the way I should,
So one night I got up and stepped away,
I knew there'd be some lonely's coming on,
But I never thought that I'd live this long

There have been many times I really should have died,
But somehow I survived on my mistakes,
They say it makes me stronger, but why does it take longer,
Getting up these days

Yea I'm old enough to have a few regrets,
I'm still young enough to have my dreams,
Maybe that's the reason that my life ain't over yet,
All the places and faces I ain't seen,
I probably won't have time to see them all,
But then again I never thought I'd live this long

I've been living on truck stop coffee
Cigarettes and vitamin see
It's a wonder that the devil ain't caught me
I guess he's tired of playing hide and seek
Been driving like I been struck by lighting
I think about you and I start to speed
I might as well be playing with matches
In a trailer load of gasoline

If it's the last thing I do
If it takes me from Tubilo to Timbuktu
If it's the last thing I do
I'm gonna dodge every road block, speed trap, county cop
To get my hands on you
If it's the last thing I do

A box of chicken and a day old biscuit
Ain't nothing left but a few old bones
I outta stop but I'm gonna risk it
Caffeine got me chewing styrofoam
Girl, I'm calling outta Kansas City
>From a fillin-station telephone
Just had to tell ya what I've been thinkin'
First thing I want to do when I get home

If it's the last thing I do
If it takes me from Tubilo to Timbuktu
If it's the last thing I do
I'm gonna dodge every road block, speed trap, county cop
To get my hands on you
If it's the last thing I do

Been driving like I been struck by lighting
I think about you and I start to speed
I might as well be playing with matches
In a trailer load of gasoline

If it's the last thing I do
If it takes me from Tubilo to Timbuktu
If it's the last thing I do
I'm gonna dodge every road block, speed trap, county cop
To get my hands on you
If it's the last thing I do
If it's the last thing I do
If it's the last thing I do

My old man's backhand used to land
Hard on the side of my head
I just learned to stay out of his way
There's been street fights, blue lights
Long nights with the world sittin' on my chest
It just showed me how much I could take
Hard times, bad luck
Sometimes life sucks

[Chorus]
That's all right, I'm okay
It ain't nothin' but another day
But only God knows where I'd be
If you ever stopped lovin' me

The bank man, the boss man, the lawman
All tryin' to get their hands on me
And I ain't even done a danged thing wrong
I've been waylaid, freight-trained, short-changed
By bigger an' badder men
An' all I got to say is: "Bring it on."
Hard rain, rough road
So my life goes

[Chorus]

I need you
Gotta have you
In my life, on my side
Every day I'm alive
Every night when I'm greedy an' needing
You!

[Chorus]

It ain't nothin' but another day
But only God knows where I'd be
If you ever stopped lovin' me

Baby, never stop lovin' me

Ah, just see what your lovin' does to me

[Verse 1]
Lazy summer sundown, front porch of this old house,
Lightning bugs in a mason jar,
There's a four-lane comming through, they break ground at the end of June,
The counties taking half my yard

It don't matter too much anyway, in the scheme of things,
I still get more than I should

[Chorus]
It's all good , It's alright,
Lord it's always a good day when you're glad to be alive,
Everything I need, ain't too hard to find,
So I don't waste my time complaining,
Cause I don't see how I could,
It's all good

[Verse 2]
Another bill in the box today, new boats gonna have to wait,
My pick-up truck just broke down,
Grass needs mowing, I hear the plants closing,
It won't be the end of this town

Folks round here see things in a different way,
That'll never change,
There's one thing that's understood,

[Chorus: x2]

It's all good, I don't waste my time complaining,
It's all good

I met her down in Tampa Bay
Spring Break '88
She came in to hear my band play
And man, we were on that night
Twin guitars and twenty minute jams
Tush, Cocaine, Sweet Home Alabama
I knew I had her in the palm of my hand
When I stepped in the spotlight
Hot and heavy in that little alley
On a fifteen minute break
We shared a cigarette, a long kiss
Then she stood there by the stage
All night by the stage
Man, what can I say
She loved me
After five long years of tryin to be a star
I sold my axe and I quit them bars
Got a real job fixin trucks and cars
Had a couple new mouths to feed
But eventually that monthly wage
And the finer points of the suburban age
All became bars on a cage
And man it was killin me
I started cussin, gettin mad at nothin
And blamin her for ruinin my life
Started sinkin, cheatin, and-a drinkin
But she stood there by my side
Right there by my side
With tears in her eyes
And she loved me
She loved me
Heaven knows the reasons why
I'll never know the reasons why
She loved me
She finally left three years ago
Married a man out in New Mexico
Calls to say the boys are really growin
God, I miss them kids
As for me, I'm twelve steps down the line
I found a church that I like just fine
I even got a gig playin these songs of mine
They all just reminisce
Hot and heavy in that little alley
On a fifteen minute break
We shared a cigarette, a long kiss
Then she stood there by the stage
All night by the stage
Man, those were the days
When she loved me
She loved me
Heaven knows the reasons why
I'll never know the reasons why
She loved me
Yeah, she loved me
Heaven knows the reasons why
I'll never know the reasons why
She loved me

There's a story that my daddy tells religiously
Like clockwork every time he sees an opening
In a conversation about the way things used to be
Well I'd just roll my eyes
and make a bee-line for the door
But I'd always wind up starry-eyed,
cross-legged on the floor
Hanging on to every word
Man, the things I heard

It was harder times and longer days
Five miles to school, uphill both ways
We were cane switch raised, and dirt floor poor
'Course that was back before the war
Yeah, your uncle and I made quite a pair
Flying F-15's through hostile air
He went down but they missed me by a hair
He'd always stop right there and say...

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of

So I'm graduatin' college,
that was mama's dream
But I was on my way
to anywhere else when I turned 18
Cuz when you gotta fast car
you think you've got everything
I learned quick those GTO's don't run on faith
I ended up broken down in some town north of L.A.
Working maximum hours for minimum wage
Well, I fell in love, next thing I know
The babies came, the car got slow
I sure do miss that old hot rod
But you sure save gas in them foreign jobs
Dad, I wonder if I ever let you down
If you're ashamed how I turned out
Well, he lowered his voice,
then he raised his brow
Said, lemme tell ya right now

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
You don't need to make a million
Just be thankful to be workin'
If you're doing what you're able
And putting food there on the table
And providing for the family that you love
That's something to be proud of

And if all you ever really do is the best you can
Well, you did it man

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of
Yeah, that's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of
Now that's something to be proud of

It's me again, with this whiskey on my breath again,
I'm ashamed about the shape I'm in, how bad I feel,
Damn these tears, Damn this habit that I've had for years,
I'm trying hard to make it disappear, I swear I will

Don't lose faith in me, I know I can win this battle wait and see,
Thanks to you I got a reason to believe,
I can be a stronger man, I know you need me to be a better dad,
Baby I need you to help me make it through, so I'm here talkin to you,
My angel

I watch you sleep, my life changes with every breath you breathe,
I want you to think the worl of me, I want to make you proud,
No it's not too late, to make a man out of this mess I've made,
To put that bottle down and walk away, I will somehow

Don't lose faith in me, I know I can win this battle wait and see,
Thanks to you I got a reason to believe,
I can be a stronger man, I know you need me to be a better dad,
Baby I need you to help me make it through, so I'm here talkin to you,
My angel,
Yea I love you, my angel

Put me on a mountain, way back in the back woods
Put me on a lake with pickin on the line
Put me 'round a campfire cookin' something I just cleaned
You do your thing, I'll do mine

I ain't tradin' in my family's safety
Just to save a little gas
And I'll pray to God any place, any time
And you can bet I'll pick up the phone if Uncle Sam calls me up
You do your thing, I'll do mine

Hey, I'll worry about me
You just worry about you
And I'll believe what I believe
And you believe what you believe too

I ain't gonna spare the rod
'cause that ain't what my daddy did
And I sure know the difference between wrong and right
You know, to me it's all just common sense
A broken rule, a consequence
You do your thing, I'll do mine

Hey, I'll worry about me
You just worry about you
And I'll believe what I believe
And you believe what you believe too

I'm gonna keep on working hard
Make my money the old-fashioned way
I don't want to piece of someone else's pie
If I don't get my fill on life I ain't gonna blame no one but me
You do your thing, I'll do mine

You ain't gonna be my judge
'cause my judge will judge us all one day
You do your thing, I'll do mine

Sometimes I think what turned her on was my ole' broke down boots
She wanted her a real cowboy, it was a phase she was going through
Not one week after she moved in and I caught her paintin' the bedroom blue
Brought home a bottle of pink Chablis, poured out my best home-brew
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls as she packed her things to leave
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, headed out West
She changed her tune to some Hip-Hop mess
Her dark brown hair went to blonde and her pretty blue eyes went to green
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She was sittin' beside the ocean, lookin' out at the waves
Watchin' how they keep on rollin'
But always seemed the same
She called and said she'd been thinkin' about all those quiet country nights
And whatever she thought was so wrong with me
Suddenly seemed alright
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls when her truck pulled into view
She said I changed my mind when I couldn't change you

She changed direction, headed back home
She changed her tune, it's all Haggard and Jones
Had her dark brown hair pulled back and the bluest eyes you ever seen
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, she's back in my arms
She thought it through, had a change of heart
She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

Yeah
Yeah
She changed it all when she couldn't change me

She couldn't change me
She couldn't change me

I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I need to find a place where my heart can go to heal
I need to get there pretty quick
Hey mister, what you got out on that lot you can sell me in a pinch
Maybe one of them souped up muscle cars
The kind that makes you think you're stronger than you are
Color don't matter, no I don't need leather seats
All that really concerns me is:

[Chorus:]
Speed, an' how fast will it go
Can it get me over her quickly
Zero to sixty, can it outrun her memory
Yeah, what I really need
Is an open road
An' a whole lot of speed

I'd like to trade in this old truck
'Cause it makes me think of her and that just slows me up
See, it's the first place we made love, where we used to sit and talk
On the tailgate all night long, but now she's gone
An' I need to move on
So give me:

[Chorus]

Throw me them keys so I can put some miles between us
Tear off that rear view mirror, there's nothing left to see here, yeah
Let me lean on that gas, oh she catches up fast
So give me:

[Chorus]

That's what I need
I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I'm tired of spinning my wheels

Ninety-four degrees as far as the eye can see
Corn is blowing in the wind
Seven days a week out here in this heat
A gentle rain my only friend

Sometimes when the sun goes down
The moon is full the stars come out
I look out across this land
I'm proud of what I do
But I bet I'm a lot like you
I want to be more than who I am

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind
To find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
When you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow

It's a simple life I lead
Not much out here to bother me
Just an occasional stubborn crow
I should be satisfied or so it seems
I got lots of time to dream
About all I'm gonna do when I turn down this road

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind to find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
When you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind to find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
And when you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow
Just a scarecrow
Just a scarecrow

How many Mrs. Rights have I had go wrong
Every one that's come along
And how many finish lines
Have I had in sight and never crossed
Every one I ever saw
When it looks like I might win
I go and break my heart again

Things aren't good unless they're bad
And I ain't happy 'til I'm sad
When I see the good life closing in
I go and break my heart
Break my heart again

Why do I think I can
When I know I won't
I always end up alone
Why would a lonely man
Hold love in his hands and let it go
Well I don't know
All I know is in the end
I go and break my heart again

Things aren't good unless they're bad
And I ain't happy 'til I'm sad
When I see the good life closing in
I go and break my heart
Break my heart again

Things aren't good unless they're bad
And I ain't happy 'til I'm sad
When I see the good life closing in
I go and break my heart
Break my heart again

And I break my heart again
And I break my heart again
And I break my heart again

Ah, let me tell you a little story about my family

Daddy almost made a living
With eighty acres and a plow
He could've bought that place twice over
Working for someone in town
Ah, but you should've seen him
In his fields at harvest time
He'd swear the gates of heaven opened
And he was standing first in line

You can't be in it for the money
Money comes and money goes
You can't be in it for the money
Oh, you got to satisfy your soul

I grabbed the world when I turned eighteen
I turned it over and I shook it hard
I filled my pockets up with money
But it burned a hole right through my heart

You can't be in it for the money
Money comes and money goes
You can't be in it for the money
Oh, you got to satisfy your soul

You know everybody's got a purpose
From mending bones to tending bar
You might say that I found mine
When I wrap my hands around this guitar

And I still wonder if I'm crazy
Trying to bring a dream to life
But I look forward to tomorrow
And I sleep pretty good at night

You can't be in it for the money
Money comes and money goes
You can't be in it for the money
Oh, you got to satisfy your soul

You can't be in it for the money
You can't be in it for the money

I slept straight through to eight a.m.
That same old lame alarm clock excuse
Just ain't gonna work again
Well, I light a Marlboro for breakfast
On the way out the door
That's the third day this month
I had too many the night before
And judging from the past
It won't be the last

It's a free fall
When your back's against the wall
When you hit rock bottom and the bottom drops out
How's a man supposed to stand tall
Well the high life ain't my life
I can't walk a line
And I damn sure ain't gonna crawl
Just living in a free fall

With a shovel in my hand and a hammer in my head
Right about now I can think of a thousand things
I'd rather do instead
But I'm digging this hole for my dignity
I think I've finally come to understand
Workin' for the Man ain't workin' for me
I can only take so much
My only way to go is up

From a free fall
When your back's against the wall
When you hit rock bottom and the bottom drops out
How's a man supposed to stand tall
Well the high life ain't my life
I can't walk a line
And I damn sure ain't gonna crawl
Living in a free fall

It's a free fall
When your back's against the wall
When you hit rock bottom and the bottom drops out
How's a man supposed to stand tall
Well the high life ain't my life
I can't walk a line
And I damn sure ain't gonna crawl
Just living in a free fall
Free fall

Eye on the crowd, baby
For folks who want to satisfy my need
Someway, somehow
Gonna find someone to spend some time with me
Well I ain't lookin' forever
Just a woman to treat a good man right
You look so good you got me thinkin'
You might satisfy my soul tonight

There's no harm done
I know you're the one
You don't have to worry
No hurry
The night's still young
I'm just looking for some good clean fun

I ain't lookin' for a woman
Who's always tryin' to put me down
I don't want nobody
Giving me that same old run around

I ain't leavin' I'm just leanin'
And I'm lookin' for that good time thing
And I could tell by the way you're acting
Girl, you know exactly what I'm thinkin'

There's no harm done
I know you're the one
You don't have to worry
No hurry
The night's still young
I'm just looking for some good clean fun

Don't want to slow down,
don't want to move too slow
I am so confused, I don't know what to do
So please don't think I'm moving in for the kill
If you don't want to love me somebody else will

Don't want to slow down,
don't want to move too slow
I am so confused, I don't know what to do
So please don't think I'm moving in for the kill
But if you don't want to love me
somebody else will

There's no harm done
I know you're the one
You don't have to worry
No hurry
The night's still young
I'm just looking for some good clean fun
Looking for some
Oh, baby
Looking for some good clean fun
Looking for fun

He works way too much for way too little
He drinks way too early till way too late
He hasn't had a raise since new years day
In eighty-eight gets trampled on by everyone
Except when he comes in here
And he's the product of the Haggard generation
He's got a redneck side when you get him agitated
He got the gold toothed look from a stiff right hook
He's proud he took for his right wing stand on Vietnam
Says he lost his brother there

He yells out Johnny Cash
And the band starts to play
A ring of fire as he walks up
And stands there by the stage
And he say

[Chorus]
Hell yeah! Turn it up! Right on!
Hell yeah! Sounds good! Sing that song!
Guitar man playing all night long
Take me back to where the music hit me
Life was good and love was easy

She's got an MBA and a plush corner office
She's got a don't mess with me attitude
She'll close a deal she don't reveal that she can feel
The loneliness the emptiness
Except when she comes in here
She's the product of the Me generation
She's got a rock and roll side when you get her agitated
She got the tattoo there on her derri??짢re from a spring break dare
In Panama where love was all she thought she'd ever need

She yells out to the band
Know any Bruce Springsteen
Then she jumps up on the bar
And she, and she starts to scream
She say

[Chorus]

Yeah, yeah
Can or can't you get my mind off thinking about
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Hey, hell yeah

[Chorus: x2]

I know it's over I won't hide from that
Once that door closes you won't be coming back
I've only one favor left to ask of you
If your heart's not hurting too

Lie before you leave and tell me we were something
Say that leaving me will be your great regret
Say it sweet enough that one day
It'll feel like it was love that we made
Do this thing for me
Set my mind at ease
Lie before you leave

I never doubted you made me believe
That deep down inside you really cared for me
But if that was just some kind of spell you weaved
That's fine
As long as you work that magic one more time

Lie before you leave and tell me we were something
Say that leaving me will be your great regret
Say it sweet enough that one day
It'll feel like it was love that we made
Do this thing for me
Set my mind at ease
Lie before you leave

Lie before you leave and tell me we were something
Say that leaving me will be your great regret
Say it sweet enough that one day
It'll feel like it was love that we made
Do this thing for me
Set my mind at ease
Lie before you leave
Lie before you leave

One coffee cup, one toothbrush
One set of keys, one car out in the drive
One half of the closet empty
One half of the bed cold at night
One of us just up and disappeared
That only leaves one of us 'round here

Lonesome
Can drive a man insane
Lonesome
It's the sad part of the game
Win some, lose some
Lonesome

One man and one woman
One too many cold and bitter fights
One high powered lawyer later
One piece of paper they want me to sign
The hand she used to hold picks up the pen
And all at once reality sets in

Lonesome
Can drive a man insane
Lonesome
It's the sad part of the game
Win some, lose some
Lonesome

Lonesome
Lonesome
Lonesome

There's a for-sale sign on a big ol rusty tractor
You can't miss it it's the first thing that you see
Just up the road a pale blue water tower
With I love ginny painted in bright green
Hey that's my uncle bill there by the courthouse
He'll be lowering the flag when the sun goes down
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]
Hey where I was born
Where I was raised
Where I keep all my yesterdays
Where I ran off cause I got mad
And I came to blows with my old man
Where I came back to settle down
This is where they'll put me in the ground
This is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
Yea this is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
This is my town

There ain't much going on here since they closed the mill
The whistle still blows everyday at noon
A bunch of us still go down to the diner
Wonder if that interstates still comin' through
Come the Sunday morning service at the church of christ
There ain't an empty seat to be found
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

Well I bought and painted up that rusty tractor
You can't miss it its sitting right there in our yard
The county came and took that water tower
And that's Ginny with a baby in the car
We're off to Sunday service at the church of Christ
And if we want a seat we better leave right now
And maybe later me and ol t-roy will show you around
Our town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

There's a for-sale sign on a big ol rusty tractor
You can't miss it it's the first thing that you see
Just up the road a pale blue water tower
With I love ginny painted in bright green
Hey that's my uncle bill there by the courthouse
He'll be lowering the flag when the sun goes down
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]
Hey where I was born
Where I was raised
Where I keep all my yesterdays
Where I ran off cause I got mad
And I came to blows with my old man
Where I came back to settle down
This is where they'll put me in the ground
This is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
Yea this is my town
Nah na nah nah nah
This is my town

There ain't much going on here since they closed the mill
The whistle still blows everyday at noon
A bunch of us still go down to the diner
Wonder if that interstates still comin' through
Come the Sunday morning service at the church of christ
There ain't an empty seat to be found
And this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

Well I bought and painted up that rusty tractor
You can't miss it its sitting right there in our yard
The county came and took that water tower
And that's Ginny with a baby in the car
We're off to Sunday service at the church of Christ
And if we want a seat we better leave right now
And maybe later me and ol t-roy will show you around
Our town

Nah na nah nah nah

Yea this is my town

Nah na nah nah nah

[Chorus]

Ninety-four degrees as far as the eye can see
Corn is blowing in the wind
Seven days a week out here in this heat
A gentle rain my only friend

Sometimes when the sun goes down
The moon is full the stars come out
I look out across this land
I'm proud of what I do
But I bet I'm a lot like you
I want to be more than who I am

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind
To find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
When you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow

It's a simple life I lead
Not much out here to bother me
Just an occasional stubborn crow
I should be satisfied or so it seems
I got lots of time to dream
About all I'm gonna do when I turn down this road

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind to find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
When you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow

One of these days I'm gonna run
I'm gonna leave these fields behind to find what's over the horizon
One of these days I'm gonna go
And when you look at me you're not gonna see
A scarecrow
Just a scarecrow
Just a scarecrow

I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I need to find a place where my heart can go to heal
I need to get there pretty quick
Hey mister, what you got out on that lot you can sell me in a pinch
Maybe one of them souped up muscle cars
The kind that makes you think you're stronger than you are
Color don't matter, no I don't need leather seats
All that really concerns me is:

[Chorus:]
Speed, an' how fast will it go
Can it get me over her quickly
Zero to sixty, can it outrun her memory
Yeah, what I really need
Is an open road
An' a whole lot of speed

I'd like to trade in this old truck
'Cause it makes me think of her and that just slows me up
See, it's the first place we made love, where we used to sit and talk
On the tailgate all night long, but now she's gone
An' I need to move on
So give me:

[Chorus]

Throw me them keys so I can put some miles between us
Tear off that rear view mirror, there's nothing left to see here, yeah
Let me lean on that gas, oh she catches up fast
So give me:

[Chorus]

That's what I need
I'm tired of spinning my wheels
I'm tired of spinning my wheels

When I was just a little baby
My mama held my hand
Tried to hold me steady all she could
But I pulled just like a full-grown man
Now mama was a real fine woman
Only angel I've ever known
Guess I must have turned out more like my daddy
A chip off the rollin' stone

Sometimes I wake up sweatin'
Yeah, eyes open wide
I feel like a freight train comin'
I wish I knew the reason why
Why do I feel like running

I love the life I'm livin'
I've made myself a happy home
I've got a woman who's in love with a man
But she's worried about my gypsy bone

Sometimes I wake up sweatin'
Yeah, eyes open wide
I feel like a freight train comin'
I wish I knew the reason why
Why do I feel like running

I tell her I ain't never leavin'
I only travel with my mind
A part of her knows that I'm in it for the long haul
But part of her knows I'm lyin'

Sometimes I wake up sweatin'
Yeah, eyes open wide
I feel like a freight train comin'
I wish I knew the reason why
Why do I feel like running

Why do I feel like running
Why do I feel like running
Why do I feel like running
Why do I feel like running
Yeah
I guess it's just my daddy's blood
That's right

Didn't I make you proud
Go and lay my life down
When you called my name
I thought I stood for something
Was doing the right thing when I went away
Now being back should be so simple
But I keep getting mixed signals from everyone
Why do folks sit and judge me
Who I ain't seen what I seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn
Didn't I bleed enough for you
I faced your fears
Felt pain so you won't have to
Didn't I do my best
And wasn't home here when I left

I've seen boys fall to pieces
Grown men cry out for Jesus
Til they're black and blue
I thought God was on our side
Weren't we suppose to be the good guys
That would never lose
Cause I don't see no ticker tape
Or five mile parade
Saying "Thank You son"
Just folks that sit and judge me
Who ain't seen what I've seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn
Didn't I bleed enough for you
I faced your fears
Felt pain so you won't have to
Didn't I do my best
And wasn't home here when I left.

It's all the same
only the names will change
Everyday
it seems we're wasting away
Another place
where the faces are so cold
I'd drive all night
Just to get back home

I'm a cowboy
on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted
Dead or alive
Wanted
Dead or alive

Sometimes I sleep
sometimes it's not for days
And the people I meet
always go their seperate ways
Sometimes you tell the day
by the bottle that you drink
Sometimes when you're alone
all you do is think

I'm a cowboy (cowboy)
on steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (Wanted)
Dead or alive
Wanted (Wanted)
Dead or alive

And I Ride

I'm a cowboy (cowboy)
on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (Wanted)
Dead or alive

And I walk these streets
a loaded six string on my back
I play for keeps
'cause I might not make it back
I been everywhere (everywhere)
still I'm standing tall
I've seen a million faces and
I've rocked them all

Cause I'm a cowboy (Cowboy)
on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted (wanted)
Dead or alive

Well I'm a cowboy (cowboy)
I got the night on my side
I'm wanted (wanted)
Dead or alive

And I ride
(And I ride)

Dead or Alive

I still drive
(I still drive)

Dead or Alive (5x's)

Every Friday evening about sundown
Ole' Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam
Come ridin' their mules and leading their hounds
Down to my place
They holler "Hey son" have you got a drink
Gonna make it hard on you if you ain't

I'd grin and point to a jug coolin' in the spring
They turn the hounds loose and let'em run
Drink a little whiskey and have a lot of fun
Talk about the days when they were younger than nowadays

Talk about women young and old
It was hard to believe all the stories told
Wonder how they to be as old as they are now
Well Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam
Fought together in Vietnam
Mean as hell but they say, "Yes ma'am" to your momma

They gambled away all the money they made
Knowing they was never gonna change their ways
Living out every single day like another wasn't comin'

Well Ole' Black Jack Fletcher was an ornery man
Mississippi Sam didn't give a damn
They'd steal a lady from a man while he was lookin'
Well there ain't no doubt they was both outlaws
Turnin' yellow corn into alcohol
But they never hurt no one who didn't need a hurtin'

Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam
Always getting in and out of a jam
Makin' up their own law of the land, while a runnin'
They knew life was just a luck of the draw
So they played a game with the local law
Laughin' and sayin' a catchin' comes before a hangin'

Now I wouldn't take nothin' for those days
Every now and then I visit their graves
And as the moon hangs in the haze
I have me a drink to Fletcher and Sam

There's those who turn their nose up
When we play our music loud
Those folks would love to take control
And turn our volume down
But we come from the country
And we live by the code
That if it feels good; we're gonna do it
There ain't no middle of the road

And no one's gonna tell me
How to live my life
'Cause it's my life
And it ain't nobody's business
What kind of flag I fly
'Cause that's my right

We just love what we're doing
You can hear it in our songs
We ain't gonna break
Ain't gonna bend
We're just carrying on

It's a sign of the times, everybody trying
To be politically correct
But worrying 'bout what other people think
Will make you a nervous wreck
Well we're just here to tear the house down

With the many or the few
There ain't no law against having a ball
And that's just what we'll do

And no one's gonna tell me
How to live my life
'Cause it's my life
And it ain't nobody's business
What kind of flag I fly
'Cause that's my right

And no one's gonna tell me
How to live my life
'Cause it's my life
And it ain't nobody's business
What kind of flag I fly
'Cause that's my right

Weatherman says, "It might hit ninety - five. "
September's goinna' feel more like July
He's callin' for a night that's warm and mild
I think he missed it by a mile
He just don't know that you're gone
I feel a cold one comin' on

Drivin' home gets longer every day
I found new things to do along the way
A bar room ain't no place to run and hide
From the memories of a love that said goodbye
I'm sick and tired of right or wrong
I feel a cold one comin' on

Makes you wanta' start thinkin' about drinkin'
If I don't find a way to ease my mind
Leave all this behind
I'm goinna' go crazy. without you baby
A bar room or that bed room back at home
I feel a cold one comin' on

Makes you wanta' start thinkin' about drinkin'
If I don't find a way to ease my mind
Leave all this behind
I'm goinna' go crazy. without you baby
A bar room or that bed room back at home
I feel a cold one comin' on

A bar room or that bedroom back at home
I feel a cold one comin' on

She likes to read her Bible I like a good bar room rival
Sunday morning she's in church while my hangover just gets worse
We see things differently but she's hell-bent on saving me
She's got her life in tact and mine's been to hell and back
She's an angel, she's a saint there's two things that I ain't
I fell from a different tree but she's hell-bent on saving me

I know she could make me better if I would only let her
Guess a little compromise couldn't hurt
I'm willin' to bend a little if she meet me in the middle
If she'll come my way I'll go her's
Oh please please she's hell-bent on saving me

Lord you may not remember me I sang in church when I was three
It's been a while since I called on you
But could you tell her that my love is true
I can't wear no golden halo
I'll try to walk the straight and narrow
Could you help me change enough I don't want to loose her love
Please please she's hell-bent on saving me

I know she could make me better if I would only let her
Guess a little compromise couldn't hurt
I'm willin' to bend a little if she meet me in the middle
If she'll come my way I'll go her's
Oh please please she's hell-bent on saving me

I'm not one to whine or cry or wallow in self-pity
I take life in stride and smell the roses when I can
I am one of those lucky guys who's happy just to be here
Doin' what I love and thankful that I am

With all of life's temptations
And this dream that I've been chasin'
It's a wonder I ain't long since dead and gone
I've cheated undertakers, dang near met my maker
I'm tellin' ya'll I'm lucky to be here at all

My hard head, the cigarettes and straight Kentucky Bourbon
Have taken their toll and done their best to do me in
Guitars and beer joint bars up and down the highway
If I could start all over, I'd do it all again

With all of life's temptations
And this dream that I've been chasin'
It's a wonder I ain't long since dead and gone
I've cheated undertakers, dang near met my maker
I'm tellin' ya'll I'm lucky to be here at all

And when I die I'll thank the good Lord face to face
For his patience and grace

With all of life's temptations
And this dream that I've been chasin'
It's a wonder I ain't long since dead and gone
I've cheated undertakers, dang near met my maker
I'm tellin' ya'll I'm lucky to be here at all

Old white washed barn doors
Rain rusted tin
Straw packed shirt and blue jeans
Hangin' in the wind
There's never time for these bones to mend

Up before the sun dries
The frost on my fields
I've got the diesel burnin'
Turnin' these four wheels

Across this land I been handed down
Feel my roots run deep in this ground

So stand me up tall in this seat
Lord help me guide this plow beneath my feet
And turn this earth over one more time
Some say this way of life is done
But not for my father's son

Three Generations
Before I ever came
Cut back these timbers
And bet their lives on grain

And I want to see just once before I die
Us doin' more than just barely getting by

So stand me up tall in this seat
Lord help me guide this plow beneath my feet
And turn this earth over one more time
Some say this way of life is done
But not for my father's son

Now and then I walk my fence
Down by the old country road
And watch the cars go rushin' by
And disappear like ghosts

Out where the sky meets the amber waves
Yeah I'm a rock in this land God made

So stand me up tall in this seat
Lord help me guide this plow beneath my feet
And turn this earth over one more time
Some say this way of life is done
But not for my father's son

I've been down the Mississippi, down through New Orleans
I've played in California there ain't too much I haven't seen
I'm a Ramblin' Man
Don't fool around with a Ramblin' Man

Left a girl in West Virginia
Up there where the green grass grows
Got a girl in Cincinnati, waitin' where the Ohio River flows
I'm a Ramblin' Man
Don't give your heart to a Ramblin' Man

You better move away
You're standing too close to the flame
Once I mess with your mind
Your little heart won't be the same

I'm a Ramblin' Man
Don't mess around with a Ramblin' Man

Well, up in Chicago I was known as quite a boy
Down in Alabama they call me the man of joy
I'm a Ramblin' Man
Don't fall in love with a Ramblin' Man

You better move away
You're standing too close to the flame
Once I mess with your mind
Your little heart won't be the same

I'm a Ramblin' Man
Don't mess around with a Ramblin' Man

Sometimes I think what turned her on was my ole' broke down boots
She wanted her a real cowboy, it was a phase she was going through
Not one week after she moved in and I caught her paintin' the bedroom blue
Brought home a bottle of pink Chablis, poured out my best home-brew
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls as she packed her things to leave
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, headed out West
She changed her tune to some Hip-Hop mess
Her dark brown hair went to blonde and her pretty blue eyes went to green
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She was sittin' beside the ocean, lookin' out at the waves
Watchin' how they keep on rollin'
But always seemed the same
She called and said she'd been thinkin' about all those quiet country nights
And whatever she thought was so wrong with me
Suddenly seemed alright
I was sittin' on the porch in my over-alls when her truck pulled into view
She said I changed my mind when I couldn't change you

She changed direction, headed back home
She changed her tune, it's all Haggard and Jones
Had her dark brown hair pulled back and the bluest eyes you ever seen
She changed everything when she couldn't change me

She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

She changed direction, she's back in my arms
She thought it through, had a change of heart
She said I guess when you love someone, you just gotta let it be
She changed her mind when she couldn't change me

Yeah
Yeah
She changed it all when she couldn't change me

She couldn't change me
She couldn't change me

I told my mom goodbye when I was eighteen
She told me bye for good at age seventy-three
She was an angel right here on earth
There was sure a fine line between heaven and her

I went and married the woman I loved
Three years of me later she had enough
Just one more angel I didn't deserve
There was sure a fine line between heaven and her

Feels like everything I love I lose
And God giveth and He takes away
Prayin's the right thing to do
But I don't fell like prayin' today
So I think I'll just sit here
And drink for a spell
Cause there's sure a fine line between heaven and hell

Now I'm headed nowhere ninety-nine miles an hour
In a '62 Dodge with three hundred horsepower
If she holds together I might get the nerve
To cross that fine line between heaven and her

Feels like everything I love I lose
And God giveth and He takes away
Prayin's the right thing to do
But I don't feel like prayin' today
So maybe I'll just slow down
And think for a spell
Cause there's sure a fine line between heaven and hell.

Everybody's talking saying this will never last
Trying to see the future
Judging me by my past
I've always been a sinner
But I've never claimed to be
Anymore than what I am
What you get is what you see

I've always had a wild side
I've always stood just a little outside the lines
Living on the edge out of control
Too hard to handle,
Too free to hold

Too hard to handle, and just too free to hold

I ain't no urban cowboy
I ain't no country plowboy
I'm a music man
I've got a whole lot of southern pride
A whole lot of rowdy friends

I've got whiskey on my breath
A big heart in my chest
I won't let you down
I'll stand up and fight
Lay down and die for the love I've found

I've always had a wild side
I've always stood just a little outside the lines
Living on the edge out of control
Too hard to handle,
Too free to hold
Too hard to handle, and just too free to hold

Too hard to handle and too free to hold

I was born in a small town in the hills of Tennessee
Kentucky raised, just a country boy and that's all I'll ever be
My daddy ran a still house to keep us kids alive
Just doin' what he had to do after mama died
The same people that called him no good
Would meet him in the back woods for a little taste
He said I may take your money but don't put yourself above me
Don't cut me down as you walk away

You don't know me you don't know who I am
You don't know the pain that I've been through
So don't judge me till you stand where I stand
I don't need you or anyone else to approve
Cause the blood in these veins is tried and true

I left home at sixteen with a guitar on my back
With everything I called my own I carried in a paper sack
Spent years of havin' nothin' and sleepin' in my car
I'd drive all day and play all night
In the honky tonks and bars

The same people that called me crazy
Said I'm too lazy to amount to anything
Are the first ones to the stage just beggin' for a little taste
Who say you knew me when nobody knew my name but

You don't know me you don't know who I am
You don't know the pain that I've been through
So don't judge me till you stand where I stand
I don't need you or anyone else to approve
Cause the blood in these veins is tried and true

The same people that called me crazy
Said I'm too lazy to amount to anything
Are the first ones to the stage just beggin' for a little taste
Who say you knew me when nobody knew my name but

You don't know me you don't know who I am
You don't know the pain that I've been through
So don't judge me till you stand where I stand
I don't need you or anyone else to approve
Cause the blood in these veins is tried and true

The blood in these veins is tried and true

Some kids grew up on mean streets
Dealin' with the crips and bloods
But me I was born on a back road
In a 4X4 rollin' through the mud

The street kid deals with the dealer
And he's always watchin' his back
Me, I'm watchin' a line, with a woman of mine
Down by the creek bank shack

Give me a .308 and a shotgun
And a gallon of homemade wine
Drop me off on a mountainside
Where the bear and the deer reside
I'll spend my nights sittin' round the fire
Makin' this guitar ring
I'll be doin' fine underneath the pines
While the world goes down the drain

Just to dwell on life in the city
Is makin' my blood run cold
'Cause miles and miles of concrete
Eats away at the human soul

When you live and die in the country
There's a little that your heart can mourn
With your hands in the dirt and a little work
You can weather out any storm

Give me a .308 and a shotgun
And a gallon of homemade wine
Drop me off on a mountainside
Where the bear and the deer reside
I'll spend my nights sittin' round the fire
Makin' this guitar ring
I'll be doin' fine underneath the pines
While the world goes down the drain

I'll be doin' fine underneath the pines
While the world goes down the drain

Well the party started early,
About a quarter-to-three
Just a few close friends,
Charlie, Troy, and me
We just got started when somebody asked
How long you think this party's gonna last?

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

Well the next door neighbors
Started raising a fuss
Said you had a party
And you didn't call us
I said put on your dancing shoes and come along
We'll be here till the cows come home

And that's all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

(Guitar)

We'll be jumping through the windows
And sneaking down the halls
Dancing on the ceiling,
Dancing on the wall
The last thing I remember
'fore the lights went out
I jumped up on the table and I started to shout

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long
(I mean all night long)

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk
At our Christmas party
We were drinkin' champagne punch
And homemade eggnog
Little sister brought her new boyfriend
He was a Mexican
We didn't know what to think of him
Til he sang Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad

Brother Ken brought his kids with him
The three from his first wife Lynn
And the two identical twins
From his second wife Mary Nell
Of course he brought his new wife Kaye
Who talks all about AA
Chain smokin' while the stereo plays
Noel, Noel, The first Noel

Carve the turkey turn the ball game on
Mix Margaritas when the eggnog's gone
Send somebody to the Quik-Pak store
We need some ice and an extension cord
A can of bean dip and some Diet Rite
A box of pampers , some Marlboro Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family

Fran and Rita drove from Harlingen
I can't remember how I'm kin to them
But when they tried to plug their motor home in
They blew our christmas lights
Cousin David knew just what went wrong
So we all waited on our front lawn
He threw the breaker and the lights came on
And we sang Silent Night
Oh Silent Night o' holy night

Carve the turkey turn the ballgame on
Mix Bloody Marys cause we all want one
Send somebody to the Stop 'n Go
We need some celery and a can of fake snow
A bag of lemons and some Diet Sprite
A box of midol, some Salem Lights
Hallelujah everybody say cheese
Merry Christmas from the family Feliz Navidad

Well the party started early,
About a quarter-to-three
Just a few close friends,
Charlie, Troy, and me
We just got started when somebody asked
How long you think this party's gonna last?

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

Well the next door neighbors
Started raising a fuss
Said you had a party
And you didn't call us
I said put on your dancing shoes and come along
We'll be here till the cows come home

And that's all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

(Guitar)

We'll be jumping through the windows
And sneaking down the halls
Dancing on the ceiling,
Dancing on the wall
The last thing I remember
'fore the lights went out
I jumped up on the table and I started to shout

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long
(I mean all night long)

I said all night long (all night long)
I said all night long (all night long)
We'll be rockin' we'll be rollin'
Gonna boogie-woogie all night long

His cows get loose and run right through the fast food parking lots
And Daddy gets calls from the mini-malls
When they're downwind from his hogs
When his tractor backs up traffic, the reception ain't too warm
The city's growing around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

He worked and slaved in '68, he bought these fields and trees
He raised his corn and a big red barn and a healthy family
He learned to love the woodlands, he can't stand to do them harm
There's concrete all around him, but Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

One day he's gonna leave it all to me
And I'll start my own branch of the family tree
They'll get the message written on the roof of the barn
Daddy won't sell the farm

You can't roll a rock, up a hill that steep
You can't pull roots when they run that deep
He's gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm

We're gonna live and die, in the eye of an urban storm
Daddy won't sell the farm
Oh you know a country boy can survive

Sorry to hear
That you're down on luck
Sometimes you give
Til you just give up
It's hard to find
A true love these days
Who won't break your heart
Or leave your mind in a haze
I'm here to tell you
It doesn't have to be that way
There's just no reason
For losin' faith
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
We'll walk you in the moonlight
We'll ask about your dreams
We'll even carve your name in an old willow tree
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
It's more than flowers
It's bigger than diamond rings
It's talkin' for hours
And all those little things
And I will hold you
When the nights get long
And if you're feelin' weak
I will make you strong
And I won't run when it starts lookin' tough
It all comes down to a little respect for love
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
We'll walk you in the moonlight
We'll ask about your dreams
We'll even carve your name in an old willow tree
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
Didn't your mama tell ya
Where we'd be found
Didn't your mama tell y a
That we're still around
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
We'll walk you in the moonlight
We'll ask about your dreams
We'll even carve your name in an old willow tree
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
Didn't your mama tell ya
Didn't your mama tell ya
Didn't your mama tell ya
'Bout boys like me
Didn't your mama tell ya

I was there when the men came, and told us all the news
Father forgive them for they know not what they do
Till they walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes

You want to judge me by the whiskey on my breath
You think you know me but you ain't seen nothing yet
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

You work all day in the muck and the mire
Dance a little jig and a stomp by the fire
Ain't too much these boots can't do
Might even kick a little sense into you

Well I'm going up cripple creek going in a run
Going up cripple creek to have a little fun
Law man said they found some tracks
People saw them leavin but they never come back

Oh, you don't know me, you don't know, you don't know you don't know
Till you walk a while, a country mile
In my hillbilly shoes
In my hillbilly shoes

Well I've spent more money than I've made
And I've grown more whiskers than I've shaved
I've worked harder getting out of work
But I've loved a lot more than I've hurt
I've spilled more whiskey than I've drank
I drove up more gas than was in my tank
I've lost a lot more than my shirt
But I've loved a lot more than I've hurt

Oh I hurt a little now and then,
But when you're broke you learn to bend
The bottom line for what its worth,
I've loved a lot more than I've hurt

Well I walk a lot more than I ride
And I show a lot more than I hide
I'm sometimes more trouble than I'm worth,
But I've loved a lot more than I've hurt

Oh I hurt a little now and then,
But when you're broke you learn to bend
The bottom line for what its worth,
I've loved a lot more than I've hurt

Yea the bottom line for what its worth
I've loved a lot more than I've hurt.

I've never had a broken bone
I hardly ever get a cold
I keep myself in pretty good shape
But I know I wouldn't here today

If a broken heart could kill
I'd be long gone
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust by now
Six feet under, a tombstone on a hill
Lying there alone in my new wooden home
If a broken heart could kill

I've run the rapids, jumped from a plane
Been through earth quakes and hurricanes
I've climbed mountains, been a rodea clown
But after you, I'm lucky I'm still around

If a broken heart could kill
I'd be long gone
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust by now
Six feet under, a tombstone on a hill
Lying there alone in my new wooden home
If a broken heart could kill

Yeah I'd be heaven bound, Or on my way down
If a broken heart could kill.

Pulled in the driveway, picked up the paper
Found my key, and unlocked the door
I walked in, felt like a stranger
Like I'd never been there before
As I wandered room to room
It was silent as a tomb
Could have heard a teardrop
Could have heard a heartbreak
Never saw the flood come
Even though I felt the rain
Never heard a house sound
So loud with memories
Where there used to be
A happy home
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone
If she talked about leaving, I wasn't listening
If she showed me a sign, well I never saw
Did she stop believing, did I stop giving
Can't put my finger on what went wrong
Now the quietest noise I'm told, is the sound of letting go
Could have heard a teardrop
Could have heard a heartbreak
Never saw the flood come, even though I felt the rain
Never heard a house sound, so loud with memories
Where there used to be a happy home
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone
Whoa...never heard a house sound
So loud with memories
Where there used to be a happy home
In the house on the corner
In the house on the corner
Of lonely and gone

I could say it's all her fault
She never had any patience at all
I'm a complicated guy
And she didn't try to understand

I could claim I had nothing to do
With the fact I'm lonesome and blue
But that wouldn't be true
I'm a self made man

Yeah I'm the one that fooled around
And let the one who loved me down
She had more of me than she could stand
I blamed everyone but me
But now that it's too late I see
Nobody helped me get to where I am
I'm a self made man

I could blame it on the way I was raised
Or I could say I was just to afraid
To lay my heart in somebody else's hands
I could always make one more excuse
But in the end what's the use
I might as well face
I'm a self made man

Yeah I'm the one that fooled around
And let the one who loved me down
She had more of me than she could stand
I blamed everyone but me
But now that it's too late I see
Nobody helped me get to where I am
I'm a self made man

Oh I blamed everyone but me
But now that its to late I see
Nobody helped me get to where I am
I'm a self made man
Self made man
Self made man
I can't blame anybody but me

Young kid stepped in from the cold, he ordered up a drink
He said don't look surprised old man
I'm older than you think

If I was the talkin' kind, I could tell you a thing or two
And since you didn't ask let me show you my tattoos
He said I got this rose in Memphis

In some back old alley dump picked this eagle up in Dallas
Man, I sure was good and drunk and you know the way I see it
If it gets any worse out there, a guy like me hasn't got a prayer

The old man poured some coffee, he said this one's on me
Set down his cigarette and rolled up his sleeve
Take a good look here my friend, you see what these are
Just my ragged old and jagged ordinary scars

He said I got this one in Paris in a war 'fore you were born
And this one when I was half your age workin' on my daddy's farm
And you know the way I see it son, you ain't seen what I've seen
'Cause tattoos and scars are different things

He said I've been here for all these years
And what I know is this, if you look and listen close
A man will show you what he is, you know the way I see it
You've been 'round but you're still green
'Cause tattoos and scars are different things

Young kid stepped in from the cold and he ordered up a drink
He said don't look surprised old man
I'm older than you think

Trouble is, I can't make her see
I've said some bad things I didn't mean
Now it's all come down to this
She's not here, trouble is.

Trouble is, she's over me.
And it's no use to beg and plead.
It's too late to make amends.
She's not here, trouble is.

Trouble is, dark, cold, and lonely.
Trouble is this big half-empty bed.
Now there's no one around to hold me.
She's not here, trouble is.

Trouble is, my closest friend.
She moved out and it moved in
Now its here to stay I guess
That's just the way trouble is.

Trouble is, dark, cold, and lonely.
Trouble is this big half-empty bed.
Now there's no one around to hold me.
That's just the way trouble is.
Now there's no one around to hold me.
She's not here trouble is.

I've been lookin' for a sign
Runnin' through the rain
Shivered to the bone
But I still can't shake the pain

I've been lookin' for a sign
Crawlin' on the ground
And what did I do today
Well, I can't remember now

Tryin' to survive
Best way I know how
But my heart just keeps on wantin'
The one that doesn't want me now
So what if I go crazy
Goin' there keeps me alive
But livin' makes it clear
That I'm just stuck right here
Tryin' to survive

I won't stay down long
I'll be back again
?N I'll even learn to smile
Just wish I knew when

Tryin' to survive
Best way I know how
But my heart just keeps on wantin'
The one that doesn't want me now
So what if I go crazy
Goin' there keeps me alive
But livin' makes it clear
That I'm just stuck right here
Tryin' to survive