I remember William,
We weren't much more than kids
His family lived in a run down shack,
Like the rest of the white trash did.
Now me n ole William
Used to smoke out by the barn
'Till his daddy caught him stealin' cigarettes
I still think he broke Williams arm
Chorus
Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mammas eye
And your daddy was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
When I was drinkin' my first beer
Ole William was gettin' high
He got kicked outta school for fightin' and drugs
And he stayed out late at night
The last time I seen William
He was married and had two kids
He tried to raise 'em like he was supposed to
But sometimes he raised 'em like his daddy did
Chorus
Yea William, you grew up hard and mean
You weren't the apple of your mamma's eye
And your daddy was a burned out fiend
For what it's worth now William
I know you coulda had a heart of gold
I don't think you ever knew that you had one
I don't think you were ever told.
Just last Sunday mornin'
Mamma called me on the phone
Said there's a story in the paper about William
She just thought I might like to know
He got shot by a city cop
While he was robbin' a local drug store
He was survived by two hungry kids a wife
And a pool of blood on the floor
It's midnight and the music is playing
F C Bb
It's the same old song every night
F C Gm Bb
The melody is made out of memories
F C Bb
The words you and I used to write
F C Gm Bb
I paid the band when you left me
F C Bb
Expecting them to pack it in
F C Gm Bb
But heartaches's a stubborn musician
F C Bb
And it's playing a waltz that won't end
C Bb
And I can't help but remember you
F C7
Morning high midnight low
I don't want to dance with your memory
F C7
But somehow I can't let you go
Bb F C Gm Bb F C Bb
The band is playing too slow
F C Gm Bb
Now I've got to find a new partner
F C Bb
And get on with my life
F C Gm Bb F
But these dreams of moonlight dances with you are still
sweet
C Bb
If a little off time
C Bb
And I can't help but remember you
F C7
Morning high midnight low
I don't want to dance with your memory
F C7
But somehow I can't let you go
Bb F C Gm Bb F C Bb F
If I were you
I would gladly loan to me
A dollar or two
So I could eat yeah and maybe
Get just one good night of sleep
But I'm not
And I'm stranded like a castaway in this town
And you seem so unwilling to help a fellow
When hes down
If I were you
That's what I would do
If I were you
I wouldn't be out on these streets
The whole night through
Yeah I'd have a job
And a pretty wife that
I could come home to
But I don't
And I have twenty cents left to my name
And you're the only one left here
That I have to blame
If I were you
That's what I'd do
But sir its not my way
To take from you
The things I haven't earned
Wish I could go back and heed
The lessons I have learned
But I Can't
So you gladly put your money
In this sack
Yes sir this thing is loaded
And I have the hammer back
If I were you
That's what I'd do
If I were you
Fire one up and you toss one down
Everybody knows you been downtown
Been downtown late last night
Busted your head in a barroom fight
Fightin’ with your brother fightin’ with your wife
Seems you been fightin’ every day of your life
Can’t stand still, still can’t run
You put it all together but it came undone
Your soul is junk, your brain is dust
All your memories are eaten up with rust
Your nightmares real, dreams too stark
You love the night but you hate the dark
Your mother your daddy little sister too
Told you a secret they were countin’ on you
You were dying to tell but your dad said son
Button your lip but it come undone
So they turned you out when you turned them in
They told you don’t come back again
Now the years stack up like old beer cans
Dead end jobs payment plans
Broke down trucks welfare checks
Child support and back-seat sex
You’d kill yourself but you hocked your gun
You built a noose but it come undone
So you’re livin’ in a shack bu you wanna be rich
And you would if it wasn’t for the sonovabitch
The sonovabitch the dirty old whore
The butcher the baker the grocery store
You hate them they hate you
What in the world are you gonna do
It ain’t your fault but they need someone
To blame it on when they come undone
Now the storm’s comin’ in the sky’s turned black
It’s too late now you can’t turn back
Lightnin’ strikes on the telephone wire
You’re drunk as a skunk your shack’s on fire
The wife took the baby and the other two kids
The dogs are a-howlin’ and the chickens are dead
It’s your last night out and you’re gonna have fun
In a café just off I-65 I seen a man
And a woman and a baby child
They were laughing,
Smiled at me when they went to pay
And the way she was talking
About her two little girls
That they were all headed
Down to Disney World
When she broke out the pictures
That was all I could take
Get a little too close to home
And I’m so far from you
Yeah I’m so far from you,
Too close to home
And I’d come back to you
When there’s ever good reason to
At a rest stop just off 40 East
I pulled out to get some sleep
I seen some little kids
Were playing some ball
I woke up when a fly ball hit my hood
A little kid on the playground
Hit it too good
I said enough’s enough
I had to give you a call
Get a little too close to home
And I’m so far from you
Yeah I’m so far from you
Too close to home
And I’d come back to you
When there’s ever good reason to
Too close to home
****
Everywhere I look I see
Something else reminding me
I don’t really have to be alone
It’s hitting too close to home
And I’m so far from you
Yeah I’m so far from you
Too close to home
And I’d come back to you
When there’s ever good reason to
Hitting too close to home
Too close to home
Too close to home
The lines on my father's face
Ran deep as creek beds on our place
And the river ran right through his soul
But I know at times it tooks its toll
When the crops would flood we lived on fish
But never did my father wish
To leave the land his life flowed from
The river and my dad were one
And I'm one of the river's own
It's current down inside me is strong
And it's up to me to carry on
'Cause I'm one of the river's own
As a kid I watched the river flow
Yeah, I admired the way it rocked and rolled
Dad was proud I was a river rat
But that's where our common ground ended at
'Cause I seen those city lights downstream
And they drew me in when I was seventeen
I went everywhere that river runs
Yeah, me and that river we were one
And I'm one of the river's own
It's current down inside me is strong
And it's up to me to carry on
'Cause I'm one of the river's own
Two years ago dad passed away
And I'll never forget that mournful day
Then a lawyer read me out his will
It said "son, it's time for you to be still"
Then a week ago a government man
Tried to pay me off to flood our land
And I did just what my dad would've done
'Cause me and that river we are one
And I'm one of the river's own
It's current down inside me is strong
And it's up to me to carry on
I used to burn the devils gasoline
On the back streets of this town
I did not have no road map
Til Jesus flagged me down
I'm on the
Chorus
Lords Highway
The Lords Highway
The Lords Highway
Coming home
I use to pack an old switchblade
Had a pistol in my coat
Now all I got is this good book
The only weapon that I tote
Out on the...
Chorus
On a hillside in Kentucky
Is where my Momma lays
I wish that she could of
Been here to see me change my way
I took the ...
Chorus
I will not fear no fires of hell
When I'm on my dying bed
Cause St.Peter's at the pearly gate
Saying traveler come ahead
You're on the...
They meet down in Brownsville, in a little border dive
She was just looking for someone to dance with, he was
just looking for a fight
They knew what they what they wanted, but that's about
all they knew
They liked to be with each other, just to see what the
other would do
They're walking on the border, love that wild side
They're walking on the border, ain't they feeling fine
The sun fell on Loretta, asleep in the back of the van
Jim smoked his Camel, stared across the Rio Grande
He said "Hey wake up Loretta, we got some work to do
Got to see a friend of a friend, help a friend down in
Para crud"
They're walking on the border, love that wild side
They're walking on the border, ain't they feeling fine
Back in Brownsville Texas, a week on down the road
They ran out of American money, ran out of Mexico
There was kissing on the corner, ain't it good to be
alive
Then they crashed the door of the liquor store, she
handed him his .45
They're walking on the border, love that wild side
They're walking on the border, ain't they feeling fine
Walking on the border, love that wild side
let him sit in the kitchen
til the red rooster crows
and drink bootleg whiskey
til he loses control
let him find him somebody
he can treat like a dog
let the house fall down
and let him grow old
chorus:
but she aint goin back
she aint goin back
she aint goin back to danville
til shes dead
he got the whole town believin
that she was to blame
this towns filled with people
with his last name
shes heard that the devil
lives way down below
but the devils little brother
lives on old danville road
repeat chorus
now her mommas tombstone
sits high on a hill
she been gone seven years
she misses her still
but one fine day
theyll be together again
shell go back to danville
if theyll let her in
In the lamp light on Locust Street, with the party far
behind
No sound but the beat of her heart and mine
The smell of her hair was my first breath, and her lips
were my first
kiss
And my first step was a headlong dive
I couldn't keep myself from falling, so she taught me
to fly
And I was born in the summer of '75
In the morning light she wore my coat, and all I wanted
to know
Was she trembling from the feeling or the cold
As the sleepy small town came to life, I saw the answer
in her eyes
And knew I'd always have her hand to hold
Now somethings don't need saying, you just feel 'em
deep inside
The way I felt in the summer of '75
Now all that seems like yesterday, how the time slips
away
The blinding speed will leave you feeling cold
So when I feel the hands of time tugging at this life
of mine
I reach for the warmest thing to hold
A light still shines on Locust Street, somewhere back
in time
And I wake up to the beat of her heart and mine
And I reach out and touch her hair, just to know that
she's still there
And the dream I had is still by my side
I might not make church on Sunday, but I thank the Lord
each night
That I was born in the summer of '75
Intro G C D x4
I came back home to my old town today
My friends were different, nothing much to say
How could a year matter all that much
Then I heard 'em say, "man it must be tough"
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
She believed in blue skies
Em C
I just brought her rain
G D G C D
It ain't so strange, something changed
Well they said that I'd be gone for quite a while
When they watched another walk her down the aisle
She found a true heart like I feared she would
But what I found was what we had was good
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
She believed in blue skies
Em C
I just brought her rain
G D G C D
It ain't so strange, something changed
G C D
I must have been a fool to ever come back
I should've never gone across the tracks
Down by the depot is where we met
But I walked away and I'm walking yet
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
G C D
Something cha-a-anged
She believed in blue skies
Em C
I just brought her rain
G D G C
It ain't so strange, something changed
G D G C D
It ain't so strange, something changed
Pictures on the wall, bottle in her hand,
Children never call, she misses her old man.
Rain on the window, quite as a tear
And if you never felt 'em, never know they're here.
Someone's cryin' in the hall.
Good Lord, help us all
While we try to stay afloat.
If you would, Lord, send a boat.
Holes in the wall, bottle by his bed.
Holes in his past, empty as his head.
He's younger when he dreams, he's older than his years
And if he never wakes up, he'll know why he's here.
Someone's cryin' in the hall.
Good Lord, help us all
While we try to stay afloat.
If you would, Lord, send a boat.
The writing's on the wall, there's a bruise on his
face.
Daddy's come and go, momma's on a date.
He's just cold and hungry, playin' ain't no fun
And if he ever grows up, he'll get him a gun.
Someone's cryin' in the hall.
Good Lord, help us all
While we try to stay afloat.
If you would, Lord, send a boat.
I wasn't stranded in the desert
I wasn't drifting out to sea
I was in no kind of danger
That would be the death of me
But when you took me in your arms
Like an angel from above
I was saved, saved by love
Iwasn't strung out in some alley
With a habit I couldn't kick
Wasn't lost in dark depression
I wasn't hurting. I wasn't sick
Didn't have all that I needed
But what I had seemed like enough
'Til I was saved, saved by love
You don't long for what you don't know
You don't miss what you never had
You just watch your life float on by
Not too good, not too bad
Looking back before you found me
What a sad, sad case I was
'Til I was saved, saved by love
Now I look at all the wrong turns
I've passed along the way
The dead ends I'd of raced down
And the price I would've paid
There but for the grace of you
Who knows where I'd of wound up
But I was saved, saved by love
RURAL ROUTE – CHRIS KNIGHT
Verse 1
I built a fire up on the hill; I sat in the woods and drank my fill
Talked to God all night, took another shot at setting me right
Then I walked down to the road, filled a beer can full of 22 holes
Then I said goodbye, yeah I said goodbye
Chorus
I’d go back but I can’t go home, cause river is up & the road is closed
& there aint no telephone…………at my mothers’ house
& all the lights are out, down on the rural route
Verse 2
There aint much of nothin’ left, this place where I became myself
Ghosts & memories, I’d walk on by but they’d follow me
I’d seen plenty on down the road. Asked him if he’d seen my brother
He just said no, well I guess I’d better go
Repeat Chorus
Instrumental
Verse 3
I built a fire up on the hill; I sat in the woods and drank my fill
Talked to God all night, took another shot at setting me right
Then I’d just walk away, aint nothin’ here I want to remember anyway
Least not today
When the rain runs down your window
And you can't hold back your tears
When you're so afraid to be alone
You know I'm always right here
You cry lonely, and I come runnin
I come to your rescue, chase your blues away
You cry lonely, but you don't really want me
And I won't be there one of these days
You always say your heart is breakin
And you hear the wolf outside your door
But I know you're just usin me
Till you don't need me anymore
And you cry lonely, and I come runnin
I come to your rescue, chase your blues away
You cry lonely, but you don't really want me
And I won't be there one of these days
Someday when you know you really love me
You're gonna cry my name, and I'll be gone
But you cry lonely and I come runnin
I come to your rescue, chase your blues away
You cry lonely, but you don't really want me
And I won't be there one of these days
No I won't be there, one of these days
And I won't be there, call my name
You should've kept the diamond ring, I gave it to you
for free
G D C
Now I don't need no souvenirs after what you've done to
G D G C
It's just a little old shiny stone, but it sure does
slow me down
G D G
So I'm gonna throw it off the nearest bridge and then
I'll leave this
town
G D G C
There's nothing left of this love affair, that I really
need
G D C
I guess I'll throw out everything except your memory
G D G C
'Cause I can drive this beat-up truck from here to
Timbuktu
G D G
Lay down flat on a bed of nails and I'd still dream of
C D Em
'Cause I can run from your memory but I can't hide
C G D Dsus4
Can't drown it down by the river side
C D Em C
The further I go, the harder we collide
G D G
I can run from your memory but I can't hide
Interlude ( C D C G D C)
G D G C
Well I have hallucinations, they hit me from the blue
G D C
Where you've still got your diamond ring, and I've
still got you
G D G C
I might as well just give it up, 'cause the damage has
been done
G D G
You'd drive me crazy anyway, if I stay or if I run
C D Em
'Cause I can run from your memory but I can't hide
C G D Dsus4
Can't drown it down by the river side
C D Em C
The further I go, the harder we collide
G D G
I can run from your memory but I can't hide
G D G
Got six bucks
Thats enough for a beer run
Now all we need is someone to do the buying
My buddy Lendell
He aint never got no money
But he drinks up most the beer everytime
By nine oclock got a half case between us
Pull into the Quick Pick Lendell had to have some smoke
There sit Susie in Billy Scotts Camaro
Lendell gives her a wink
Billy says you want ya neck broke
Their bout to go toe to toe
Here comes a cop car
Lendell says Cemetery Bill
Well see how bad you are
Another Friday night
In this Oil Patch town
Keep the beers outta sight
When the State Troopers come around
We aint lookin for trouble
Wouldnt mind a fight
What else you gonna do
Its Just another Friday night
Billy says lets get it on
Lendell just slugs him
Thats bout all the fightin that got done
Sheriff pulls up he says what you Hoodlems doing
Ahh nothing much Junior just tryin to have some fun
He's acting tough taking down names
And shuttin us down
But at least we got something to talk about
When Monday rolls around
Another Friday night
In this Oil Patch Town
keep the beers outta sight
When the State Troopers come around
Now We aint lookin for trouble
Wouldnt mind a fight
What else you gonna do
Just another Friday night
Friday night
Been snowin all day when I got home
The fire was out the cabin was cold
And I poured some stale coffee from the pot
The longer I waited the snow got higher
So I split some wood and built a fire
If she told me she’d be gone I forgot
I’d seen it snow that hard before
I couldn’t see the cabin from the stable door
And that mare she always rode was in the stall
The law couldn’t come till the weather broke
My heart was poundin in my throat
And I searched and called her name till it was raw
I never should have brought her here
Livin’s rough this time of year
Tryin to keep food and fire till winters done
Sometimes she gazed across the plains
With a look that I couldn’t name
And I’d wonder if she stay till springtime comes
I found her on the first warm day
The rain had washed the snow away
Went for wood and lost her way back home
And I ain’t the kind believes in ghosts
But some nights I get pretty close
When the North Dakota winter moans
I don't like you, and you don't like me
We don't like each other, it's plain to see
I've got a pistol, all you've gots a knife
You'd better move on, cause it ain't worth your life
That girl on the barstool, she ain't your kind
She was married to my cousin, but tonight she's mine
Go hit on those girls in your big city town
You'd better be going, I ain't messing around
CHORUS
What are you doin' down here
We don't like your kind boy, do I make myself clear
Better take your earing back where you belong
We don't like your kind, so you'd better move on
We just don't mingle with the folks from the town
You laugh at us rednecks and you put us all down
You don't look retarded, but you don't seem to bright
Cause you just brought a switchblade to a pistol fight
CHORUS
What are you doin' down here
We don't like your kind boy, do I make myself clear
Better take your earing back where you belong
We don't like your kind, so you'd better move on
Old Joe said to take it to the parking lot
He's been a little nervous since the jukebox was shot
I won't pull out my pistol if you put up your knife
2 cups of coffee and im back on the road
80 miles to memphis, is what the lady told
she smiled and thanked me, when she picked up my change
says "you have a safe trip, stay out of the rain"
chorus:
im lookin through the windsheild
holding back the night
im lookin through the windsheild
for the morning light
the song on the radio, it used to make you cry
i only heard the last verse, then it passed me by
i asked you long ago, what you wanted in this life
a long way from memphis, you became my wife
repeat chorus
the coat you wore last winter, is the only thing you
left behind
i know its warm in memphis, but you might need it some
time
its 40 miles to memphis, but its best to pass on
through
its the only i took away that i can give back to you
repeat chorus
im lookin through the windsheild
no end in sight
im lookin through the windsheild
Badge number 301
Sits in his car and stares at his gun
He wipes the the blood from his shirt,
The sweat from his brow
He got out this time but he don't know how
Well he'd go on home but nobody's there
No one to hold no one to care
There was a time he had someone
But one day he came home, she was gone
Love and a .45
Are all you need to get through the night
One'll kill you one'll keep you alive
Love and a .45
Parole number fourteen two
Stands on the corner like she used to do
She's been away awhile so she's a little afraid
And the judge said he didn't want to see her again
But she's got no money she's got no rent
The money she had is already spent
Cause a couple of weeks ago she learned her lesson
Went and brought herself a little Smith and Wesson
Love and a .45
Are all you need to get through the night
One'll kill you one'll keep you alive
Love and a .45
At 3:15 he got a call, somebody heard a scream behind a wall
At a little motel down by the bay
But before he got there, they got away
Well she was all right just a little roughed up
So he took her down to the coffee shop
The report he filed said victim unknown
Now she waits up nights for him to come home
Love and a .45
Are all you need to get through the night
One'll kill you one'll keep you alive
Love and a .45
Love and a .45
Are all you need to get thru the night
One'll kill you one'll keep you alive
Me and Billy roofers of houses
Met at the local union hall
It was like I found my long lost brother
We drank like fish and worked like dogs
Lookin’ back I knew he’d get me in trouble
But I didn’t have too many friends
Runnin up and down that Dixie highway
We thought the good times would never end
Down that long black highway
Theres a deep dark hole
Down that long black highway
Theres a lot of things you never know
We chased women and we chased whiskey
From the gulf up to ohio
Then one night we ran out of money
We robbed us an all night Texaco
Right in there I guess the friendship ended
That’s where the good times fell apart
I remember screamin at billy
You shoulda let that kid alone shoulda drove off in the dark
Down that long black highway
Theres a deep dark hole
Down that long black highway
Theres a lot of things you never know
Well we pulled on a back road
I stopped to think about what wed done
I got out, took a leak and I lit a smoke
Now im wishin I had run
Cuz billy always was a mean one
And he was stoned on out of his head
Well I guess he quit shootin
When he thought that I was dead
On down that long black highway
Theres a deep dark hole
Down that long black highway
Theres a lot of things you never know
I woke up sometime around daylight
But I didn’t live long after that
I was taken back up to the highway
By a ghost he was wearin a Texaco hat
Now me and that kid we haunt that stretch of highway
And go and see billy from time to time
Now billy always acted a little bit crazy
But now he’s done gone plumb out of his mind
On down that long black highway
Theres a deep dark hole
Down that long black highway
Sheriff comin a pool hard the look on his face
have you seen jack blue around this place
He's a bad one him always breaking the law
if you see jack blue better give me a call
Jacks shootin pool on friday night
couple outa town boys lookin for a fight
It was two on one but jack even the score
Paramedic packed one of them out the door
You don't go looking for trouble
ain't that what the old folks say
Don't go looking, don't go looking for trouble
It will find you anyway
57 stiches in that boys hide
Doc shook his hand said your lucky your alive
Don't go looking for jack blue
Heres some thread and a needle just in case you do
Yeah you don't go looking for trouble
Ain't that what the old folks say
Don't go looking, don't go looking for trouble
It will find you anyway
Jack works in his yard and he drinks ice tea
Ain't had a fight since 93
Don't go to bar rooms and billard halls
Tried to teach his boys to respect the law
Don't go looking for trouble
Ain't that what the old folks say
yeah don't go looking, don't go looking for trouble
There ought to be a town somewhere
Named for how I feel
Yeah I could be the mayor down there
And say ‘welcome to sorryville’
It wouldn’t be on a map no where
You might say that it don’t exist
But if you make enough wrong turns
It’da be hard to miss
There ought to a bridge somewhere they could dedicate to me
I'd probably come to the ceremony with a can of gasoline
Walk on over to the other side
Where I'd light a match
Sit and stare through the smoke and flames and wonder how I'm gonna get back
Why do I do the things I do?
Was I born this way or am I self made fool?
I shoot the lights and I curse the dark
I need your love but I break your heart
And I know the words that’ll bring you back but
But I don’t say nothing as I watch you pack
I had to work to become the jerk I've come to be
It ain’t easy being me
There oughta be a side show "act"
For freaks like me
I could be the star of the show w/ my name on the marquee
In a room with a big red button that says ‘danger do not touch’
Twice a day I'd mash it down and you can watch me self-destruct
Why do I do the things I do
Was I born this way or am I self made fool
I shoot the lights and I curse the dark
I need your love but I break your heart
And I know the words to get you back but
But I don’t say nothing as I watch you pack
I had to work to become the jerk i’ve come to be
It ain’t easy being me
I've got a house and 90 acres some cattle in the barn
Two kids with no mama, she left in a saleman's arms
A sign by the mailbox says there's an auction in the
yard
Born and raised has been damn easy but lately living's
hard
The children miss their mama but there ain't nothing I
can do
If she was all I had to worry about well I'd guess I'd
miss her too
But I've watched my tools and tractor leave in someone
else's hands
I grit my teeth, I'm let 'em go but I won't give up my
land
This house and 90 acres, the only place I've left to
stand
My roots are anchored solid, I ain't machinery I'm a
I'll be here in the morning come pouring rain or sun
This house and 90 acres
What's said is good as done
There's jobs up in the city I could probably drive a
truck
Or I could move 300 miles from home but that would be
giving up
Well you know that I ain't leaving if it's just my
pride I save
I might be on the front porch or I might be in a
hillside grave
This house and 90 acres, the only place I've left to
stand
My roots are anchored solid, I ain't machinery I'm a
I'll be here in the morning come pouring rain or sun
This house and 90 acres
What's said is good as done
This house and 90 acres
pour my soul into my song
playin for the people all night long
i work hard for my money and i want it now
dont make me have to tear your juke joint down
chorus:
im a home homesick gypsy
i was born movin down the line
im a homesick gypsy
i aint home til i leave you behind
now im hard as a white oak tree
a month on the road and three days sleep
i got a girl in every town i play
im sure missin the one i had yesterday
repeat chorus
my worst nightmare is standin still
gotta get my fix of those rollin wheels
when i die dont ya dig no holes
just scatter my ashes where the strong wind blows
repeat chorus
A hundred cups of coffee, five hundred cigarettes
A thousand miles of highway and I aint forgot her yet
But I keep on moving, I keep moving down the line
There aint nothing in my mirror, just a cloud of dust
and smoke
But what do you expect when some old truckers heart
gets broke
Yeah, truckers hearts gets broke
But them big wheels of rubber are gonna rub her off my
mind
Im a highway junkie, I need that old white line
Ten miles out of nashville, I was doing a hundred and
State boy me over and he said, wheres the fire, son?
He said, wheres the fire son?
I said man, there aint no fire, Im just running from a
flame
Go on and write your ticket, but I aint the one to
blame
That county judge tried to rob me blind.
But them big wheels of rubber are gonna rub her off my
mind
Im a highway junkie, I need that old white line
So I rolled on down to memphis
I had nothing left to lose
I wanted to hear some rock and roll, but all they
played was blues
I didnt wanna hear no blues
So I went to call up elvis and roger miller grabbed the
phone
He said drive that 18 wheeler, boy, youre the king of
the road
Said I was the king of the road
But them big wheels of rubber are gonna rub her off my
mind
Im a highway junkie, I need that old white line
But them big wheels of rubber are gonna rub her off my
mind
Capo 1
Em G D Am Em G D
[Em]Been snowin all day when[G]I got home
The[D]fire was out the[Am]cabin was cold
And I[Em]poured some stale[G]coffee from the[D]pot
The[Em]longer I waited the[G]snow got higher
So I[D]split some wood and[Am]built a fire
If she[Em]told me she’d be[G]gone I[D]forgot
I’d seen it snow that hard before
I couldn’t see the cabin from the stable door
And that mare she always rode was in the stall
The law couldn’t come till the weather broke
My heart was poundin in my throat
And I searched and called her name till it was raw
I never should have brought her here
Livin’s rough this time of year
Tryin to keep food and fire till winters done
Sometimes she gazed across the plains
With a look that I couldn’t name
And I’d wonder if she stay till springtime comes
I found her on the first warm day
The rain had washed the snow away
Went for wood and lost her way back home
And I ain’t the kind believes in ghosts
But some nights I get pretty close
When the North Dakota winter moans
Her hair was as black as Pike County cold
Her lips were as red as blood on the snow
She wore short vinyl skirts and them boots to her knees
And she lived in the holler across the mountain from me
Chorus
Hard candy so sweet
I could never get enough
Hard candy so easy for me to love
Wild horses couldn't keep her old man outta jail
From bootlegging whiskey his sons helped him sell
And growing up in that holler wasn't nothing but hot
Fightin' roosters and kerr dogs tied up in the yard
Chorus
One night on the mountain back in the pine trees
Candy let down her guard and said she loved me
We left the holler when her old man got put back in jail
And she told all her brothers to go straight to hell
I use to run from the past
But the world got to spinnin' so fast
I run from the future now
I run as fast as I can
Tryin' to be a simple man
I just want to slow down
[Chorus]
Well laugh if you want to
Call me a backwards fool
But I ain't takin' this ride
Ya'll just go on ahead and go
Let me out by the side of the road
All I wanna do is go on home
Don't go online I don't watch TV
Cause I know all I'm gonna see
Is something stupid goin' on
Stupids in the water these days
They're gonna drink it any way
Till they don't know right from wrong
[Chorus]
Capo 1st Fret
Intro {G D Em C} x2 C
Well I was hauling logs ten years ago
The news was out on the radio
That a shot was fired the night before
And a local man lay dead on the floor
And the dust was flying in the lumberyard
Lights were flashing on two black cars
I said, sheriff I ain't done nothing wrong
C (hold)
He just knocked me down and put the handcuffs on
I was framed, they took me away
Em C
Like I was the only one to blame
Framed, guilty they said
Em C
Railroaded me on a one way train
Framed, and on judgement day
Em C
They want me to hang my head in shame
But I was framed, and that's all I'll say
Em C
Now don't be running down my name
I was framed
G D Em C
Barbara Jo cried through the glass
At the murder trial I seen her last
I loved that woman but now she's free
She turned away when they sentenced me
And the guilty man ain't never told
Ten years later they put me on the road
And I'll always say that I got screwed
C (hold)
I'm a brand new man with the same attitude
I was framed, they took me away
Em C
Like I was the only one to blame
Framed, guilty they said
Em C
Railroaded me on a one way train
Framed, and on judgement day
Em C
They want me to hang my head in shame
But I was framed, and that's all I'll say
Em C
Now don't be running down my name
G D Em C
I was framed
G D Em C C
Now the guilty man paid long ago
He's the same man who got laid low
When he took my wife he was hell bound
C (hold)
Even if I did gun him down
I was framed, they took me away
Em C
Like I was the only one to blame
Framed, guilty they said
Em C
Railroaded me on a one way train
Framed, and on judgement day
Em C
They want me to hang my head in shame
But I was framed, and that's all I'll say
Em C
Now don't be running down my name
G D Em C
I was framed
G D Em C
My friend's flesh and blood
She lies overtime
You'd nail her if you could
But she says
Love me for my mind
In my time
I'm not that kind
My friend's flesh and blood
Night size - perfect ten
So rude - she's no good
But as she says
It pays to win
Play to win
She plays to win
My friend's flesh and blood
Street wise for her time
You'd nail her if you could
But she says
Love me for my mind
Well I work for the city in the town where I grew up.
Some days I run a backhoe some days I run a dump.
If I had other plans on my graduation day,
Then several years ago I guess I hauled ‘em all away.
Yeah I hauled ‘em all away.
She told me she was pregnant on the day I turned 18.
I did what your supposed to do. I bought her a ring.
He didn’t have to ask us, but he asked us anyway.
We stood up and said, “I do.” what else were we gonna say?
What else were we gonna say?
Well I’m thankful for the things I have,
And all the things I don’t.
And I’ve got dreams that will come true,
And I’ve got some that won’t.
Most the time I just walk the line wherever it goes.
‘Cuz you can’t hang yourself if you ain’t got enough rope.
My boss man is mad. I did just what he asked.
I mowed the courthouse lawn watched the prisoners walkin’ past
I’m happy to be working, instead of wearin’ chains.
Like my cousin Willy, he’s locked up in the grange.
He’s locked up in the grange.
But I’m thankful for the things I have,
And all the things I don’t.
And I’ve got dreams that will come true,
I’ve got some that won’t.
Most the time I just walk the line wherever it goes.
‘Cuz you can’t hang yourself if you ain’t got enough rope.
There’s a tavern down the highway, I go to drink some beers.
And wash down all I’m missin’ by hangin’ around here.
i was eightteen
my brother was twenty-one
one saturday evening
when all the work was done
we went down to the river,
had some trot lines to run
my brother walter
had a fight the week before
knocked a boy named wilson
through the pool hall door
they said you don't mess with wilson
unless you want a war
we put the boat in the water,
i made the engine run
loaded the lantern
against the sinking sun
and my brother walter
was loading his gun
and we went down the river
down past the coal docks
we wre running our lines
heard some drunken boaters
racing up behind
it was wilson and his cousin,
they had trouble on their minds
they passed on by us,
probably going to tend their pots
we headed up the river
with the fish we'd caught
but before we made the landing,
i thought i heard a shot
back down the river
my brother walter fell over the side
i couldn't find him no matter how i tried
and looked along the bank
but i couldn't find where they'd hide
they drug the river,
they searched it up and down
couldn't find his body
so they decided that he'd drowned
but i knew better
and wilson bragged around town
so one night i floated down
right above wilson's shack
i hid in the woods
till i saw him walk out back
i put a bullet in his head
and dropped him in his tracks
and we went down the river
down below the trestle
where the water runs slow
i chained him to an anvil
and then i let him go
and five years later
i ain't told a soul
and i ain't done much fishing,
i hardly wet a line
the death of my brother
is still heavy on my mind
i've been thinking wilson's cousin
better find a place to hide
cause i'm going down the river
I need an angel in the worst kind of way
Seems like I get meaner every single day
I don't remember making the devil no damn deal
Maybe I got lost one night,
and the devil got behind the wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
In a long black Coupe Deville hellfire and steel
The devil's behind the wheel
There's a road to heaven for every soul on earth
Lord I believe that for what it's worth
So lord if you're listening I'm east of Mobile
Rolling down highway 10 but the devil's behind the
wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
With horns on the grill
The devil's behind the wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
In a long black Coupe Deville hellfire and steel
The devil's behind the wheel
Devil's behind the wheel
When I was 16 took me a 15 year old wife
I guess Ive been a working man just about all my life
Like my daddy before me Ive done the best I could
Somehow things turned out a little worse than they
should
Logan West Virginia is a hundred mile behind
Coal mines took my boys life and my Janies piece of
mind
All I know is back in Logan I ain't never been that
smart
But I know I had to leave there to heal my Janies heart
[Chorus]
Damn these hard times
Damn the coal mines
Damn the good dreams gone cold
While I'm at it, damn this crooked road
Me and Janie worked hard to get our children grown
Junior was our first born and he gut us to the bone
We learned long ago that you don't doubt the good lords
plans
But some things is hard to take lord we just tryin' to
understand
[Chorus]
Theres a big blue ocean about 300 mile
Sun on the water just might make my Janie smile
Light in her eyes is worth more to me to me than gold
Hope runs straight line right down this mountain road
Damn these hard times
Damn these coal mines
Damn the good dreams gone cold
While I'm at it, damn this crooked road
Sit down Mary they don't know what they're talkin'
about
Sit down Mary it's only make believe
Sit down Mary don't say those things you're screamin'
It was me... It was me..
And it was me they saw in the liquor store that night
It was me with a gun on that cashier
And when it went off it was me who took flight
And it was my getaway car they saw disappear...
Chorus
So blame me if a crime's been done
If they need a reason I'm the one
Blame me
Yes Sir, I left my wife Mary and her kids
Yes Sir, I was a touch out of control
I drugged and drank and gambled, well yes Sir, I did
'Til there wasn't any money to send home
Chorus
What's that you say Sir, there were witnesses
Standing in the shadows that night
And that hold up man running from the liquor store
They say she looked exactly like my wife
Sit down Mary, they don't know
What they're talking about
Sit down Mary, it's only make believe
Sit down Mary, don't say those things
You're screaming out
It was me, it was me, it was me
Chorus
Let the beer bottle
Rattle on my pistol
On the seat of my Chevy pick up truck
And I'm taking these gravel roads
As fast as my truck will go
I'm running like a scared white tail buck
It was a long night card game
With Earl Ray and Bobby
And some ol boy they worked with from Adair
That boy didn't like me
Then he said I was cheatin
Gun shots rang out on the midnight air
I don't wanna see the day light
But my Becky's alone tonight
I wonder if she's waiting up for me
I'm gonna hide out in the bottom
Where I hunted deer and turkey
I know that swamp like the back of my hand
Hell I was born and raised here
Just wanted to be a good ol boy
Never thought I'd ever be a wanted man
But soon they gonna catch me
Aint no way around that
Cause I don't know any other place to hide
I wonder if Becky's Bible is still in the glove box
Cause I'm sure gonna need it if that boy died
I don't wanna see the daylight
But my Beckys alone tonight
I wonder if she's waiting up for me
Sometime tomorrow morning
When I ought to be fishing
They'll probably be hauling me in
I'll be sittin in the jail house
No need to be wishing
I'll ever get to fish the green river again
I"ll be prayin for some daylight
Cause my Becky's alone tonite
I wonder if she's waiting up for me.
The sound of a train not running
Has been keeping me awake
The Westmore land mine ain't run much coal
Since back in '88
Got on at the sawmill
But I've got to find a better way
Or the sound of a train not running
Is gonna carry me away
[Chorus]
And every time you look at me, Mary
I want to tell you someday
We'll leave the sound of a train not running
A thousand miles away
I don't want to risk my freedom
Growing crops on company land
But it'd be a damned sight better
Than a government check in my hand
I used to bring home good money
You used to drive a decent car
But now we go to town on Saturday
It seems a little too far
[Chorus]
Now some nights when our baby cries
I feel a twinge of fear
When the sound of a train not running
Is the only thing I hear
There's a couple old people live across the road
I keep the volume down on my radio
All the neighbors say when I walk by
He's a pretty good guy
I'm certified in CPR
And if you asked me to I'd fix your car
It's just the way I am
I got a pretty good life
I'm a pretty good guy
Just one good man
All the good ones are gone
Hey play it again
I like that song
There's a pretty good guy
Walking up the street
And you'd be surprised
He looks a lot like me
Since you've been gone I've realized
That you were wrong
I'm a pretty good guy
And it didn't take long……
I need an angel in the worst kind of way
Seems like I get meaner every single day
I don't remember making the devil no damn deal
Maybe I got lost one night,
and the devil got behind the wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
In a long black Coupe Deville hellfire and steel
The devil's behind the wheel
There's a road to heaven for every soul on earth
Lord I believe that for what it's worth
So lord if you're listening I'm east of Mobile
Rolling down highway 10 but the devil's behind the
wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
With horns on the grill
The devil's behind the wheel
Behind the wheel
The devil got behind the wheel
Straight downhill
And my soul was riding shotgun south of kingdom come
In a long black Coupe Deville hellfire and steel
The devil's behind the wheel
Devil's behind the wheel
All the memories of our good time
Keep crowdin' in my mind
But I'm counting on the bad times
To help me leave you behind
Even though I said it's over
I'm really not that strong
I need something to keep me goin'
When I'm gone
As much as I want to turn around
I gotta keep drivin' on
The road to me, forgetting you
Is hard and it's long
When I remember how much I loved you
I just remember how you done me wrong
It's something to keep my going
When I'm gone
Still got your photograph in my wallet
Don't know why I don't throw it away
I used to take it out and look at you
To get me through the day
Now I realize when I look in your eyes
I never really knew you at all
It's something to keep my going
When I'm gone
As much as I want to turn around
I gotta keep drivin' on
The road to me, forgetting you
Is hard and it's long
When I remember how much I loved you
I just remember how you done me wrong
It's something to keep my going
When I'm gone
When I remember how much I loved you
I just remember how you done me wrong
It's something to keep my going
Lisa used to love to dance
Ever since she was ten years old
Her bare feet raising dust on a yard
Where the grass wouldn't grow
Slowly spinning round and round
To the music playing in her head
Late at night it could almost drown out
The whiskey on her old man's breath
The wrecking yards and dingy bars
And abandoned factories
But down among the jagged souls
A ballerina sways unseen
Hard edges hide a tender heart
Silent as a midnight prayer
Hard edges hide the sweetest part
Till you'd never know it's there
Lisa's in a club downtown
Where the neon burns till dawn
She calls herself Tina now
But she dances to the same old songs
Slowly spinning round and round
In the smoke and the smell of rye
She takes off all her clothes
So they don't see down in her eyes
The scarlet rouge and blue tattoos
Are only painted on
But underneath the dark drumbeat
A ballerina dances on
Hard edges hide a tender heart
Silent as a midnight prayer
Hard edges hide the sweetest part
I grew up near what they call the flats
Aint too many people knows where it's at
Can't hear the highway can't see a way out
I guarantee it aint nothin worth cryin about
Daddy left us all back in '91
Left us all wonderin what it was we done
I'd stand in the yard and stare down the road
I guess I must have missed how I just don't know
Got the broken promises
Got the broken home
Don't break yourself on a
Heart of stone
I married a girl I met in tennessee
The baby didn't make it, so neither did we
I still think about her but she's fadin fast
It don't do no good dwellin on the past
Got the broken promises
Got the broken home
Don't break yourself on a
Heart of stone
Well I call momma every now and then
To say I'm comin home but I don't know when
Well I ran into daddy but it's been so long
I don't tell momma, I don't let on
Got the broken promises
Got the broken home
Don't break yourself on a
Heart of stone
Well I got drunk with daddy just the other night
He said "he was glad to see I turned out alright"
I hear people sayin "like father like son"
Don't think about it much but I worry bout it some
A heart of stone
Don't break yourself
On a heart of stone
Don't break yourself
Twenty-one days out on the road,
the van broke down in a foot of snow.
Don't even know where the hell we are,
the batteries gone and the phone won't charge.
Wanted let you know, I'm doing my best to get back home.
I ain't had no sleep, ain't washed my clothes
but everybody says it's a damn good show.
The pay's enough and the crowds are good,
but sometimes I'd rather be chopping wood
or rolling rocks up a hill,
but it's the only way I know to pay the bills.
And the songs I sing can't get through and my mind fills up with you
and I drift off in a dream, about you and me.
When I wake up to a wild ass crowd, the guitar amp is way too loud.
Well the drummer's been cheating on his wife
and the bass man is too drunk to drive
That's the way it goes
I'm just doing my best to get back home
And the songs I sing can't get through and my mind fills up with you
and I drift off in a dream, about you and me
Well the manager called, we've got five more shows,
let me talk to the kids and then I got to go.
Your man's got to do what a man's got to do to bring that money on home to you.
I want to let you know, I'm just doing my best to get back home.
I'm just doing my best to get back home.
Got a old horse
Run loose on the farm
Like a big dog
Don't do no harm
And I live down
A dead end track
Me and my horse
And them chickens out back
Raised five kids
They've all up and gone
Came up rough
Not a one went wrong
When the old woman died
They scattered in the wind
And I never know
When I'll see em again
I'm an old man
Done all I can
I been working this land
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
Had an old dog
Lived 15 years
Train got his leg
Coon got his ear
He loved to hunt
He loved to fight
The way I used to be
On Saturday night
I'm an old man
Done all I can
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
I still work
A good half a day
Plant a little corn
Cut a little hay
Don't want a-die
Until I've lived too long
They'll sell this place
Whenever I'm gone
I miss my sweetheart so
And they way she used to smile
I miss them kids of mine
Runnin' wild
When daylight fades
In late afternoon
'Bout all I know is
It was gone to soon
I'm an old man
Done all I can
I been working this land
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
Ain't a whole log goin on
Around her anymore
Ain't a whole lot going on
Pour my soul into my song
Playin for the people all night long
I work hard for my money and I want it now
Don't make me have to tear your juke joint down
Chorus:
I'm a home homesick gypsy
I was born movin down the line
I'm a homesick gypsy
I aint home til I leave you behind
Now I'm hard as a white oak tree
A month on the road and three days sleep
I got a girl in every town I play
I'm sure missin the one I had yesterday
Repeat chorus
My worst nightmare is standin still
Gotta get my fix of those rollin wheels
When I die don't ya dig no holes
Just scatter my ashes where the strong wind blows
Repeat chorus
Got a old horse
Run loose on the farm
Like a big dog
Don't do no harm
And I live down
A dead end track
Me and my horse
And them chickens out back
Raised five kids
They've all up and gone
Came up rough
Not a one went wrong
When the old woman died
They scattered in the wind
And I never know
When I'll see em again
I'm an old man
Done all I can
I been working this land
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
Had an old dog
Lived 15 years
Train got his leg
Coon got his ear
He loved to hunt
He loved to fight
The way I used to be
On Saturday night
I'm an old man
Done all I can
I been working this land
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
I still work
A good half a day
Plant a little corn
Cut a little hay
Don't want a-die
Until I've lived too long
They'll sell this place
Whenever I'm gone
I miss my sweetheart so
And they way she used to smile
I miss them kids of mine
Runnin' wild
When daylight fades
In late afternoon
'Bout all I know is
It was gone to soon
I'm an old man
Done all I can
I been working this land
Since I was 24
I'm an old man
Ain't a whole lot going on
Around here anymore
Ain't a whole log goin on
Around her anymore
Ain't a whole lot going on
he been walkin' cross town
shirt tail in the wind
old crow flyin' around in his head
wears a half crazy grin
rock n roll
drivin' wheel
down from the valley and up from the hill
bull frog hollered from a river bank
wild dog howlin' in the pines
rock train comin' cross the cain creek trestle
slow enough to catch a ride
2 am in the mornin'
he done pissed off all his friends
he come knockin' on bessie's door
she's the only one who'll let him in
rock n roll
drivin' wheel
down from the valley and up from the hill
rock n roll
drivin' wheel
down from the valley and up from the hill
he been walkin' cross town
to the church out by the track
got a copperhead in a burlap bag
and a six string on his back
tambourines a-janglin'
hobnails stompin' time
his faith is stronger than a rattlesnake bite
but he won't touch strychnine
rock n roll
drivin' wheel
down from the valley and up from the hill
rock n roll
drivin' wheel
down from the valley and up from the hill
Everyone I ever owned, excpet the one I'm driving now
Been stripped down to the bare bone and sent outta town
There's a Mustang and a GTO, bloody seats, and caved in grill
There's a scar on my forehead, for every busted windshield
My old cars, they haunt me still
Cuase I droven every one of 'em over the edge
It's a wonder I wasn't killed
My old cars, rise up from the wheel
I wish to hell and back was far enough
to outrun, your memory
I drive by that junkyard, count the times you broke my heart
Watchin' Jack play with a socket wrench
Drinkin' beer and yankin' parts
I can count these broken bones, cause broken bone will heal
But I can't stand to count the times you said I love you,
aint no big deal
My old cars, they haunt me still
Cuase I droven every one of 'em over the edge
It's a wonder I wasn't killed
My old cars, rise up from the wheel
I wish to hell and back was far enough
to outrun, your memory
Last week I bought a 442, black as ace of spades
I sold my half of grandpa's land, bes he's rollin' is his grave
My friends say I'll get over you,
but my friends they just dont know
Gonna take her out on a 41, see how fast she can go
My old cars, they haunt me still
Cuase I droven every one of 'em over the edge
It's a wonder I wasn't killed
My old cars, rise up from the wheel
I wish to hell and back was far enough
to outrun, your memory
I wish to hell and back was far enough
