Too doop too too doo too
One time I spent a week inside a little country jail
And I don't guess I'll ever live it down
I was sittin' at red light when these two men came and got me
And said that I was speedin' through their town
Well they said tomorrow morning you can see the judge then go
They let me call one person on the phone
I thought I'd be there over night so I just called my boss
To tell him I'd be off but not for long
They motioned me inside a cell with seven other guys
One little barred-up window in the rear
My cellmate said if they had let me bring some money in
We ought to send the jailer for some beer
Well I had to pay him double cause he was the man in charge
And the jailer's job was not the best in town
Later on his wife brought hot bologna eggs and gravy
The first day I was there I turned it down
Next morning they just let us sleep but I was up real early
Wondering when I get my release
Later on we got more hot bologna eggs and gravy
And by now I wasn't quite so hard to please
Two days later when I thought that I had been forgotten
The sheriff came in chewing on a straw
He said where is the guy who thinks that this is Indianapolis
I'd like to talk to him about the law
Well I told him who I was and told him I was working steady
And I really should be gettin' on my way
That part about me being who I was did not impress him
He said the judge will be here any day
The jailer had a wife and let me tell you she was awful
But she brought that hot bologna every day
And after seven days she got to looking so much better
I asked her if she'd like to run away
The next morning that old judge took every nickel that I have
And he said son let this teach you not to race
The jailer's wife was smiling from the window as I left
In thirty minutes I was out of state
Too doo too too doo hoo
I was working in Miami for a day or two I decided I'd look up a girl that I once knew
I bought some flowers and went to see a girl I used to know
The lady at her door said she had married long ago
Times will change and towns were changed there I was alone
And suddenly I wondered would Susie be at home
So with the flowers in my hand I walked toward her gate
Someone touched me on the arm and said you'll have to wait
Then I noticed there were people standing in the line
And some of them were holding pretty flowers just like mine
They explained that Susie had been in an awful crash
Doctors said that she had just a little while to last
[ ac.guitar ]
When I walked into her room I felt the sense of shame
But I heard Susie whisper I'm awfully glad you came
She had been the girl that I had always gone to see
When someone that I cared for had been untrue to me
I handed her the flowers and she gently kissed my hand
She said don't be embarassed you know I understand
I said goodbye and as I bent to kiss her fevered brow
I heard her whisper thank you for the second handed flowers
Me and Yates an army buddy o'mine
Were doin' three years in Germany at the time
We came upon these Frauleins in the bar
Yates said, "Darf isch zee be-gleit-en?", they said "Ya"
And 'Darf isch zee be-gleit-en means?', 'Can we sit with you all?'
Oh we must have drunk ten quarts of German beer
My conscience and my sinuses were clear
I asked that Fraulein if she was a spy
She said, "Nein but do bis ain bissel high"
A condition not uncommon to the American soldier
Well, later on I went to be excused
When I returned I was a bit confused
Yates and his Fraulein had hit the air
Another guy was sittin' in my chair
A young soldier whom we shall get to know better
I said, "Excuse me mister that's my seat
I'd like to have it back sir if you please
That girl's a nurse and I've been awful sick"
The man looked up at me and said, "Mox-nix"
Which means that he was not overly concerned with my health
Next thing I knew he had a switchblade knife
Oh Lord, I didn't know that Fraulein was his wife
I took off through that Gasthaus like a fool
Behind me I heard the crashing stools
As the police would say, he was in hot pursuit
Well, the waitress yelled there's MPs on the way
That's one more reason I didn't want to stay
As I went out the window somethin' went switch
And I giggled all the way home knowin' he missed
At the time it seemed like a laughing matter
But next morning my coat was lyin' there on the bunk
And when I saw that coat it made me jump
That man had cut my coat right down the back
A little bit more and they'd been playin' me taps
And knowin' the sad nature of that song I would decline it
Well, later on I heard that guy got stabbed
They sent him home and didn't that make me glad
On love and marriage I want to say one thing
Oh lady, if you're married wear that ring
And the army has a new policy if you can't move it, paint it
If it has a switchblade knife, salute it
Not necessarily an incident one would want to write mother about
I've spent the lifetime making up my mind to be
More than the measure of what I thought others could see
Good luck and fast bucks they're too few and too far between
There's catalog buyers and old five and dimers like me
She stood beside me letting me know she would be
Something to lean on when everything ran out on me
Well fenced yards ain't hole cards and like is not never will be
The reason for rhymers and old five and dimers like me
Well it's taking me so long now that I know I believe
All that I do or say is all I ever will be
Too far and too high and too deep ain't too much to see
Too much ain't enough for old five and dimers like me
An old five and dimer is all I intended to be
You know country people don't shine their boots very often
How old do you think I am he said I said well I didn't know
He said I turned sixty five about eleven months ago
I was sittin' in Miami pourin' blended whiskey down
When this old grey black gentleman was cleanin' up the lounge
There wasn't anyone around 'cept this old man and me
The guy who ran the bar was watching Ironsides on TV
Uninvited he sat down and opened up his mind
On old dogs and children and watermelon wine
Ever had a drink of watermelon wine he asked
He told me all about it though I didn't answer back
Ain't but three things in this world that's worth a solitary dime
But old dogs and children and watermelon wine
He said women think about theyselves when menfolk ain't around
And friends are hard to find when they discover that you're down
He said I tried it all when I was young and in my natural prime
Now it's old dogs and children and watermelon wine
Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes
God bless little children while they're still too young to hate
When he moved away I found my pen and copied down that line
'Bout old dogs and children and watermelon wine
[ harmonica ]
I had to catch a plane up to Atlanta that next day
As I left for my room I saw him pickin' up my change
That night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime
Of old dogs and children and watermelon wine
*...* Denotes spoken part
People staring at me as they wheel me down the ramp toward my plane
The war is over for me, I've forgotten everything except the pain
Thank you sir, and yes sir, it was worth it for the ol' red, white and blue
And since I won't be walking I suppose I'll save some money buying shoes
The bottle hidden underneath the blanket over my two battered legs
I can see the stewardess make over me and ask "Were you afraid?"
I'll say, "Why no I'm Superman, and couldn't find the phone booth quite in time."
A GI gets a lot of laughs if he remembers all the funny lines
(Chorus)
Mama bake a pie, Daddy kill a chicken
Your son is coming home, 11:35 Wednesday night
*Mama will be crying and Daddy's gonna say "Son, did they treat you good?"
My uncle will be drunk and he'll say, "Boy, they doing some real great things with wood."*
The letter that she wrote me said good-bye, she couldn't wait and lots of luck
The bottle underneath the blanket feels just like an old friend to my touch
I know she'll come and see me but I bet she never once looks at my legs
Naw, she'll talk about the weather and the dress she wore the July 4th parade
Lord, I love her and I don't believe this bottle's gonna get her off my mind
I see here in the paper, where they say the war is just a waste of time
(Chorus)
Oh the little lady preacher from the Limestone Church I'll never forget her I guess
She preached each Sunday morning on the local radio
With a big black Bible and a snow white dress
She was nineteen years of age and was developed to the fault
But I will admit she knew the Bible well
A little white lace hankie marked the text that she would use
She breathed into that microphone and sent us all to Hell
She had a guitar picker by the name of Luther Short
A hairy legged soul lost out in sin
She would turn and smile at Luther when the program would commence
With a voice as sweet as angels' she would break out in a hymn
I was pickin' for her too with what we called the doghouse bass
I clung to every word that passed her lips
She was down on booze and cigarettes and high on days to come
And she'd punctuate the prophecy with movements of her hips
[ piano ]
The Lord knows how I loved her he was there each time she preached
But old Luther took her home each Sunday morn
Looking back I still recall the way it hurt my tender pride
I longed to be a hero but they're made not born
Sometimes old Luther showed up at the studio half tight
And smoking was a thing he liked to do
She never said a word to him but said a prayer for me
I told her in a way that I've been praying for her too
One Sunday her old man showed up and said that she was gone
Said she and brother Luther had a call
I can see me standin' in that studio that day
I had to face the heartbreak unemployment and all
I don't know where they are cause I ain't seen them people since
Lord if I judge 'em let me give 'em lots of room
I know Luther Short and he's a hard old boy to change
And I've often sat and wondered who it was converted whom
That old Kentucky moon was shinin' bright as day
The stars were twinklin' in the Milky Way
The pilot said, "If you look close, there's Frankfurt on the right"
I flew over our house last night
Thirty thousand feet below me, you were fast asleep
Thirty thousand feet above I almost stopped to weep
So close and yet so far away, so wrong and yet so right
I flew over our house last night
For just one second I thought I was back in town
The man your friends all say has only brought you down
The airline hostess asked me, "Sir, are you sure that you're alright?"
I flew over our house last night
Thirty thousand feet below me, you were fast asleep
And thirty thousand feet above I almost stopped to weep
I wonder did you toss and turn as I roared out of sight
I don't know why it is every time I take a trip
It's always raining somewhere down the line
This particular night it was in Prestonsburg Kentucky
I stopped to give a country boy a ride
I saw him running toward the car he carried an old suitcase
A cigarette was dangling from his lips
He threw the suitcase in the back and as he got inside
He said I'm sorry but I'm awful wet
I said where are you headed kid and he said to Louisville
Said he had an uncle there who ran the store
Said his daddy died three weeks ago and they didn't own the place
And they said he couldn't live there anymore
He said his education was that he could read and write
He quit school the time his dad got hurt
Ain't much goes on in Prestonsburg and he was seventeen
And he had to go some place to find some work
He talked about a girl whose father had a lotta money
He said he'd send and get her if he could
His daddy taught him all there was about tobacco farming
And he said he played the banjo pretty good
We stopped to get a sandwich and the waitress brought the menu
And I noticed that he read the prices first
He ordered him a hot dog with a lots of table ketchup
And water seemed to satisfy his thirst
Well it took awhile but I insisted that I'll pay the ticket
Excused myself and went out to the car
He came out got in the car and he handed me a quarter
And he said you left this layin' on the bar
I dropped him off in Lexington and drove down to Bowling Green
And I thought boy you'll never make without help
And then I got to thinking about the days when I was younger
And I started out the same darn way myself
[ dobro ]
Well I don't know why it is every time I take a trip
It's always raining somewhere down the line
I was standin' outside of a hotel in Houston
Blinkin' my eyes in the bright morning sun
A feller next to me said where are you headed?
I told him to Nashville ?cause that's where I'm from
I said, "I had one or too many last evening brother
I damn near fell off of my steed"
He said, "Yeah, whiskey gets 'em and whiskey gets many
But listen son nothin' kills people like greed"
I said, "Huh? and I turned to him and he was a cowboy
?Bout fifty years old in a big western hat
?Sir, if you said that greed killed more people than whiskey
If my taxi don't come tell me more ?bout that"
He said, "I knew a guy who made millions on millions
Then he turned right around and made millions on that
He had crude oil and blue chips and good barns and feed lots
He could touch an old steer and just turn into fat
And he coveted the money that other folks lived on
He never spent nickels he thought he could keep"
It was money that made him a night hawk and a worrier
And soon it was money that robbed him of sleep
And they buried him deep in a west Texas graveyard
They put up a tombstone of all he had done
And I am the man that he fired for a few beers
But I'm sure feeling good in the west Texas sun
I shook hands with that man and I crawled in the taxi
And I thought of the two things that I keep doing wrong
The man said that the greed killed more people than whiskey
He was an old time cowboy don't you understand
His eyes were sharp as razor blades his face was leather tanned
His toes were pointed inward from a hangin' on a horse
He was an old philosopher of course
He was so thin I swear you could have used him for a whip
He had to drink a beer to keep his breeches on his hips
I knew I had to ask him about the mysteries of life
He spat between his boots and he replied
It's faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
[ trumpet ]
He smiled and all his teeth were covered with tobacco stains
He said it don't do men no good to pray for peace and rain
Peace and rain is just a way to say prosperity
And buffalo chips is all that means to me
I told him I was a poet I was lookin' for the truth
I do not care for horses whiskey women or the loot
I said I was a writer my soul was all on fire
He looked at me and he said you are a liar
Son it's faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
[ trumpet ]
Well I was disillusioned if I say the least
I grabbed him by the collar and I jerked him to his feet
There was somethin' cold and shiny laying by my head
So I started to believe the things he said
Well my poet days're over and I'm back to bein' me
As I enjoy the peace and comfort of reality
If my boy ever asks me what it is that I have learned I think that I will readily affirm
Son it's faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
Faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
Faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
It's faster horses younger women older whiskey more money
She reminds me some of a blue eyed doll a strange look there in her eyes
Surprisingly quick with her movements like a woman who's learned to survive
She empties the ashtrays and passes the booze in a crude but professional style
And her facial contortions are painfully set in a look that resembles a smile
The small crowded bar roars loud its approval of some verbal blow that she's dealt
By telling a trucker from the Redball Express to have intercourse with himself
In my mind I can see her room the place where the woman lives
The rollers and the curlers and the old panty hose
And the ceiling that leaks like a sieve
And there's pictures of Merle and Johnny and June and Kennedy there with a flag
And a letter from home that she's read ten times and an old blue traveling bag
You know that man she loves ah he's puttin' her on
But no queen could love him more
And in her mind their ship will sail to a hundred exotic shores
Lord she'll get no pity from me no she's tough and she wouldn't care
But life is made up of wishes and dreams and she's had more than her share
As I sit here and drink and look for a song I think I just found me one
The Carter boys were born one and after another in a little old country place
I was the last and the death of my mother and I know it was a pretty bad trace
We'd get to drinking I'd do the singing and they taught me to chase girls and cuss
We played poker I'd do the dealing I was the only one we could trust
And there were six of us all together and that's how we stood all the time
Six of us all together the Carter boys were brothers of mine
We had an old car that we kept tied together with pieces of baling wire and hope
Well they knew when we got there and they knew when we left
They could tell by the noise and the smoke
Anytime the sheriff had nothing to do he'd get out and chase us around
The old women prayed the old men laughed and the middle aged people all frowned
There were six of us all together...
Daddy was a preacher and the Lord knows he tried
Gave us everything he could afford
We lost a lotta battles but daddy always said the only thing we feared was the Lord
Well as I look back through the long lean years I wonder how we ever survived
All of that hard work all of those women and all of those pistols and knives
There were six of us all together...
There were six of us all together...
There's a place called Da Nang Village cross the ocean far away
In deep concern for one young woman that's where I abide today
Today, I got a dear-John-letter from that young woman in the USA
When I was called I knew I'd lose her it don't matter anyway
There are girls in Saigon City waiting there with open arms
On my leave I may go see them in this other world called Vietnam
Stateside girls should take this warning be faithful cause you can't tell
On the streets of Saigon City they have many things to sell
Do you like true stories? I do
That's why I'm singing this song
A song about one legged chicken
Who lives in the straw on the floor in my barn
I remember the day she was hatched out
The vet came to see her and said
"She has only one leg, she'll never grow up"
He said that chick would be better off dead
I said, "No, let's just let her keep growing
We'll just wait and see how she gets"
Before very long she was hopping
And pecking and chasing the bugs with the rest
And now she is a beautiful chicken
Though she has only one leg
When I go to see her each morning
She hops from the nest and she leaves me an egg
And she cackles
Do you like true stories? I do
That's why I've sung you this song
The song about the one legged chicken
(That's the world according to Raymond)
And a Raymond according to me
He lives down in old North Carolina
Makes moonshine from good cropper web
He carries a big thirty eight it's illegal
But we know that Raymond don't care
Raymond explains his religion
It's the air it's the earth it's the earth
Lord gives it to you and he takes it away
And without it you ain't got a prayer
(That's the a world according to Raymond)
He's rough he's tough and he's free
That's the a world according to Raymond
That's Raymond according to me
Now Ray never killed anybody
But he hurt some that got in his way
Raymond still makes it but Raymond quit drinkin'
He got beat up in the friendly cafe
Now an old hog ain't got but one blood vein
And it's located there in his neck
If you don't believe it come back next December
But I ain't been back down there yet
That's the a world according to Raymond
(That's the a world according to Raymond)
Time takes care of a few things, love takes care of the rest
Cheer up, my lady, cheer up, my friend
There's no reason for you to look so depressed
I'd like to be perfect, I know you would too, we're only human, I guess
Time takes care of a few things, love takes care of the rest
Life has its problems, they come and they go
When troubles are dropped at you door
I'll come and get some and haul them away
That's what an imperfect good friend is for
Time takes care of a few things, love takes care of the rest
Cheer up, my lady, cheer up, my friend
There's no reason for you to look so depressed
I'd like to be perfect, I know you would too, we're only human, I guess
Time takes care of a few things, love takes care of the rest
We're trying each day to be better
Some way to do what life asks us to do
It's just a contest, it's just a trap
You're better than me and I'm better than you
She loved me like the trees love Philadelphia
And like the Philadelphians love trees
One fine and fleeting day in Philadelphia
Then we went our separate ways
To share the same old memories
It's different now than what it's always been
It's that narrow line between love and sin
Oh, she loved me like the trees love Philadelphia
And like the Philadelphians love trees
Just a summer walk on one afternoon
Like the leaves that fall it ended too soon
Oh, she loved me like the trees love Philadelphia
Well I asked myself
Who needs a baby, they sometimes cry
I asked myself
Who needs a baby, they sometimes lie
Then I asked myself
Who needs a baby, they make you blue
Who needs a baby, baby I need you
Knowing you depend on me
Makes me just want to shout
Knowing that you're happy
That's what it's all about
So when they tell me
That I'm just babying you
I asked myself
Who needs a baby baby I need you
Knowing you depend on me
Makes me just want to shout
Knowing that you're happy
That's what it's all about
So when they tell me
That I'm just babying you
I asked myself
Who needs a baby baby I need you
I asked myself
You were meant for me and there ain't no two ways about it
Even on my darkest days, oh, they couldn't make me doubt it
Someday things are gonna be the way they were before
When nobody wants your body anymore
Leave me I don't worry darling you'll be back
Honey, I'm not bragging I'm just statin' facts
The ocean always brings each piece of driftwood back to shore
When nobody wants your body anymore
I know they have you now sweetheart they don't know what they got
Heaven is still heaven when the weather ain't so hot
When all is done that will be done you'll knock upon my door
When nobody wants your body anymore
Leave me I don't worry darling you'll be back
There is a miracle in you, in what you are and what you do
If anything at all in life is true, there is a miracle in you
You can be anything, a president, of course
A nurse or a fireman or someone important on a horse
There's adventure and a future bright and blue, there is a miracle in you
There is a magic in your smile, you'll spend a season as a child
Bless you, go and grow and see and do, there is a miracle in you
You can do anything you want from here to there
Fly on a spaceship or maybe you can wrestle with a bear
(Hey there)
You know she left me
(Hey there)
I've been crying
In a boat on a plane in a train in a house by the phone
(Hey there)
We're all in this thing alone
You can't smile for me I can't cry for you
We can't be alone together that makes two
Like trees that fall in forest no one hears
Crying done alone don't call for tears
(Hey there)
You know she left me
Ain't it strange how we think money knows when Friday comes
Calls don't know bout Sunday and our heartaches twice as done
It hurts although it's killed you through and through
My eyes all red from tears aren't really blue
(Hey there)
Memories light the corners of my mind
Misty water colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then or has time rewritten every line
If we had a chance to do it all again tell me would we could we
Memories may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember we simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter we will remember
It's not my sun, man, and if it's not shinin'
When I wake up tomorrow morning, hmm, that'll be all right with me
They're not my birds, man, and if they're not singin'
When I wake up tomorrow morning, hmm, that'll be all right with me
I don't believe I'm where I'm goin', I find many a mile
If you don't like me, help me to change I'm still looking for a style
She's just a woman if she should be gone
When I wake up tomorrow morning, hmm, that'll be all right with me
Well, I'm not a brave man but I'm not a slave man
If all I ever am is free, that'll be all right with me
I don't believe I'm where I'm goin', I find many a mile
That song is driving me crazy, I gotta hear it again
First time I heard it I was with some friends
It's a simple little song you can sing along with an old time melody
So would you play that crazy little song again for me?
That song is driving me crazy
I love that part about break my heart and baby please come home
And I love that line about hurtin' my mind and my beer ain't got no foam
That song is driving me crazy
Well, you'll sing high and I'll sing low and everybody sing along
But everybody quit while I get my kick singin' bring that boogie home
Mhm, that song is a driving me crazy
Okay gang, well, that song is driving me crazy
Summer comes laughing to strawberry farms
Have you ever been there, where the wind never blows
Summer comes early to strawberry farms
Oh the sun always shines but an orphan can?t go
My mother is dead, she doesn?t care where I go
My father left a long, long time ago
I had me a frog, he never whined or cried
I kept him in my pocket and he died
Summer comes laughing to strawberry farms
Have you ever been there, where the wind never blows
Summer comes early to strawberry farms
Oh the sun always shines but an orphan can?t go
Bobby had a brother, he got killed in the war
I asked him but he didn?t know what for
My mother was pretty, she had long black hair
Once, she promised me a teddy bear
Summer comes laughing to strawberry farms
Have you ever been there, where the wind never blows
Summer comes early to strawberry farms
He sits with the guitar on his knee thinking of love that he's had
If it makes a sound he writes it down he's a songwriter
He's trying to paint little pictures of mountains
Turn little teardrops into mighty fountains he's a songwriter
He smiles at the good lines frown at the bad lines
Cries with the sad parts rewrites the bad parts he's a songwriter
He looks through the window of life some people think he's a joke
But who can tell the thing might sell he's a songwriter
He's trying to paint...
Thank you for hearing my tune now I'll get out of your room
Take these arms of mine, throw them away
They're just souvenirs of some other day
Take these lips of mine, they're useless to me
They're just souvenirs of things that used to be
They're just souvenirs and who needs 'em now
They're just bits and pieces of my yesterday, anyhow
Take this old heart of mine, it's been beating too long
It's just a souvenir of something that went wrong
Take my yesterdays, the minutes, the hours
They're just souvenirs, they'll fade like the flowers
Take these eyes before I see her again
They're just souvenirs of things that might have been
They're just souvenirs and who needs 'em now
They're just bits and pieces of my yesterday, anyhow
Take this old heart of mine, it's been beating too long
It's just a souvenir of something that went wrong
Now that I know what I know why did the learning come so slow
There are deeds that I have done there in the songs I've sung
And no building stands with my name on the side
I've left no trails for little kids to ride
God had his wish and I had mine
He gave me words and I made them rhyme
If there's good in what I bring it's in the songs I sing
So let me sing and go on by build your castles to the sky
I make mine with words and tones and so I work alone
Shame on the rain for making me twice as blue
It's raining in my heart on my window too
Days just like this have put out the flame
I've got that smoke in my eyes shame on the rain
You'd think it's enough just to know that she's gone
With my kind of luck it will rain from now on
After I'd lost such a heartbreaking game
You'd think the sun would shine shame on the rain
[ guitar ]
Shame on the rain for adding to my unrest she took the sun it figures I guess
I have my share of sorrow and pain look what a day it is shame on the rain
I got a little friend named Pisty, she's a dandy
She doesn't care for movies or for candy
She doesn't care for TV or for frogs
The reason that she doesn't, she's a dog
You'd like Pisty, she's a friend of mine
Pisty is a good dog and she guards me all the time
She's about that tall and about that long
And she loves to hear me sing her in a song
Now Pisty keeps the bad guys on the run
She guards me from the milkman when he comes
She guards me from the mailmain when he rings
And she doesn't like the man who fixes things
And you'd like Pisty, she's a friend of mine
Pisty is a good dog and she guards me all the time
She's about that tall and about that long
And she loves to hear me sing her in a song
Now your dog can have a song about it too
And I bet its name would fit right in this tune
So I'll leave my dog out next time we start
And you can put your dog right in that part
And you'd like Pisty, she's a friend of mine
Pisty is a good dog and she guards me all the time
She's about that tall and about that long
Ships go out I see them every day
Ships go out I watch them sail away
And on the decks I see my smiling friends
Ships go out but they never do come in
Ships go out I watch them disappear
Ships go out and leave me standing here
And I don't know if that's where life begins
Ships go out but they never do come in
When life is cheap it never seems to last
When life is sweet it seems to go too fast
So on the dock I tell the idle wind
Ships go out but they never do come in
Ships go out onto the seas so high
Ships go out beneath an endless sky
And on the shore is where their stories end
Ships go out but they never do come in
When life is cheap it never seems to last
In the shadow of the saddle, running wild and running free
In a herd of running mustangs there's a part of you and me
Broken spirit broken promises make them fear the sight of man
In the shadow of the saddle lives the wild horse, bronco band
Call 'em cayuse, call 'em broncos ,call 'em mustangs, call 'em free
In the shadow of the saddle, let them run, boys, let them be
We have changed the land and water just to fit our selfish needs
Now the shadow of the saddle falls across these gallant steeds
Oh, the Spanish and the Indians gave them freedom in the sun
In the name of God and nature, let them run boys, let them run
All summer long you smelled like lotion
And we made love when we took the notion
Summer is gone and it's hard to believe
How lonely I am raking up leaves
Raking up leaves and counting the days
Yes, and counting the nights that you've been away
The winter winds blow and memories freeze
I'm missing you and raking up leaves
Expecting the sun just any day
Now wish you were here to go out and play
Now you say you'll return when they're on the trees
I'm hungry for you and raking up leaves
Raking up leaves and counting the days
Yes, and counting the nights that you've been away
The winter winds blow and memories freeze
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high
There is a land that I heard of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue
And those dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up
Where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops a way above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow why then oh, why can't I
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time
You can't answer all the questions in your mind
Love is love and you can't make it right
It's one of the mysteries of life
How can you know love when no one ever knew
It's the mother of all happiness and father of the blues
Love puts sunshine in your days, then steals your sleep at night
It's one of the mysteries of life
Maybe you should take it day by day
If you hold love too loosely, it will fly away
If you hold love too tightly, it will die
It's one of the mysteries of life
How can you know love when no one ever knew
It's the mother of all happiness and father of the blues
Love puts sunshine in your days, then steals your sleep at night
Over and over say you forgive me for the crazy fool I've been
Over and over I'll be sorry over and over again
Would I be untrue to you dear no no never again
That's one lesson I'll remember over and over again
Back together now and forever ever more will I be true
Over and over I'm gonna prove it over and over to you
[ guitar ]
Over and over say you forgive me I'll be faithful to the end
I will prove I can be trusted over and over again
Would I be untrue to you dear no no never again...
Over and over over and over over and over over and over
Ole lonesome George, the basset
Lived in Brentwood Tennessee
And even though he had his faults
He was a sight to see
He taught the show dog puppies
To always try and please
To hold their heads and tails up
And not wet the judge's knees
Ole George, was not a champion
But his owners loved him so
They'd drive the car to the dog shows
Ole George would get the dough
But when he'd get out in the rain
He never could win first
Several judges shook their heads
And said he was the worst
Then one day the kennel keeper
Got an urgent call
From the local TV
To Mr Tom T Hall
They said Johnny Cash
Is puttin' on a show tonight
He says he needs a basset
You've got one ain't that right
Lonesome George, went to the show
And he did everything
He barked and growled and jumped around
And made the rappers ring
He'd left the people cheering
For another curtain call
And so ole lonesome George became
Old habits die hard
Old habits like loving you
Like spending my days and nights
In missing you
Hours that were yours echo like empty rooms
Strange faces and your place can't keep away the gloom
Old habits die hard now that you're gone
Old habits die hard
Old habits like being true
Like counting the hours
Till I could be with you
Things we used to share I now keep alone
I waste my nights here by the telephone
Old habits die hard, now that you're gone
Hours that were yours echo like empty rooms
Strange faces and your place can't keep away the gloom
Ain't it strange how people change and almost over night
Who once was a country girl is now a socialite
We're proud for you but when you're through and seek some common ground
Oh we miss you on the old side of town
We still drink cokes and tell old jokes and we bowl at splits and strikes
Country music still plays on a jukebox every night
Society is not for me but I can still be found oh we miss you on the old side of town
[ steel ]
RSVP is not for me and black tie's not my style
I thought you'd like to know cause you ain't been here for awhile
We read about your tour de force we're glad you get around
But we miss you on the old side of town
We still drink cokes and tell old jokes and we bowl at splits and strikes
George Jones is still a hero on the jukebox every night
Society is not for me but I can still be found oh we miss you on the old side of town
Babe we miss you on the old side of town
I hope that gleam that you have in your eye
Is reflection from the buttons on your blouse
If it's not then we're in trouble, I can tell you why
I'm old enough to want to and fool enough to try
They don't make women like you anymore
And since there's not enough to go around
If you think what I think you're thinking, this is what I think
I'd be a crazy fool to turn you down
I hope that smile that you have on your lips
Is just a smile that you wear all the time
If it's something special, then start making up your line
I'm old enough to want to and fool enough to try
I'm old enough to want to and fool enough to try
I have traveled this world over
I have rambled all my days
When my journeys have all ended
Place some flowers on my grave
Local flowers, just some daisies
Wild wood flowers from the hills
Where I will spend my eternal hours
Lay me down with local flowers
Please don't buy those red carnations
I don't need the lilies fair
Just go walking on the mountain
Gather what is blooming there
Rosemary means that you'll remember
Clover's sweet as the love we shared
Myrtle says that you will miss me
Rambling roses say you cared
Local flowers, just some daisies
Wild wood flowers from the hills
Where I will spend my eternal hours
Lay me down with local flowers
Let the bird sing from the tree tops
Let the grass grow where it may
No arrangements, no bright ribbons
Just a simple wild bouquet
Local flowers, just some daisies
Wild wood flowers from the hills
Where I will spend my eternal hours
This is the song about the time I nearly starved to death in Roanoke Virginia
I woke up Wednesday morning in my little motel bed
Knowing I would die the minute that I move my head
I felt around to make sure I was in my bed alone
I meet some friendly people when I'm stoned
My payday was on Friday I had two more days to go
Even in my agony I knew that I was broke
Lemme pay the check I said and keep the change my friend
She wiggled out of sight with my last ten
At noon I realized there wasn't any way to eat
For lunch I just went out and shuffled up and down the street
At four o'clock I had a funny feeling in my chest
How long's it take to starve a man to death
I found some pennies in my junk and bought a candy bar
Divided it in pieces and I ate one every hour
I just rolled into town and didn't know a single soul
There wasn't any way to make a loan
[ dobro ]
Thursday morning I was nearly panicked on the job
I heard my stomach growlin' and my head began to throb
I contemplated murder of the folks that brought their lunch
The sudden smell of food would make me jump
Thursday night they run all food commercials on TV
I slept till nine or ten and then I walked the floor to three
Friday morning I looked for some ketchup on my shirts
My mind was gone my legs began to hurt
The last few minutes up to payin' time were all the worst
The minutes were the years it took to build the universe
Finally it came I got my check and made a dash yes I said the man will eat at last
Running down the sidewalk I could see the words so sweet
The sign was flashin' on and on Eat Eat Eat
A half o'pound of ground round ma'm and please don't cook it long
The frizzle of the grill was like a song
I've traveled this world over and I ain't been hungry much
I've been down in my thinking and I've been down on my luck
But the sweetest meal I've ever had in anybody's town
There's more love on McLeay Street in Sydney than you have in your heart for me
I can buy love like yours on McLeay Street so why won't your love let me be
I'm so tired of bein' your toy I'm so tired of bein' your boy
Oh there's more love on McLeay Street in Sydney
It doesn't cause heartaches it doesn't cause teardrops
It just costs money it doesn't make memory
[ harmonica + guitar ]
They don't call it real love on McLeay Street it's just using somebody for a time
They don't pretend it's real love on McLeay Street
They don't break hearts like you've been breaking mine
I was there on the day the monkey came into this world
His face was round and reddish and his hair was slightly curled
He didn't look too different from the others I had seen
Who'd've thought he was the answer to the nation's dream
At first he didn't seem to be intelligent at all
Each time he'd start to walk about he'd stumble and he'd fall
My first impression was to be a most mistaken thought
Lord Almighty what's this little hairy monkey wrought
Because I witnessed his departure from his mother's womb
I felt inclined to check his progress every afternoon
One day the keeper of the Zoo called in the live TV
Brinkley said I think you'll be amazed at what you'll see
The monkey walked and talked and waved his arms about his head
In the corner was a stack of books that he had read
An Educated Monkey said the papers cross the land
It was more than weary sociologists could stand
Oh his fame was universal he was on the Carson Show
People talked about him kindly everywhere he'd go
His insight was amazing his philosophy was fair
He became a politician welcomed everywhere
His wit was not to be compared with any mind intact
He'd lace a phrase with irony and blend it all with fact
Conservatives applauded and the liberals were entranced
The bigots and the integrationists were in his camp
Nobody dared to meet him in an open press debate
He was nominated by the folks from every state
Yes a monkey was the President though maybe not the first
There was peace and harmony throughout the universe
The dream I had last night has been related as it came
As for interpretation well it's really very plain
Would you rather have a monkey up in Washington DC
Or have those people making monkeys out of you and me
I have been a rover I have walked alone
Hiked a hundred highways never found a home
Still in all I'm happy the reason is you see
Once in a while along the way love's been good to me
There was a girl in Portland before the winter chill
We used to go out courtin' along October Hill
She could laugh away the dark clouds cry away the snow
Seems like only yesterday down the road I go
I have been a rover...
There was a girl in Houston out where the hot winds blow
Why I had to leave her God Almighty knows
She could take the long hot summer cool it with a sigh
Words have no more wisdom when it's time to say goodbye
If you could see me now
The one who said that he'd rather roam
The one who said he'd rather be alone
If you could only see me now
If I could hold you now just for a moment
If I could really make you mine
Just for a while, turn back the hands of time
If I could only hold you now
I've been too long in the wind, too long in the rain
Taking any comforts that I can
Looking back and longin' for the freedom of my chains
Lying in your lovin' arms again
If you could hear me now singing
Somewhere in the lonely night
Dreaming of the arms that held me tight
If you could only see me now
I've been too long in the wind [unverified]
Gather round me boys and fill your coffee cups
I'll tell you all a story while you drive them trucks
A story bout a girl who joined the state patrol
The legend of the Lady Bear is how it goes
She married some young trucker she was in her teens
And like all newly weds they had their hopes and dreams
And one night in a snowstorm so the story went
She lost her loving husband in an accident
They say she sat and cried for him a year or more
And all she did was think of him and walk the floor
She'd lie there in her bed at night alone and cold
Until one day she joined the highway state patrol
Well, they say she has a CB and she's on the air
And she goes by the handle of the Lady Bear
She never gives a ticket and she works at night
All she does is tell the story of her life
I've heard some truckers say there ain't no Lady Bear
And others say she don't work when the weather's fair
But when the weather's bad she's on the air all night
Begging us to slow down till the weather's right
Well, you know I love this story well it could be true
If you're ever in a snowstorm tell you what to do
If you should hear the Lady Bear on your radio
There were signs beside the road like Jesus Saves
And relieve yourself the fast and gentle way
I was looking for an old man who lived way back in these hills
Who just might have a story I could tell
Pretty soon the blacktop disappeared I felt the car change to a lower gear
I took a drink of liquor just to chase away the chill
I was twenty seven miles from Olive Hill
Ahead I saw the bridge where I turned right a dirt road led straight up a mountain side
I pulled up to a farmhouse I thought I had seen before
An old man and his dog were at the door
They told me this old-timer knew this land I told him sir I just don't understand
Why the kids in this state just grow up and move away
And leave the land where they were born and raised
He said son you can't make it on this land
Unless you're happy working with your hands
There ain't no kids today that want to stay and work it out
They wanna see the things they hear about
He said I cleared this old farm off myself
And I'd work it now but time has got my health
Then staring out the window resting in his easy chair
He told me what I'd really come to hear
Said you know son people used to tell their kids
My I don't want you to have to work the way I did
They don't and some will tell you that it's a shame
But you have to think before you place the blame
I guess we must've talked a half a day then I told him that I'd best be on my way
He shook my hand and said I'm glad I met you Mr Hall
But I guess there ain't no song here after all
I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
They said for the last two weeks that he suffered and cried
It made a big impression on me although I was a barefoot kid
They said he got religion at the end and I'm glad that he did
Clayton was the best guitar picker in our town
I thought he was a hero and I used to follow Clayton around
I often wondered why Clayton who seemed so good to me
Never took his guitar and made it down in Tennessee
Well daddy said he drank a lot but I could never understand
I knew he used to picked up in Ohio with a five piece band
Clayton used to tell me son you better put that old guitar away
Ain't no money in it it'll lead you to an early grave
I guess if I'd admit it Clayton taught me how to drink booze
I can see him half stoned a pickin' out the Lovesick Blues
When Clayton died I made him a promise I was gonna carry on somehow
I'd give a hundred dollars if he could only see me now
I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died
Nobody ever knew it but I went out in the woods and I cried
Well I know there's a lotta big preachers that know a lot more than I do
But it could be that the good Lord likes a little picking too
Yeah I remember the year that Clayton Delaney died