The warden said he'd mail my letter
The chaplain's waitin' by the door
Tonight we'll cross the yard together
Then they can't hurt me anymore
I am going over yonder
Where no ghost can follow me
There's another place beyond here
Where I'll be free I believe
Give my radio to Johnson
Thibodeaux can have my fan
Send my Bible home to Mama
Call her every now and then I suppose I got it comin'
I can't ever pay enough
All my rippin' and a runnin'
I hurt everyone I loved
The world'll turn around without me
The sun'll come up in the east
Shinin' down on all of them that hate me
I hope my goin' brings 'em peace
I've spent my life following things I cannot see
And just when I catch up to them, they slip away from me
I've been down a thousand trails I've never walked before
I found out that without fail, they lead me to your door
And the world keep turning round and round
It leaves me hanging in the air
My heart keeps turning upside down
And you're still standin' there
Lately I see all the signs, I feel it in the wind
The same thing happens every time that you come back again
I admit that there are nights when I sit up and cry
But sometimes I turn out the lights and pray you'll pass me by
Since you're gone my empty arms have nothing left to hold
And your memory cannot keep me warm but it never leaves me cold
I was born by the railroad tracks
Well the train whistle wailed and I wailed right back
Well papa left mama when I was quite young
He said now ";One of these days you're gonna follow me son";
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I ain't ever satisfied
Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I ain't ever satisfied
Now I had me a woman she was my world
But I ran off with my back street girl
Now my back street woman could not be true
She left me standin' on the boulevard thinkin' bout you
I got an empty feeling deep inside
I'm going over to the other side
Last night I dreamed I made it to the promise land
I was standin' at the gate and I had the key in my hand
Saint Peter said ";Come on in boy, you're finally home";
I said ";No thanks Pete, I'll just be moving along";
I've always heard that love is blind
But I know that there's another kind
Shines like a beacon in the night
And holds up in the morning light
Cause in mv dreams she travels with me when I run
And in my dreams she takes my hand
When I make my stand but morning always comes
And I know it's too good to be true
She loves me even when I'm blue
No one can say that I ain't tried
I keep on searching far and wide
And I know she's out there somewhere now
I'm gonna track her down somehow
Here comes the night, day brings no light
For wrong or right I'm here waiting on you
Words cut too deep, old ghosts won't sleep
But they'll never keep me from waiting on you
Breathing out, breathing in
Holding out, giving in
Doing with or without
For a lifetime, just a lifetime
I can't let go, I wait for you
Till hell goes cold, I'll wait for you
You're all I know and I wait for you Breathing out, breathing in
Holding out, giving in
Doing with or without waiting on you
Don't show it all, walk on, walk tall
Behind this wall I'm still waiting on you
Late at night on some dark deserted highway
On my way to another lonesome town
I thought I might see the first light of a new day
As it lay like fool's gold on the ground
chorus
But whenever I'm feelin' low
I won't have to cry alone I know
'Cause you will answer when I call
If I soar above the clouds and then
I come crashin' back to earth again
You will catch me when I fall
All these years I've watched you trip and stumble
There were times that I feared that you were lost
But every tear that I dried after you tumbled
Comes to mind when I'm considerin' the cost chorus
In my heart there's a place for you to run to
Anytime you're tired and hurt and blue
For my part I have only to remind you
You will find me waiting when you do
chorus
This is the best time of the day-the dawn
The final cleansing breath unsullied yet
By acrid fume or death's cacophony
The rank refuse of unchained ambition
And pray, deny me not but know me now,
Your faithful retainer stands resolute
To serve his liege lord without recompense
Perchance to fall and perish namelessly
No flag-draped bier or muffled drum to set
The cadence for a final dress parade
But it was not always thus-remember?
Once you worshipped me and named me a god
In many tongues and made offering lest
I exact too terrible a tribute
Take heed for I am weary, ancient
And decrepit now and my time grows short
There are no honorable frays to join
Only mean death dealt out in dibs and dabs
Or horror unleashed from across oceans
Assail me not with noble policy
For I care not at all for platitude
And surrender such tedious detail
To greater minds than mine and nimbler tongues
Singular in their purpose and resolve
And presuming to speak for everyman
Oh, for another time, a distant field
And there a mortal warrior's lonely grave
But duty charges me remain until
The end the last battle of the last war
Until that â'morrow render unto me
That which is mine my stipend well deserved
The fairest flower of your progeny
Your sons, your daughters your hopes and your dreams
The cruel consequence of your conceit
Back in the hills when we were only kids
Love shined like a diamond in your eyes
I swore I'd never hurt you - then I did
Now I'm all alone with all my lies
I promised that I'd never be untrue
I'd never make you cry
The only promise that I didn't break
Was to love you until the day I die
I wish I'd never seen those city lights
A sight for a country boy to see
For every one that you see shinin' bright
Another is burnin' out like me
I wouldn't listen though you told me dear
I couldn't see the lie
But all the same I still love you tonight
And I'll love you until the day I die They built this prison just for fools like me
Who don't know a treasure from a stone
I killed a man now I won't ever see
The green rollin' hills where I was born
No I won't ever see your face again
But if I close my eyes
I can almost hear you call me back to then
And I'll love you until the day I die
In the darkest hour of the longest night
If it was in my power I'd step into the light
Candles on the alter, penny in your shoe
Walk upon the water ¡ª transcendental blues
Happy ever after 'til the day you die
Careful what you ask for, you don't know 'til you try
Hands are in your pockets, starin' at your shoes
Wishin' you could stop it ¡ª transcendental blues
If I had it my way, everything would change
Out here on this highway the rules are still the same
Back roads never carry you where you want 'em to
They leave you standin' there with them ol' transcendental blues
Everyone in Nacadoches just knew Tom Ames
Would come to some bad end
Well the Sheriff had caught him stealin' chickens and such
By the time that he was ten
And one day his daddy took a ten dollar bill
And he tucked it in his hand
He said, "I can tell you're headed for trouble, son
And your momma wouldn't understand"
So he took that money and his brothers old bay
And he left without a word of thanks
Fell in with a crowd in some border town
Took to robbin' banks
Well, outside the law your luck will run out fast
And a few years came and went
Till he's trapped in an alley in Abilene
With all but four shells spent
And he realized prayin' was the only thing
That he hadn't ever tried
Well, he wasn't sure he knew quite how
But he looked up to the sky
Said, "You don't owe me nothin' and as far as I know
Lord, don't owe nothin' to You
And I ain't askin' for a miracle, Lord
Just a little bit of luck will do"
"And You know I ain't never prayed before
But it always seemed to me
If prayin' is the same as beggin', Lord
I don't take no charity"
Yeah, but right now Lord with my back to the wall
Can't help but recall
How they nearly hung me for stealin' a horse
In Fort Smith, Arkansas
Judge Parker said, ?Guilty,? and the gavel came down
Just like a cannon shot
And I went away quietly
And I began to file and plot
Well they sent the preacher down to my cell
He said, "The Lord is your only hope
He's the only friend that you gonna have
When you hit the end of Parker's rope"
Well, I guess he could have kept on preachin' till Christmas
But he turned his back on me
I put a home made blade to that golden throat
And asked the deputy for the key
Well, it ain't the first close call I ever had
I'm sure you already know
I had some help from you Lord and the Devil himself
It's been strictly touch and go
Yeah, but who in the hell am I talkin' to
There ain't no one here but me
And then he cocked both his pistols and he spit in the dirt
I'm running down this highway
Don't remember where I slept last night
I just remember halfway through the night
I woke up stiff with fright
I dreamed there was no asphalt
I dreamed there was no gasoline
Felt like a rat caught in some nowhere town
I woke up and screamed
This highway
This highway
This highway
This highway
This highway
This highway's mine
I grew up on the dragstrip
I used to shut em down
I used to take their pinkslips
There's a sucker born in every town
I never showed no mercy
I blew them all away
They stood there and cursed me
As I towed their lives away
I used to run the cocaine
I used to run the weed
These days I'm just running
Tryin' to make this highway bleed
Sometimes the only difference 'tween me and this machine
Is I run on desperation
She runs on gasoline
I'm the Roadmaster
The Asphalt Blaster
Mess with me and I'll shut you down
The bad thing
The highway king and I've come to claim my kingdom now
I come to you with empty hands
I guess I just forgot again
I only got my love to send
On Valentine's Day
I ain't got a card to sign
Roses have been hard to find
I only hope that you'll be mine
On Valentine's Day
I know that I swore that I wouldn't forget
I wrote it all down: I lost it I guess
There's so much I want to say
But all the words just slip away The way you love me every day
Is Valentine's Day
If I could I would deliver to you
Diamonds and gold; it's the least I can do
So if you'll take my IOU
I could make it up to you
Until then I hope my heart will do
For Valentine's Day
In the blue of the evening when the sun is low
There's a shadow that creeps across my cell block floor
And it comes to remind me what I'm in here for
No, I'm not admittin' that I done the crime
I'm only getting down to doin' time
The passin' of day is no concern of mine
There's a guard on the second shift comes on at three
And he's always about a half inch off of me
Like he needs to keep remindin' me that I'm not free
God forgive him 'cuz he doesn't see
He's no less a prisoner 'cuz he holds a key
and God forbid he turn his back on me
For every wall you build around your fear
A thousand darker things are born in here
There fed on contempt for all that you hold dear
The truth is it doesn't matter what you do
'Til you gaze in that mirror with an eye that's true
And admit that what scares you is the me in you
I was eight years old when my granddaddy died
He that showed me the signs I still miss him sometimes
Been a long time ago but his words still ring true
Whatever you do be a seeker
All these years I have wandered and wherever I roamed
I was never alone or forsaken I know
Somewhere way out yonder I know I will find
That a bright beacon shines for a seeker
You can't always believe your eyes
It's your heart that sees through all the lies
And the first answer follows the first question asked
The mystery unmasked by the seeker
In a world full of sorrow, hunger and pain
It's so hard to explain why I'm still travelin'
But there's a new day tomorrow and maybe I'll hold
Something brighter than gold to a seeker
I was walkin' down the street
In the town where I was born
I was movin' to a beat
That I'd never felt before
So I opened up my eyes
And I took a look around
I saw it written â'cross the sky
The revolution starts now
Yeah, the revolution starts now
The revolution starts now
When you rise above your fear
And tear the walls around you down
The revolution starts here
Where you work and where you play
Where you lay your money down
What you do and what you say
The revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now
Yeah the revolution starts now
In your own backyard
In your own hometown
So what you doin' standin' around?
Just follow your heart
The revolution starts now
Last night I had a dream
That the world had turned around
And all our hopes had come to be
And the people gathered â'round
They all brought what they could bring
And nobody went without
And I learned a song to sing
The revolution starts now
Now I'm a pretty big man around this town
I got me the hottest little Chevy around
My sweet little '66
She got a yellow front fender and a gray one on the back
But my income tax is comin' and I'm gonna paint her black
Sweet little '66
She got the 396, she got the four on the floor
And those stickers in the window ain't just for show
My sweet little '66
Now old Bubba and me built her back in '79
Then he went into the army so now she's all mine
Sweet little '66
I used to run her down on River Road and make a little dough
Can't afford another ticket so I'm laying kinda low
Me and my '66
Now she ain't too good on gasoline, she burns a little oil
But she was built by union labor on American soil
Sweet little '66
So when your Subaru is over and your Honda's history
I'll be blastin' down some back road with my baby next to me
In my sweet little 66
(Steve Earle)
Tell me a story 'bout a fella with a crazy dream
Everybody tells him that it won't amount to anything
He fires the shot heard around the world
He wins the prize and he gets the girl
That's the kind of story I like €" the kind that makes you think
Sing me a song about a cowboy with an achin' heart
Ridin' along the lonesome prairie 'bout to fall apart
Every time those doggies moan
He doesn't feel so all alone
That's the kind of song that I like €" the kind that breaks your heart
Paint me a picture of a girl with a secret smile
Lookin' back at ya 'cross the years through ancient eyes
You're standin' there like an open door
'Cause she's seen it all before
That's the kind of picture I like €" the kind that makes you sigh
Beggin' your pardon there stranger
You look like you're new to this town
We're a long way away from the beach here
You won't see many gringos around
Well I come from West Colorado
And I've wandered this world far and wide
I've lived for some years in the shadows
And my eyes are unused to this light
If you buy me a strong drink of whiskey
I will tell you the tale of my life
It's long and it's sad but it fits me
And it may bring a tear to your eye
All the men of my family were solidiers
The hard fightin' straight talkin' kind
When my turn came all that was over
But I'd already made up my mind
I was there when we blew though Grenada
And I still have to ask myself why
Then we took down that fool Noriega
That's where I caught the good colonel's eye
Well he asked me if I loved my country
And before I had time to reply
He regaled me with tales of past glories
I believed every one of his lies
So I left my old life behind me
Turned my back on my family and friends
And I did everything that they asked me
And I lost some sleep now and again
And I lived like a thief and assassin
I smuggled their poisons sometimes
Until I asked the wrong question in passin'
And the colonel himself dropped the dime
So if you're ever in west Colorado
Tell the folks in Durango goodbye
There's a price on my head and I can't go
So I'll just wait around here â'til I die
Long ago and far away
In a land no map can find
There lived in long forgotten days
A boy who never cried
He was his mother's only child
So she never wondered why
Until the news spread far and wide
Of a boy who never cried
From fabled lands the pilgrims came
To behold the silent child
In ancient tones they sang his name
Over every lonely mile
There were those who came in reverence
There were those who stood outside
And whispered low in quatrains dim
Of a boy who never cried
Days grew long and short until
The seasons turned to years
The child grew strong and fairer still
With a face unstained by tears
And every maid and lady fair
Held her breath when he passed by
For their mothers bid them all beware
Of a man who never cries
He lived alone for all his years
And then on the day he died
He shed a single precious tear for a boy who never cried
My brother Jimmy, my other brother Jack
Went off down to Houston and they never come back
Mama wasn't gonna let her baby go yet
But there ain't nobody hirin' back in Lafeyette
I'm workin' all week for the Texaco check
Sun beatin' down on the back of my neck
Tried to save my money but Jimmy says no
Says he's got a little honey on Telephone Road
Chorus:
Come on come on come on let's go
This ain't Louisianna
Your Mama won't know
Come on come on come on let's go
Everybody's rockin' out on Telephone Road
Telephone Road is ten miles long
Fifty car lots and a hundred honky-tonks
Jukebox blastin' and the beer bottles ring
Jimmy banging on a pinball machine Chorus
Mama never told me about nothin' like this
I guess Houston's 'bout a big as a city can get
Sometimes I get lonesome for Lafeyette
Someday I'm goin' home but I ain't ready yet
Chorus
I went downtown, it was just to ease my pain
I ended up out walkin' in the rain
I took my pistol and a hundred dollar bill
I had everything I needed to get me killed
Southside girls, they suit me just fine
As long as I got money they don't whine The devil lives on Lewis Street I swear
I seen him rockin' in his rockin' chair
I start way up top of Lewis Street
And I walk down to the end
I start way up top and I walk down to the end
I go way down in the bottoms
And I come back up again
Now Mama told me, Papa too
They both talked ¡®til they turned blue
But I got them ol' South Nashville blues again
I won't be satisfied until they lock me up again
You know that it's been such a long time, honey
Since I've been ridin' next to you
I ain't a-waitin' in no long line, honey
You know I'm only passin' through
Well, I got here without warning
Well, I'm leavin' in the mornin'
You won't find me hangin' ¡®round your door tomorrow like your other men
Hey darlin', squeeze me in
I've been sleepin' by the road side, honey
Holdin' my suitcase next to me
You can't ignore me ¡®cause it's been tried, honey
I'm gonna get you, wait and see
Well, I got here without warning
Well, I'm leavin' in the mornin'
You won't find me hangin' ¡®round your door tomorrow like your other men
Hey darlin', squeeze me in
Darlin', squeeze me in
There ain't a lot that you can do in this town
You drive down to the lake and then you turn back
around
You go to school and you learn to read and write
So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your
life
I work at the fillin' station on the interstate
Pumpin' gasoline and countin' out of state plates
They ask me how far into Memphis son, and where's the
nearest beer
And they don't even know that there's a town around
here
Someday I'm finally gonna let go
'Cause I know there's a better way
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow
I'm gonna get out of here someday
Now my brother went to college cause he played football
I'm still hangin' round cause I'm a little bit small
I got me a 67 Chevy, she's low and sleek and black
Someday I'll put her on that interstate and never look
back
Someday I'm finally gonna let go
'Cause I know there's a better way
And I wanna know what's over that rainbow
I'm gonna get out of here someday
I'm gonna get out of here someday
Some-day
(Steve Earle)
When I was a little guy
My daddy told me "Mister,
Don't ever try to climb too high
'Cause it's the fall that gets ya
And some dreams can never come true
They'll never come true"
Well, I heard every word he said
But I don't guess I listened
But every time I banged my head
Against the wall or system
Yeah, some dreams don't ever come true
Don't ever come true
But some dreams do
If you just hang on
And your heart is true
And your hope is strong
Well, just because you've been around
And had your poor heart broken
That's no excuse for lyin' there
Before the last word's spoken
'Cause some dreams don't ever come true
Don't ever come true
Aw, but some dreams do
When you're feelin' low
And you think you're through
That's when you will know
Yeah, when you wish upon a star
Buddy, don't you miss it
Catch it 'fore it falls too far
Keep it with your secrets
'Cause some dreams don't ever come true
Don't ever come true
Don't ever come true
But some dreams do
[Instrumental]
No curtains on my window
Outside the sun is sinking low
I feel you letting go
I will promise you anything
Wind whispering in your ear
I'll tell you what you want to hear
If you'll only let me near
I will promise you anything
Well, I don't have to prove my intentions are golden
I don't have to tell you where we're goin'
Feel somethin' wild baby out there blowin'
If you follow me Run with me if you dare
Hold on I'm gonna take you there
Solemn as a prayer
I will promise you anything
No curtains on my window
Outside the moon is hangin' low
True colors start to show
I will promise you anything
Since I first saw you I've been thinkin' about you
And now I'm out here on the highway goin' crazy without you
I can't help but want you girl, you're young and you're pretty
But somehow I can't see you up in New York City
I'm gonna leave you alone in your own little world
But won't you be my San Antonio girl
Be my San Antonio girl
Be my, be my, be my, San Antonio girl
Now I know you've heard the stories bout life in the fast lane
What they didn't tell you is you come home on a slow train
I'd just as soon remember you the way that I found you
Dancin' by yourself with the stars all around you
She was walking down the street
Looking fine as she could be, hey, hey
She was walking down the street
She's looking fine as she could be, hey, hey
You know I love you, baby
Oh hear what is say, hey, hey
She walked right up to me
Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
She walked right up to me
Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?" Hey, hey
We had love and conversation
Oh yeah, what I say, hey hey
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
Hey, hey
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
You know I love you, baby
Oh yeah, what I say, yeah, hey
Now, she walked right up to me, talkin' about me
She said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
Well, she walked right up to me
Said, "Hey, big boy, what's your name?"
We had love and conversation
Oh yeah, what I say, hey hey
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
She's about a mover
She's about a mover, hey
(Steve Earle)
Way out yonder, where the wild wind blows
There's a place there lonely fools can go
Where if you hold your money, it'll burn your hand
So you buy you a ticket to the shadowland
chorus
Down the highway, down the road I'm bound
And my heart keeps poundin' and the wheels go 'round
And it's a hard place for a mortal man
And a heartbroke pilgrim in the shadowland
Yeah, when I was younger I could hold my own
My right hand was thunder and my left was stone
Now I ain't as handsome as I was back then
So I'm takin' my chances in the shadowland
chorus
Been down a thousand highways and they're all the same
Another empty place where I can hide my shame
And there's a heartache waitin' up around the bend
For a lonesome stranger in the shadowland
chorus
(Steve Earle, Sheryl Corw)
Take your red dress, leave the hanger
Lose the sadness, use the anger
You might need it 'fore you get there
chorus
Oh, Amanda
You don't have to say goodbye
You just go Amanda
Ain't no way you didn't try
Wo, oh
All right
Tell your sister, tell your brother
Take a picture to your mother
You've been livin' undercover
chrous x 3
Oh, Amanda
Oh, Amanda
A long time ago there lived a man
He had the world in the palm of his hand
Sultans and kings beat a path to his door
He had everything but he still wanted more
One day in spring came a lady so fair
He'd never looked on a beauty so rare
But he didn't trust her so he locked her away
And his gold lost its luster when love died that day
Once you love, once you trust it
Once you give your soul is bare
One false move and you know you're busted
Once you love you care
I knew an old man who lived all alone
In a sad Iittle house at the end of the road
He sat on the front porch in an old rocking chair
And everyone swore he'd gone crazy down there
But no one comes near so how could they know
He lost someone dear to him once long ago
He remembers the laughter and he still tastes the tears
And he still calls her name out after all of these years
You can keep it all inside
You can run but you can't hide
When you think it's safe outside
Look behind you, love will find you
I'm the keeper of your heart
I keep the flame when we're apart
I'm the lover in your arms
Or a baby soft and warm
I'm a hero in your eyes
I'm a comfort when you cry
When you hurt me I'm your fool
But I'm nothin' without you
(CHORUS)
No I'm nothin' without you
It don't matter what I do
If I win or if I lose
Sweetheart I'm nothin' without you I'm a beacon in the night
To show the way until it's light
I'm a stumbler in the dark
When I can't say what's in my heart
I'm a poet just the same
Every time I speak your name
I'm just a shadow when I'm blue
But I'm nothin' without you
(CHORUS)
[Instrumental]
He was standing on the highway
Somewhere way out in the sticks
Guitar across his shoulder
Like a 30 ought six
He was staring in my headlights
When I come around the bend
Climbed up on my shotgun side
And told me with a grin
Chorus:
I'm going to New York City
I never really been there
Just like the way it sounds
I heard the girls are pretty
There must be something happening there
It's just too big a town
He was cold and wet and hungry
But he never did complain
Said he'd come a thousand miles
Through sleet and snow and rain
He had a hundred stories
About the places that he'd been
He'd hang around a little while
And hit the road again
Chorus See I've been to New York City
Seems like it was yesterday
I was standing like a pilgrim
On the Great White Way
The girls were really pretty
But they wouldn't talk to me
I held out about a week
Went back to Tennessee
So, I thought I'd better warn him
As he climbed out of my car
Grabbed his battered suitcase
And shouldered his guitar
I knew I was just jealous
If I didn't wish him well
I slipped the kid a twenty
Said 'Billy give 'em hell'
Chorus x 2
It doesn't get any lonelier than this
I believe my heart'll break
Tonight I prayed I'd die before I wake
With every breath I'm tastin' your kiss
And it's sweet upon my tongue
Until the bitter tears fall one by one
It doesn't get any lonelier than this
'Cause I'm on this road alone
My heartbeat ringin' like a hollow drum
I'm about as lonesome as a poor boy gets
And there's nothin' I can do
'Cause it's dark out here and I can't find you
It doesn't get any lonelier than this It doesn't get any lonelier than this
I'm as blue as blue can be
Just an empty place where your love should be
I'm sick and tired of walkin' around like this
With my heart outside my skin
Scared to death we'll never touch again
It doesn't get any lonelier than this
And there's no place I can go
Just the dusty corners that the shadows know
Maybe this is as good as it's gonna get
And I'll always be this way
I'll just wander this world callin' out your name
It doesn't get any lonelier than this
Me and Bill there we both come from Georgia
Met Hank out in New Mexico
We're bound for Duranqo to join Pancho Villa
We hear that he's payin' in gold
I guess a man's got to do what he's best at
Ain't found nothin' better so far
Been called mercenaries and men with no country
Just soldiers in search of a war
CHORUS
And we're bound for the border
We're soldiers of fortune
And we'll fight for no country but we'll die for good pay
Under the flag of of the greenback dollar
Or the peso down Mexico way
When this war is over might go back to Georgia
And settle down quiet some where
I'll most likely pack up and head south for Chile
Heard tell there's some trouble down there
Leroy was a farmer and an honest man
Would have lived in Oklahoma all his days
He just wanted left alone to work a piece of land
But a hard wind come and blew his dreams away
So he headed for the West Coast thought he could not lose
Rollin' down the highway with the dustbowl blues
It's a thousand miles from Broken Bow to Bakersfield
And the highway's paved with heartaches all the way
Leroy drove on lookin' for a better deal
A place a man could settle down and stay
But the police at the state line beat him black and blue
Left him lyin' by the roadside with the dustbowl blues
They say California is a paradise
Hollywood turns night time into day
But up along the San Joaquin those city lights
Might as well be a million miles away
When your kids are cold and hungry wearin' worn out shoes
Standin' in the garden with the dustbowl blues
Hey little guy, I can't believe you answered the phone
I guess I didn't know you could do that, God help me, have I been gone that long
I'm in a truck stop somewhere on the Arkansas line
They got all the big trucks here, boy, you ought to hear the big diesels whine
No little guy, your daddy won't be home for a while
It's gonna be another couple weeks and another couple thousand miles
So got to sleep little rock 'n' roller
Your daddy's up there knockin' 'em dead tonight
One of these days when you're a little older
You can ride the big bus and everything will be alright
Until that day you got your mama to hold you
Don't be afraid when she turns out the light
Cause I know there's an angel just for rock 'n' rollers
Watchin' over you and your daddy tonight
No little guy, don't bother your mamma right now
'Cause I only got a minute and I called to talk to you anyhow
I Know you miss me, God knows I'm thinkin' 'bout you
I got your picture in my wallet, it cheers me up sometimes when I'm blue
Well little guy, I'm gonna have to let you go
You know it's way past your bedtime, and they're tellin' me we gotta roll
(Steve Earle)
When I'm walkin' these streets
And I'm countin' my steps
And I'm draggin' my feet
'Cause I ain't ready yet
To start all over again
'Cause every time that I do
I remember you
Well, you broke my heart
And it healed alright
Now we're far apart
And I don't lie awake at night
But every once in a while
Right out of the blue
I remember you
Well, you never write and I never call
And I don't miss you tonight
I'm just curious, that's all
Do you still have dreams?
Did they all come true?
Does it ever seem like you'll never make it through?
And do you ever miss me the way that I do
When I remember you?
When I'm walkin' these streets
Well, you broke my heart
And I'm countin' my steps
But it healed alright
And I'm draggin' my feet
Now we're far apart
'Cause I ain't ready yet
Every once in a while
Right out of the blue
I remember you
I remember you
I used to listen to the radio
And I don't guess they're listenin' to me no more
They talk too much but that's okay
I don't understand a single word they say
Piss and moan about the immigrants
But don't say nothin' about the president
A democracy don't work that way
I can say anything I wanna say
So fuck the FCC
Fuck the FBI
Fuck the CIA
Livin' in the motherfuckin' USA
People tell me that I'm paranoid
And I admit I'm gettin' pretty nervous, boy
It just gets tougher everyday
To sit around and watch it while it slips away
Been called a traitor and a patriot
Call me anything you want to but
Just don't forget your history
Dirty Lenny died so we could all be free
(Steve Earle)
I'm just an American boy raised on MTV
And I've seen all those kids in the soda pop ads
But none of 'em looked like me
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him
chorus:
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
There is no God but God
If my daddy could see me now €" chains around my feet
He don't understand that sometimes a man
Has got to fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great, all praise due to him
And if I should die, I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him
chorus
We came to fight the Jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
As death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom
But Allah had some other plan, some secret not revealed
Now they're draggin' me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
A shadu la ilaha illa Allah
(Steve Earle)
I woke up this mornin' and none of the news was good
And death machines were rumblin' 'cross the ground where Jesus stood
And the man on my TV told me that it had always been that way
And there was nothin' anyone could do or say
And I almost listened to him
Yeah, I almost lost my mind
Then I regained my senses again
And looked into my heart to find
That I believe that one fine day all the children of Abraham
Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem
Well maybe I'm only dreamin' and maybe I'm just a fool
But I don't remember learnin' how to hate in Sunday school
But somewhere along the way I strayed and I never looked back again
But I still find some comfort now and then
Then the storm comes rumblin' in
And I can't lay me down
And the drums are drummin' again
And I can't stand the sound
But I believe there'll come a day when the lion and the lamb
Will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem
And there'll be no barricades then
There'll be no wire or walls
And we can wash all this blood from our hands
And all this hatred from our souls
And I believe that on that day all the children of Abraham
Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem
Baby it's a cold hard world out there
Broken hearted people everywhere
Takin' whatever love they get
I don't wanna wind up like that, so
chorus
Baby throw your arms around my neck
Lay your pretty head against my chest
Listen to one heartbeat then the next
'Cause baby I don't wanna lose you yet
You know I love you and I know you love me
It's everything that love's supposed to be
But I don't wanna look up one day
And find out we let it slip away
chorus Can't tell you nothin' 'bout love I guess
That you don't already know
But girl, when you're in my arms like this
I don't ever wanna let you go
Baby maybe I'm wrong but what it I'm right
And everything's depending on us tonight
Maybe we'll pass this way again
But honey I don't wanna wait 'til then, so
chorus
I didn't know
You'd be in this place tonight
Then again I thought you might
Now I don't know what to do
Does it show
When my poor heart skips a beat
Each and every time we meet
¡®Cause I'm still in love with you
There you are
Right across the room from me
Just the way I knew you'd be
Lookin' lonesome wild and blue
I'm alright so far
Just as long as you don't speak
That's what makes my knees go weak
¡®Cause I'm still in love with you
I've done everything I know
To get you off my mind
But sometimes I can't help but hope
That you won't walk away this time Then I wouldn't have to watch you go
Wouldn't have to miss you so
¡®Cause I'm still in love with you
If I knew what I know now
I'd never let you leave
I'd make it up to you somehow
And darlin' you'd come back to me
Then I wouldn't have to watch you go
Wouldn't have to miss you so
¡®Cause I'm still in love with you
I wouldn't need to be so blue
Wouldn't want you like I do
¡®Cause I'm still in love with you
I saw you lookin' at that girl like that
I saw her too boy I know right where you're at
But you better be careful
'Cause she ain't the kind you're gonna forget
How much you wanna bet
Chorus:
If you fall in love
Nothin's gonna be the same
You walk around callin' out her name
Throw your heart down like a glove
Push comes to shove
You only end up lonely and blue
Whenever she's away from you If you fall in love
You gotta hear me talkin' to ya
'Cause I'm your best friend
And I'd hate to see you goin'
Where I've already been
'Cause I've been in love before
And I won't ever be the same again
You better listen to me, Jim Chorus
There she is again
She sure looks fine
Boy, I know you're walkin'
On a very thin line
So I guess it's up to me
'Cause your heart's not as strong as mine
Well just this one time
Chorus
Sweetheart last night I dreamed of you
You loved me like you used to do
Mornin' come and I woke up and found
I still carry you around
Chorus:
I still carry you around
Everywhere I travel now
No matter how I try to put you down
I still carry you around
I still just can't believe you're gone
Your memory haunts me from now on
I walk the streets of this old lonely town
I still carry you around Chorus
You're with me everywhere I go
In my heart and in my soul
Down every road, no matter where I'm bound
I still carry you around
Chorus
I wish I'd never come back home
It don't feel right since I've been grown
I can't find any of my old friends hangin' 'round
Won't nothin' bring you down like your hometown
I spent some time in New Orleans
I had to live on rice and beans
I hitched through Texas when the sun was beatin' down
Won't nothin' bring you down like your hometown CHORUS
Home is where the heart is
Ain't that what they always say
My heart lies in broken pieces
Scattered along the way
So don't think about me when I'm gone
I don't mind travelin' alone
You are the sweetest little thing I ever found
Won't nothin' bring you down like your hometown
Here I am, out in the rain
I know I can't ever wash out the pain
I never meant to be cruel or untrue
I'm just hurtin' me when I'm hurtin' you
Girl I won't say, I'm hurtin' more
I know that you've heard all that before
So go on believe what you wanna believe
But I'm hurtin' you then I'm hurtin' me
I know it's hard to keep hanging on
You think that I hold all of the cards; I know you're wrong
And girl just like me, you ain't got a clue
I'm just hurtin' me when I'm hurtin' you
You know I love you baby
God only knows that I do
I know I've been bad baby
I never, ever meant to be bad to you
I never meant to be cruel or untrue
I'm just hurtin' me when I'm hurtin' you
I'm a Harlan Man
Went down in the mine when I was barely grown
It was easy then
¡®Cause I didn't know what I know now
But I'm a family man
And it's the only life that I've ever known
But I'm a Harlan Man
Just as long as my luck and lungs hold out
I'm a mountain man
Born in east Kentucky and here I'll stay
And if it's the good Lord's plan
I'll wake up in the mornin' and find
I'm lookin' at the end
Of another long week and I can draw my pay
¡®Cause I'm a Harlan Man
Never catch me whinin' cause I ain't that kind I'm a union man
Just like my daddy and all my kin
I took a union stand
No matter what the company said
I got me two good hands
And just as long as I'm able I won't give in
¡®Cause I'm a Harlan Man
A coal minin' mother ¡®til the day I'm dead
Girl, don't bother to lock your door
He's out there hollering, ";Darlin' don't you love me no more?";
You always let him in before now didn't you
He's just singing the some old song
That he always sang before
He's the last of the hard-core troubadours
Girl, better figure out which is which
Wherefore art thou Romeo you son of a bitch
You'd just as soon fight as switch now wouldn't you
He's come to make love on your satin sheets
Wake up on your living room floor
He's the last of the hard-core troubadours
He's the lost of the all-night, do right
Stand beneath your window 'til daylight
He's the last of the hard-core troubadours
Baby, whet you waitin' for
Girl, figure out what you're gonna do
When he moves on again and he leaves you alone and blue
But you knew he is just passin' through now didn't you
And now you can't just say this is the last time baby
Like you always did before
He's the last of the hard-core troubadours
Here I Am
On my way
Down another road I've have paved
With every good intention I've saved
And hearts that I broke
As for me I got scars
For every mile I've traveled so far
And some blood on my hands
Here I am
With a song in my heart
And an attitude from the start
I took everybody apart
To see how they work
I got friends that I owe
I ain't namin' names
Cuz they know where they stand
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am If I went back where I've been
And I knew what I know now then
Well I'd probably do it again
Cuz I'm just a man
At the end of the day
I ain't got nothing to say
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am
Here I am
I could tell it when I woke up this mornin'
'Cause I can smell it when a heartache's comin'
Not that I'm in such a hurry to lose you
I'd call you up but there's nothin' that I can do
Talkin' won't do any good anyway
'Cause goodbye's all we've got left to say
I don't think that it'll get any better
So maybe you could just write me a letter
And I could open it up when I'm stronger
Another ten or twelve years, maybe longer
Guess I just don't feel much like bad news today
Goodbye's all we've got left to say Don't try to call me 'cause I'm takin' my phone out
'Cause if it rings, I'll know what it's about
And don't you worry 'bout me 'cause I'm alright
Maybe you'll run into me somewhere, some night
And if you do just keep goin' your way
Goodbye's all we've got left to say
She's a country girl
Young and pretty
She wanna see the world
So she headed for the city
She was entertained in all the right places
Knew half of the names, and all of the faces
Just a country girl
If her daddy could see her now
Just a country girl
Well you'd never recognize your little angel now
She comes down from way South,
She talks slow and lazy
When she opened her mouth the city boys went crazy
They fed her pink champagne, give her a headache
Cheap cocaine makes her meaner than a rattlesnake
Reelin' and a rockin' couldn't get enough
Crawlin' when the sun comes up
And payback's hell
There's a bag lady talkin' to her shopping cart
Don't you know the scary part
On the blue side of evenin'
When the darkness takes control
You start lookin' for a reason
To take your lonesome on down the road
'Cause the night is filled with strangers
All you need is one you know
And if she ain't the one you're after
Keep on lookin' on down the road
Though the miles lay long behind you
You have still got miles to go
How's love ever gonna find you
If it ain't here it's down the road
Keep on lookin' on down the road
[Instrumental]
Well, sittin' in the depot long before the break of day
I just bought my ticket, Lord I hope the bus ain't late
I'll have a cup of coffee and a sandwich from the microwave
Now I'm gonna see my baby if it's the last thing I ever do
Got this sittin' in the station sick and tired of waitin'
Continental Trailways blues
Well rollin' out for Houston, man we're finally rollin' now
Try to get some sleep and listen to that highway sound
I guess we must have stopped in every single little town
Now I've bought myself a copy of the Natchez Mississippi News
With the just pulled out of Lake Charles rollin' into Sulphur
Continental Trailways blues
Now, we're rollin' into Houston, don't them city lights look fine
Headed for the pay phone, hangin' onto my last dime
Well, she says she's got a new man, Son, it's been a long, long time
Now I was standin' by the highway with the rain runnin' through my shoes
With the sittin' by the road side wishin' I was inside Continental Trailways blues
I got the wishin' I was downtown waitin' on a Greyhound
Continental Trailways blues
(Steve Earle)
What if I told you it was done with mirrors
What if I showed you it was all a lie
Better be careful, someone might hear ya
The walls have ears and the sky has eyes
What if I said you were only dreamin'
What you wanna bet that all you gotta do
Is open up your eyes and you will wake up screamin'
When you realize that it's all come true
chorus
Hush, now don't you believe it
Cover your head and close your eyes
Now, take it or leave it
Go back to bed
Now don't you cry
Half a million soldiers fly across the water
One in ten are never comin' back again
Fifty thousand sons who never grew to fathers
Don't you ever wonder who they might have been
What if you could've been there on that day in Dallas
What if you could wrestle back the hands of time
Maybe somethin' could've been done in Memphis
We wouldn't be livin' in a dream that's died
chorus
Go on and tell yourself again there are no secrets
Go on and tell yourself that you don't want to know
It's best that you believe that you don't hear the footsteps
That follow you around no matter where you go
Maybe you were thinkin' that it didn't matter
Maybe you believed nobody else would care
But once you've added every little lie together
You finally find the truth was always waiting there
chorus x 2
chorus (fades)
(with Emmylou Harris)
Early this mornin' I was washin' my face
Thinkin' â'bout goin' to town
Sick and tired of hangin' around this place
Waitin' on the blues to track me down
Bless my soul maybe I'm comin' around
Been lyin' low but maybe I'm comin' around
I've been runnin' nearly all of my life
Far and as fast as I can
It may sound funny but I'm thinkin' this might
Be about right where I came in
Well I don't know maybe I'm comin' around
Got a ways to go but maybe I'm comin' around
Finally layin' my burden down
One fine day
I'll be free
â'Til it comes
I'll go on
My heart's a little ragged but it's all that I got
So I'm gonna give it a try
Look out world I'm comin' ready or not
I don't wanna let you pass me by
Here I go maybe I'm comin' around
I'm a little bit slow but maybe I'm comin' around
Finally layin' my burden down
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Whiskey got no hold on me
Left them chains in Tennessee
Whiskey got no hold on me
Don't come knockin' on my door
Even that won't work no more
Don't come knockin' on my door
Heroin is the only thing
The only gift the darkness brings
Heroin is the only thing
Guess you'd best leave me alone
At least until these blues have gone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
Everybody's out to get me
See it in their eyes
Hardly see the way they look at me
When I go cruisin' by
Cadillac, Cadillac
I'm a Coupe de Ville built for thrill
Cadillac
I got chrome everywhere I need it
Rolled and pleated front to back
If you don't think I got it made
You ought to see me dressed in black
Cadillac, Cadillac
I'm a Coupe de Ville built for thrill
Cadillac Now, if you've got a woman
There's one thing for sure
If you want to keep her
You best keep her from my door
Cadillac, Cadillac
I'm a Coupe de Ville built for thrill
Cadillac
Cadillac
Oh, Cadillac
Baby, last night I was watchin' my headlights flashin' on the guard rail
Now it's early in the mornin' and I'm still runnin' like the devil was on my trail
Well, say why why why would a man treat a woman that way?
I say cry cry cry, she's never gonna make me stay
Now I'm ridin' on the wheels of fortune
I'm spinnin' like a weather vane
I feel my shotgun when I see my shadow
It's headed down the breakdown lane
Headed down the breakdown lane
Now I've heard all the songs about the endless highway
Sung a couple of ¡®em myself
But the road ain't nothin' but a place to go
When you ain't got anyplace else
Why why why would a man treat a woman that way?
I say cry cry cry, she's never gonna make me stay
Now I'm ridin' on the wheels of fortune
I'm spinnin' like a weather vane
I feel my shotgun when I can see my shadow
It's headed down the breakdown lane
Headed down the breakdown lane
Standing on the corner
I didn't mean no harm
When a big policeman
Grabbed me by the arm
Now, it was down in Memphis
On the corner of Beale and Main
He said "Now, hey big boy
I'm gonna have to know your name"
Now, you can find my name
On the tail of my shirt
I'm a Tennessee hustler
And I never have to work
But I'm telling all you rounders
You best leave my women alone
I'll take my .38 Special
And I'll run you rounders home
Well sometimes in the evenings I start to get that feeling
Like I'm empty inside
I know I'm doin' good now but tonight I'm headed downtown
Down by the riverside
I sit underneath the freeway with an old friend from the old days
And a bottle of wine
Well he used to call me ";Big Time";, and he knew someday that I'd shine
Said he'd seen all the signs
He said . .
";Keep yourself to yourself
Keep your bedroll dry
And boy you never can tell
What the shadows hide
Keep ene eve on the ground
Pick up whatever you find
'Cause you've got no place to fall
When your back's to the wall";
He's gettin' old and it's showin' when I asked him how it's goin'
He said ";I've seen better I guess
I've been rained on, I've been frozen, but this here's the life I've chosen
If it just wasn't for the loneliness";
Now this river suits me to a T. but if you're trying to raise a family
It ain't no place to be
There's a kid down by the dump there, ought to be in grade school somewhere
Now he hangs out with me
And I told him . . .";
Well we finished off the bottle and I told him,";Joe I think I ought to
Be headed uptown";
Well it was late, and I'd been drinkin', drivin' home I got to thinkin'
'Bout what's been going down
Cause they're nervous down on Wall Street, but they're trying to keep it upbeat
Or maybe they just don't care
But down at the river eyes are burnin' cause they feel the tables turnin'
So if you wind up down there . . .
Everybody call her angel
she s no stranger to the devil I know
His mark is on her body
His fires burnin' in her soul
When we're makin' love
he's laughin' at us down below
she's the devil I know
CHORUS
she's the devil I know
she's the devil I know
Said she come from heaven
Angel is the devil I know
she's the devil I know
Now she's the kind a woman
keeep you comin' back for more
Got the kind of face
you swear you seen someplace before
Coulda` been your mamma
Coulda' been a Mexican whore
She's the devil I know
Now she'd drag you straight to hell
I can tell and I think I'll just go
Yeah the devil sent her here
to deliver me body and soul
Yeah and every inch she drags me down
I'm closer to the glow
There's a halo 'round the moon
So I know it ain't to blame
'Cause I knew what love could do
But I loved her just the same
Then I let her slip away
Now I'm all alone and blue
That's the price I got to pay
There's a halo 'round the moon
There's a ghost that haunts this town
Just ask anyone you see
He drags his chain around
And no spell can set him free
And he looks a lot like me
And if you ask him why he's bound
He'll just say he lost the key
There's a ghost that haunts this town There's no shelter from the storm
Without the lightnin' and the rain
And love would hold no charm
If it wasn't for the pain
And it's always been that way
No matter what you do
No matter what you say
There's a halo 'round the moon
I'm goin out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
I'm goin out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
White freight liner
Won't you steal away my mind
Ah, new mexico ain't bad, lord
And the people there they treat you kind
And the people there they treat you kind
Well, it's bad news from houston
Half my friends are dying
Well, it's bad news from houston
Half my friends are dying
Ah, lord, I'm gonna ramble
Till I get back to where I came
Ah, lord, I'm gonna ramble
Till I get back to where I came
I'm goin out on the highway
Listen to them big trucks whine
I'm goin out on the highway
I was born in the city
I was born in the city
I was born in the city
I was raised up right around here
My daddy's down in the workhouse
Daddy's down in the workhouse
Daddy's down in the workhouse
Mama say ain't no way he's coming back here
I went to school with some rich kids
I went to school with some rich kids
I went to school with some rich kids
'Cause I bussed me half way across town
Call us white trash and no count
Call us white trash and no count
Call us white trash and no count
Say there wasn't no use in me staying round
I'm goin' down to the corner
I'm goin' down to the corner
I'm goin' down to the corner
Mama don't you wait for me to come in
Nothin' happens till midnight
Nothin' happens till midnight
Nothin' ever happens till midnight
When boys get restless bout then and they rock
Sometimes feel like I'm drowning
Sometimes feel like I'm drowning
Sometimes feel like I'm drowning
And I don't know what I'm gonna do
I got a razor in my pocket
I got a razor in my pocket
I got a razor in my pocket and
I got me a pistol hid down by the school
Lord get me out of West Nashville
Lord get me out of West Nashville
Lord get me out of West Nashville
We've all got wheels to take ourselves away
We've got telephones to say what we can't say
We've all got higher and higher every day
Come on wheels take this boy away
We're not afraid to ride, we're not afraid to die
So come on wheels take me home today
Come on wheels take this boy away
Now when I feel my time is almost up
And destiny is in my right hand
I'll turn to him who made my fate so strong
Come on wheels make this boy a man
We're not afraid to ride, we're not afraid to die
Come on wheels take me home today
Come on wheels take this boy away
Time has come today
Young hearts can go that way
Can't put it off another day
I don't care what others say
They say we don't listen anyway
Time has come today
The rules have changed today
I have no place to stay
Thinking about the subway
The love has flown away
My tears have come and gone
Oh, my Lord, I have to roam
I have no home
I have no home
Now the time has come
No place to run
I might get burned up by the sun
But I had my fun
I've been loved and put aside
I've been crushed by tumbling tide
And my soul has been psychedelicized
Now the time has come
There are things to realize
Time has come today
Time has come today
One, two
A one, two
When I'm sad and blue
An' I'm feelin' all alone
There's a place then I go to
That no one knows
Where no matter what I do
Won't nobody put me down
That's why I'm goin' to
The other side of town
On the other side of town
Where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody walks around
With a shadow 'cross their minds
When that midnight train rolls by
And they hear that lonesome sound
They just hang their heads and cry
On the other side of town
Well, it isn't very far
An' it's not that hard to find
You just follow all the other lonely souls
Take a walk down lonesome lane
'Til you see the dead end sign
And your broken heart will tell you where to go
To the other side of town
Where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody walks around
With a shadow 'cross their minds
When that midnight train rolls by
An' they hear that lonesome sound
They just hang their heads and cry
On the other side of town
So if you'll find someone
Who won't ever let you down
Hurry home before the sun goes down
An' no matter what you do
Don't let night fall like a shroud
An' catch you on the other side of town
On the other side of town
Where the sun don't ever shine
Everybody walks around
With a shadow 'cross their minds
When that midnight train rolls by
An' they hear that lonesome sound
They just hang their heads and cry
My Granddaddy was a railroad man
When I was young he took me by the hand
Dragged me to the station at the break of dawn
Said, "Boy, I got to show you somethin' 'fore it's gone"
She was blue and silver, she was right on time
We rode that Texas Eagle on the Mopac line
We had some sandwiches that Grandma packed
We rode to Palestine and hitchhiked back
Home in time for supper with a tale to tell
That night I dreamed I heard that lonesome whistle wail
When I got old enough to take the train alone
I ride that Texas Eagle down to San Antone
And nowadays they don't make no trains
Just the piggyback freighters and them Amtrak things
They shut the Eagle down a while ago
Sold it to the railroad down in Mexico
And every now and then that whistle's on my mind
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remember Zion
It was the wicked
Carry us away captivity
Require from us a song
How can we sing King Alfa's song
In a strange land
[Incomprehensible] brothers
Sing your song of freedom
[Incomprehensible] sisters
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remember Zion
It was the wicked
Carry us away captivity
Require from us a song
How can we sing King Alfa's song
In a strange land
[Incomprehensible] my brother
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remember Zion
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
When he remember Zion
By the rivers of Babylon
Where he sat down
And there he wept
I'm just a regular guy
Never get rich, but I always get by
I got me a wife and a couple a kids
I done pretty much like my daddy did
He always did the best that he could
Took care of mama and us pretty good
He never got rich but he never did try
He was just a regular guy
Well, the world goes around
I can't stop it
So I'll sit back and watch the sun go down
If it comes back up then this day's a good one
You know I wouldn't be that surprised
I'm just a regular guy and I'll work until the day that I die
I'm too young to quit, too old to hire
These days a man can't afford to retire
Didn't vote for nobody last time
'Cause they wasn't worth a trickle down dime
But one man's promise is another man's lie
She was her daddy's little darlin'
Her mama's only child
They didn't understand at all
When she took to running wild
She left town one day and never said goodbye
Left a hole in daddy's lap and a tear in mama's eye
Where'd we go wrong and now she's gone
She met a boy up in Kentucky
Charlie was his name
Just when he thought he got lucky
She stole his watch and chain
She always kept on movin' and she never wasted time
And they said, "She left quite a string of broken hearts behind"
Woke up alone and now she's gone
Me, I wouldn't even trying
You could say I was content
She went through my life like lightning
Blew out the other end
Well I still taste her kisses, smell her perfume in the wind
And if I could you know that I would do it all again
If I had no place to fall
And I needed to
Could I count on you
To lay me down?
I'd never tell you no lies
I don't believe it's wise
You got pretty eyes
Won't you spin me 'round?
I ain't much of a lover, it's true
Here then I'm gone
And I'm forever blue
But I'm sure wanting you
Skies full of silver and gold
Try to hide the sun
But it can't be done
Least not for long
And if we help each other grow
While the light of day
Smiles down our way
Then we can't go wrong
Time's a fast old train
She's here then she's gone
And she won't come again
Please take my hand
If I had no place to fall
And I needed to
Could I count on you
To lay me down?
Well, won't you lend your lungs to me?
Mine are collapsing
Plant my feet and bitterly breathe
Up the time that's passing.
Breath I'll take and breath I'll give
Pray the day ain't poison
Stand among the ones that live
In lonely indecision.
Fingers walk the darkness down
Mind is on the midnight
Gather up the gold you've found
You fool, it's only moonlight.
If you try to take it home
Your hands will turn to butter
You better leave this dream alone
Try to find another.
Salvation sat and crossed herself
Called the devil partner
Wisdom burned upon a shelf
Who'll kill the raging cancer
Seal the river at it's mouth
Take the water prisoner
Fill the sky with screams and cries
Bathe in fiery answers
Jesus was an only son
And love his only concept
Strangers cry in foreign tongues
And dirty up the doorstep
And I for one, and you for two
Ain't got the time for outside
Just keep your injured looks to you
Lonely are the free
'Cause there ain't that many of them
They don't walk like you and me
They just tumble in the breeze
Lighter than a feather
All together, separately
That's how it's s'posed to be
No matter where they wander
From post to in between,
From here to over yonder,
There's no place for them to land
Lonely are the free
The silent are the strong
Not so much as a whisper
Tells you anything is wrong
You've known all along,
But you can't help but listen
And now the moment's gone.
It keeps you hanging on
Until the stillness signaling
The breaking of the dawn,
Is shattered by the sirens
Singing sacrificial songs
The silent are the strong.
That's all they used to see
A violent shadow passing 'cross
The sun so fleetingly
That if you have to ask you miss it
Anyway you see
Lonely are the free
I'm rollin' down a blacktop highway
Hole in my chest cause my heart's in your hands
I know it ain't OK but I can't stop wantin' you
I do the best that I can
I'm starin' in a highbeam headlight
Burnin' your name on the back of my brain
I swear I hear you callin'
I might have to turn around
Cause I'm goin' insane
I love you baby but I just can't tell
This kinda love comes from heaven or hell
Heaven or hell
Heaven or hell
New moon against a long dark midnight blue
Ain't a star any brighter than you
I look in your eyes and I see that spark inside
And it's all I can do to keep tellin' myself
There ain't no way you're gonna do me like you did then
I'm standin' my ground on feet of clay
Oh no, here I go again
There ain't nothing nobody can do
There ain't nothing nobody can say
Get down on their knees and pray
I was born my papa's son
A wanderin' eye and a smokin' gun
Now some of you would live through me
Then lock me up and throw away the key
Or just find a place to hide away
Hope that I'll just go away
That I feel alright, I feel alright tonight
I feel alright, I feel alright tonight
And I'll bring you precious contraband
And ancient tales from distant lands
Of conquerors and concubines and
Conjurers from darker times
Betrayal and conspiracy
Sacrilege and heresy
And I feel alright, I feel alright tonight
I feel alright, I feel alright tonight
I got everything you won't need
Your darkest fear, your fondest dream
I ask you questions, tell you lies
Criticize and sympathize
Yeah be careful what you wish for friend
Because I've been to hell and now I'm back again
I feel alright, yeah I feel alright tonight
Yeah I feel alright, I feel alright tonight
Don't you take it too bad if you're feelin' unlovin'
If you're feelin unfeelin', if you're feelin' alone
Don't you take it too bad 'cause it ain't you to blame, babe
It's only a game made and of all of this living that we got left to do
And if you go searchin' for rhyme or for reason
Then you won't have the time that it takes just for talkin'
'Bout the places you've been babe, places you've seen babe
How soft the time flies past your window at night
And we just can't have that girl 'cause it's a sad, lonesome, cold world
And a man needs a woman just to stand by his side
Whisper sweet words in his ears about daydreams, roses and playthings
and the sweetness of springtime and the sound of the rain
Well, come away with me, my little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for a while
And if you stay you'll see I can bring you lots of joy
I can turn those little teardrops to a smile
If you're blue don't cry just wander right downtown
You can find your delta mama waitin' there
I thought you knew that I would never let you down
I can ease your mind and take away all your cares
Come away with me, my little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for a while
If you stay you'll see I can bring you lots of joy
I can turn those little teardrops to a smile
If the grass grows brown don't you hang your head too low
There ain't no need for you to sit and pine
If you'll just ask around then I'm sure someone will know
Just exactly what it takes to get you back to feelin' fine
Come away with me, my little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for a while
If you stay, you'll see I can bring you lots of joy
I can turn those little teardrops to a smile
Well, if you don't know by now what I've been tryin' so hard to say
Well, my delta boy I'm afraid you're up too tight
But you take it slow and somehow you come meandering out my way
And I'll take you in my arms and make it right
Well, come away with me, my little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for a while
If you stay you'll see I can bring you lots of joy
I can turn those little teardrops to a smile
Well, come away with me, my little delta boy
I wanna be your delta mama for a while
Crying, crying, waiting, waiting
Hoping, hoping you'll come back
I just can't seem to get you off my mind
Crying, crying, waiting, waiting
Hoping, hoping you'll come back
You're the one I love
I think about you all the time
Crying, crying, doo d-doo doo
Tears keep a-falling all night long
Waiting, waiting, doo d-doo doo
It seems so useless I know it's wrong
To keep on crying, crying, waiting, waiting
Hoping, hoping you'll come back baby
Someday soon things will change
And you'll be mine
Crying, crying, doo d-doo doo
Tears keep a-falling all night long
Waiting, waiting, doo d-doo doo
It seems so useless I know it's wrong
To keep on crying, crying, waiting, waiting
Hoping, hoping you'll come back
Maybe someday soon things will change
And you'll be mine
Crying, crying
Waiting, waiting
I cried so hard
You know I can't do more
It's a turn of the card
It's a close of the door
The lies you told
You know they hurt so deep
So I go home and cry myself to sleep
Day after day
You been treatin' me bad
My friends will come up and say
Why do you take all of that?
And it's makin' me moan
And it's makin' me weep
So I go home and cry myself to sleep
You play at love like a child plays games
One day I'm in and then I'm out again
You change the rules, I can't win
You've broken me, now, so I'll give in
You play at love like a child plays games
One day I'm in and then I'm out again
You change the rules, I can't win
You've broken me, now, so I'll give in
Well, I've been through worse
But I don't know what
Joy is just the reverse of what I've got
So take this heart or what's left to keep
And I go home and cry myself to sleep
I just go home and cry myself to sleep
I'm goin' out to Denver, see if I can find
Oh, I'm goin' out to Denver, see if I can find
That lovin' Colorado girl of mine
The promise in her smile shames the mountains tall
The promise in her smile shames the mountains tall
She can bring the sun to shining, tell the rain to fall
It's been a long time mama since I heard you call my name
It's been a long time mama since I heard you call my name
I gotta see my Colorado girl again
I be there tomorrow, mama don't you cry
Oh, be there tomorrow, mama don't you cry
I gotta kiss these lonesome Texas blues goodbye
I'm goin' out to to Denver, see if I can find
Oh, I'm goin' out to to Denver, see if I can find
That lovin' Colorado girl of mine
Yeah, cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Now whiskey got no hold on me
Whiskey got no hold on me
Whiskey got no hold on me
Left them chains in Tennessee
Whiskey got no hold on me
Now don't come knockin' on my door
Girl, don't come knockin' on my door
Don't come knockin' on my door
Even that won't work no more
Don't come knockin' on my door
'Cause heroin is the only thing
Heroin is the only thing
Heroin is the only thing
The only gift the darkness brings
Heroin is the only thing
Guess you'd best leave me alone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
At least until these blues have gone
Guess you'd best leave me alone
'Cause cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Cocaine cannot kill my pain
Like a freight train through my vein
We signed up in San Antone, my brother Paul and me
To fight with Ben McCulloch and the Texas infantry
Well the poster said we'd get a uniform and seven bucks a week
The best rations in the army and a rifle we could keep
When I first laid eyes on the general I knew he was a fightin' man
He was every inch a soldier, every word was his command
Well his eyes were cold as the lead and steel forged into tools of war
He took the lives of many and the souls of many more
Well they marched us to Missouri and we hardly stopped for rest
Then he made this speech and said, "We're comin' to the test"
Well we've got to take Saint Louie boys before the Yankees Do
If we control the Mississippi then the Federals are through
Well they told us that our enemy would all be dressed in blue
Well they forgot about the winter's cold and the cursed fever too
My brother died at Wilson's Creek and Lord I seen him fall
We fell back to the Boston Mountains in the North of Arkansas
Goddamn you Ben McCulloch
I hate you more than any other man alive
And when you die you'll be a foot soldier just like me
In the Devil's infantry
And on the way to Fayetteville we cursed McCulloch's name
And mourned the dead that we'd left behind and we was carrying the lame
I killed a boy the other night who'd never even shaved
I don't even know what I'm fightin' for, I ain't never owned a slave
So I snuck out of camp and then I heard the news next night
The Yankees won the battle and McCulloch lost his life, yeah
Goddamn you Ben McCulloch
I hate you more than any other man alive
And when you die you'll be a foot soldier just like me
I went down to taneytown
I went down to taneytown
To see what I could see
My mama told me never go
But I'm almost 22 years old
Sometimes I fear this holler swollow me
She ran off to gettysburg
Went off with that new beau of hers
I snuck off after dark
Long way down the county road
Stars were bright
The moon was low
Down to where the black top highway starts
I went down to taneytown
I went down to taneytown
I went down to see what I could see
I could see everybody stared at me
You'd think that they ain't never seen
A colored boy before
They chunked at me at me
Called me names
They'd have whipped me sure but the sheriff came
I slipped off through the dry goods store
I ran down division street
Some of them boys followed me
Down to the railroad track
Four of them and I cain't fight
But I had my old randall knife
I cut that boy and I never did look back
I went down to taneytown
I went down to taneytown
I went down to see what I could see
Month went by without a word
Somebody down the holler heard
About that boy they hung
He begged those men to spare his life
But I dropped my bloody randall knife
He picked it up so they thought he was the one
I went down to taneytown
I went down to taneytown
Somewhere out there in the world tonight
Just out of my reach
I hear your heart beat
It was comin' in loud and clear tonight
Poundin' in my brain
I was callin' out your name
In the darkness somethin' binds you
To me, so that I can find you
When you want me I would be there
Waitin' on you, somewhere out there
Somewhere there in your heart tonight
We had never gone
An' you are not alone
And it's tearin' me all apart alright
But girl what can I do
When I'm so far from you
And when I lay me down to sleep
My one and only prayer is you keep
Safe from harm till I get
Wherever you are, somewhere out there
Hey!
And if you're sad, if you're lonely
If you're scared, if you're only
Tired of fightin', seekin' shelter
Just hold on, I'm somewhere out there
I'm somewhere out there in the world tonight
Just out of your reach
If you see her out tonight
And she tells you it's just the lights
That bring her here and not her loneliness
That's what she says but sometimes she forgets
If she tells you she don't need a man
She's had all the comfort she can stand
You'd best believe every word she say
But don't give up 'cause sometimes she forgets
Sometimes she forgets
That not too long ago she swore
She wasn't gonna let her heart
Been broken anymore
So now she keeps it locked away
It grows colder every day
And it won't warm to any man's caress
That's what she says but sometimes she forgets
Yeah, sometimes she forgets
That not too long ago she swore
She wasn't gonna let her heart
Been broken anymore
So if you see her out tonight
And she tells you it's just the lights
That bring her here and not her loneliness
That's what she says but sometimes she forgets
I was born on the other side of town
Everybody over here just puts me down
I never thought about it much
Till the first time I saw you
Uh oh, what's a poor boy gonna do
It's bad enough to love you from afar
Me down here and you up where you are
If you hadn't given me that look
That's all it took it's true
Uh oh, what's a poor boy gonna do
Baby what's a poor boy got, not a heck of a lot
Just a heart that's true
One thing he sure doesn't need is
A heart that bleeds and these lovesick blues
I know a poor boy can't go far
Baby, maybe someday he drive your car
And I can look in my rear view, into those eyes of blue
Uh oh what's a poor boy gonna do
Baby what's a poor boy got, not a heck of a lot
Just a heart that's true
One thing he sure doesn't need is
A heart that bleeds and these lovesick blues
I know a poor boy can't go far
Baby, maybe someday he drive your car
And I can look in my rear view, into those eyes of blue
Uh oh what's a poor boy gonna do
I was almost out of here
I nearly left this time
I saw you in my rear view mirror
And I pulled up on a dime
But nothin' ventured, nothin' lost
You can't say we didn't try
That is unless you weigh the cost
Of every tear we cried
But why do we do this to each other
I guess we were always poison lovers
If you could look me in the eye
And tell me what you see
Maybe you can tell me why
I let you torture me
I know that your lips are soft
And they sing the sweetest songs
But I've been listenin' long enough
My heart has turned to stone
Why do we do this to each other
Yes we were always poison lovers
Another time, another place
Another wind to blame
I'll cover every track and trace
I'll find you just the same
And even if we made our peace
And went our separate ways
You'd go west and I'd go east
And we'd meet here in this place
Why do we do this to each other
Yes we were always poison lovers
Why do we do this to each other
You can love most of the people
Most of the time
Now and again, if you're lookin' I'm sure
You will find
Someone who's helplessly hoping
That someday they'll finally find the one
Hopeless romantics keep hoping that
Someday will come
Used to be you, could be sure
That a warrior was true
Nowadays everyone knows that it's cool to be blue
Constantly circling close to the flame
And then stopping on a dime
Hopeless romantics will go down in flames every time
Hopeless romantics drop everything and run
When they find a broken heart
Always afraid that they're missing someone
With time on their hands and a missing part
So one of these nights
When you're sitting at home all alone
And you've finally admitted you're lonely
Right down to the bone
You might as well get on out in it
'Cause you've got everything to lose
And hopeless romantics are always
At home with the blues and a broken heart
Find the missing part
I love you with all my heart
All my soul, every part of me.
It's all I can do to mark
Where you end and where I start you see.
Living long in my travels left a trail of tears behind me
and then there are so many times
didn't think this kind
would ever find me.
I love you with everything, all my weakness
All my strength
I can't promise anything except that my last breath
will bear your name
and when I'm gone they'll sing a song
about a lonly fool wandering around the world and back again
but in the end they find the founder.?
I love you with all my heart
all my soul and every part of me.
Across the universe I'll spin until the end and then I wonder
If we should get another chance
could I have that dance forever under
the moon and skylit stars shining down on where you are
and I love you with all my heart
The name she gave was Caroline
The daughter of a miner
And her ways were free and it seemed to me
The sunshine walked beside her
She comes from Spencer across the hill
She said her pa had sent her
'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow
Would turn the skies to winter
She said, she'd come to look for work
She was not seekin' favors
For a dime a day and a place to stay
Oh, she'd turn 'em hands to labor
Ah, but times were hard, jobs were few
All through Tecumseh Valley
But she asked around and a job she found
Tendin' bar for Gypsy Sally
She saved enough to get back home
When the spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied, her pa had died
The word had come down from Spencer
She took to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
Many a man returned again
Just to lay himself beside her
They found her down beneath the stairs
That lead to Gypsy Sally's
In her hand when she died was a note that cried
Moses went up to the mountain
To see what he could see
Well he come down talking 'bout a burning bush
Says 'This is how it's gonna be'
He's scared to death
You know the rest
Columbus went down to the ocean
In 1492
He said 'Boys, I'm looking for India
But America will do'
Sailed to the west
You know the rest
Davey Crockett went out to Texas
To fight at the Alamo
Old Will Travis never told him
Texas is in Mexico
It's a bloody mess
You know the rest Robert Johnson went down to the crossroads
A guitar in his hands
Well, the devil had him a guitar, too
He says 'This is what you need man,
You can be the best'
You know the rest
Well this song ain't got no reason
Hell this song barely rhymes
Well it come to me when I was asleep
And it wakes me up sometimes
I can't get no rest
You know the rest
Jimmy joined the army â'cause he had no place to go
There ain't nobody hirin'
â'round here since all the jobs went
down to Mexico
Reckoned that he'd learn himself a trade maybe see the world
Move to the city someday and marry a black haired girl
Somebody somewhere had another plan
Now he's got a rifle in his hand
Rollin' into Baghdad wonderin' how he got this far
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man's war
Bobby had an eagle and a flag tattooed on his arm
Red white and blue to the bone when he landed in Kandahar
Left behind a pretty young wife and a baby girl
A stack of overdue bills and went off to save the world
Been a year now and he's still there
Chasin' ghosts in the thin dry air
Meanwhile back at home the finance company took his car
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man's war
When will we ever learn
When will we ever see
We stand up and take our turn
And keep tellin' ourselves we're free
Ali was the second son of a second son
Grew up in Gaza throwing bottles and rocks when the tanks would come
Ain't nothin' else to do around here just a game children play
Somethin' â'bout livin' in fear all your life makes you hard that way
He answered when he got the call
Wrapped himself in death and praised Allah
A fat man in a new Mercedes drove him to the door
Just another poor boy off to fight a rich man's war
About the time that Daddy left to fight the big war
I saw my first pistol in the general store
In the general store, when I was thirteen
Thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen
So l asked if I could have one someday when I grew up
Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up
She really blew up and I didn't understand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
My very first pistol was a cap and ball Colt
Shoot as fast as lightnin' but it loads a mite slow
Loads a mite slow and soon I found out
It can get you into trouble but it can't get you out
So then I went and bought myself a Colt 45
Called a peacemaker but I never knew why
Never knew why, I didn't understand
Cause Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand
Well I get into a card game in a company town
Caught a miner cheating I shot the dog down
Shot the dog down, watched the man fall
Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw
The trial was in the morning and they drug me out of bed
Asked me how I pleaded, not guilty I said
Not guilty I said, you've got the wrong man
Nothing touched the trigger but the devil's right hand
Ladies and gentlemen, attention please
Come in close so everyone can see
I got a tale to tell
A listen don't cost a dime
And if you believe that we're gonna get along just fine
Now I've been travelin' all around
I heard trouble's come to your town
Well I've got a little somethin'
Guaranteed to ease your mind
It's call Snake Oil y'all
It's been around for a long, long time
Say, your crops'll burn if it don't rain soon
Ain't seen a drop since the tenth of June
Well I can open up the sky
People never fear
If you ain't impressed yet, just tell me what you wanna hear
Well you lost your farm so you moved to town
You get a job, they shut the factory down
Now you sit around all day long feelin' sad and blue
You need Snake Oil y'all, tell you what I'm gonna do
I can heal the sick, I can mend the lame
And the blind shall see again, it's all the same
Well ain't your President good to you
Knocked 'em dead in Libya, Grenada too
Now he's taking his show a little further down the line
Well, 'tween me and him people, you're gonna get along just fine
I been watchin' you watchin' me
I could feel your eyes from way across the room
But now that I'm holdin' you close I can see
Ain't no way I'm gonna get around you
I won't tell you I don't need you tonight
I won't pretend I ain't burnin' inside
Your skin glowin' soft in the silver moonlight
The shadows where the promises hide
The bittersweet taste of your kiss
It's all more than I can resist
If you're thinkin' â'bout breakin' my heart
You might as well just pick up your little black dress and go
Somebody else already tore it apart
And I thought you should know
Maybe this is all that you want
Maybe you're just as lonesome as me
A shoulder that you can cry on
A warm safe place you can be
Someone to call in the middle of the night
When the ghosts in your bedroom won't rest
Two arms to hold you tight
I promise that I'll do my best
To give you everything I got to give
And keep your secrets for as long as I live
Just when every ray of hope was gone
I should have known that you would come along
I can't believe I ever doubted you
My old friend the blues
Another lonely night, a nameless town
If sleep don't take me first, you'll come around
'Cause I know I can always count on you
My old friend the blues
Lovers leave and friends will let you down
But you're the only sure thing that I've found
No matter what I do I'll never lose
My old friend the blues
Just let me hide my weary heart in you
My old friend the blues
![Johnny Come Lately- Steve Earle[Live Version]](http://web.archive.org./web/20131125095057im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Rt5O7f1jiZk/0.jpg "Johnny Come Lately- Steve Earle[Live Version]")
