Steve Earle

Well, I've spent my life following
Things I cannot see
But just when I catch up to them
They slip away from me
Now, 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 keeps turning 'round and 'round
It leaves me hanging in the air
My heart keeps turning upside down
And you're still standin' there

Now lately I see all the signs
I feel it in the wind
And the same thing happens every time
That you come back again
Now I'll 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

And the world keeps turning 'round and 'round
It leaves me hanging in the air
My heart keeps turning upside down
And you're still standin' there

Now, since you're gone my empty arms
Got nothing left to hold
And your memory cannot keep me warm
But it never leaves me cold

And the world keeps turning 'round and 'round
It leaves me hanging in the air
My heart keeps turning upside down
And you're still standin' there

And the world keeps turning 'round and 'round
It leaves me hanging in the air
My heart keeps turning upside down
And you're still standin' there

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

Lately I've been feeling a little uneasy so I run straight home to you
It's been cold as hell and you just can't tell what a girl might do
I made a whole lot of promises baby, but none of my dreams came true
And it's you that paid and I'm so afraid that I'm losing you
But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me

Now your mama said you could do better than me, baby I know that's true
But you believed me instead. every word I said, and I did too

But every day's a Iittle bit harder out there no matter what I do
Well I could carry the world on my shoulders girl long as I got you

But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me

But you belong to me
You belong to me
you beleng to me, me, baby, me

Well my shining armour is rusted and worn
There's a heart inside here entrusted and sworn to you
Just tell me baby what I need to do
I can win you over again if you want me to

But you belong to me
You beleng to me, me, baby, me

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

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

Everyone in Nacadoches knew Tom Ames would come to some bad end
Well the sheriff had cought 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
and took to robbin' banks

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 coulda' kept on preachin' 'till Christmas
but he

(Joseph Chambers, Willie Chambers)

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
Time

You're here, you're gone
I'm still hangin' on
This game ain't nothin' new
You've changed your mind
So many times
But I'm still in love with you

I'll think it over when you're walkin' out the door
Why'd you go and leave me sad and blue
And if you knew
What I go through
You'd think it over too

I hope someday
I'll find a way
I'll walk right out on you
Til that day comes
I'm still the one
If you should need a fool

I got out of work and I headed for the neighborhood beer joint
I sat around and had a beer with the boys like I always do
Well I didn't have nothin' to say anyway there ain't no point
There's just something 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue

Well it was well after dark so I knew my wife and kids were waitin'
And I guess I took a left where I generally take a right
Well I filled her up with gas, checked the oil at the Texaco station
I threw the car seat in the dumpster and headed off into the night

Woo-ohh-ooh-ooh-ooh
There's somethin' 'bout a Monday that always makes me blue

Well I headed south on 35 hell bent for vinyl
I hadn't never had her up past 55 before
Well somethin' 'bout that little red line always looked so final
Buddy you'd be surprised how fast a Chevrolet truck can go

* Now, down in Mexico they've got a little place called Boystown
Where a man's still a man if you know what I'm talkin' about
Well, I walked into the Cadillac bar and I laid my cash down
I said "there's plenty more where that came from" and the lights went out

* (this verse is not included on the official lyrics sheet, but is included on the recording)

Well I woke up in a county jail 'cross the line in Laredo
With a headache and a deputy staring at me through the door
Well he said "Now how you got across that river alive, I don't know
But your wife just made your bail so now you're really dead for sure"

Now my wife, she called my boss and cried so I got my job back
And the boys down at the plant, they whisper and stare at me
Yea well my wife can find a lot of little jobs to keep me on the right track
Well, but that's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

Yeah-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-wee
That's a small price to pay for a week of living dangerously

In the middle of the night
In the middle of a lonely night
Stands alone in the pale moonlight
Screams out in defiance
He's got no one to turn to
You could talk ‘til you turn blue
He'd just turn his back on you
Ain't no compromising
‘Cause he's totally untamed
No fear of the unnamed
But he'll take the blame
‘Cause someone's gotta do it

Now he's out on the highway
He's got the key and the right of way
His tank is full and his toll's paid
Hellbound and determined
He run a dangerous payload
When he comes to the crossroads
Ah, man it's all times to explode
You'll just see the sky burnin'

Now he's standin' at hell's door
With a bad attitude and a forty-four
The devil said, "What's up man
Now what you come here for?"
He said, "Man, let's just get to it"
He said, "I always heard that you were the bad one
There's a few places I ain't been, a few things I ain't done
You got your pitchfork and I got my gun"
Someone's gotta do it

When I'm sad and blue
And I'm feeling all alone
There's a place that I go to
That no one knows
Where no matter what I do
Won't nobody put me down
That's why I'm going to
The other side of town
Chorus:
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
And 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
And they hear that lonesome sound
They just hang their heads and cry
On the other side of town

So if you've find someone
Who won't ever let you down
Hurry home before the sun goes down
No matter what you do
Don't let night fall like a shroud
And catch you on the other side of town

Chorus

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
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

The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
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

Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand

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

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
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

The devil's right hand, the devil's right hand
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

Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand

(steve earle's version)
The first time I laid eyes on you
I checked myself right out of this world
One thing will bring me back from this heart attack
And that's your sweet lovin', girl

Ooh, your huggin' and kissin'
Mmm, made my lights come on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

And now I ain't gonna listen to reason
There's no excuse for the way that I feel
Before one word was spoke
I knew it was no joke
Baby, this love is real

They say you gotta take time to know her
But I can't wait that long
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

You put the crush, crush


My mouth turns to mush
I can't begin to speak of all of your charms
You put the crush, crush
Ooh, what a rush
Now, I can't be satisfied until I'm wrapped up in your arms

Ain't that some kind of love, babe
You know I'm not puttin' you on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

You put the crush, crush
My mouth turns to mush
I can't begin to speak of all of your charms
You put the crush, crush
Ooh, what a rush
Now, I can't be satisfied until I'm wrapped up in your arms

Ain't that some kind of love, babe
You know I'm not puttin' you on
You put the crush on me
Little girl, can't you see I'm gone

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

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 come from Spencer 'coss the hill
She said her Pa had sent her
'Cause the coal was low and soon the snow
Would tuwn the skies to winter

Well she said she'd come to look for work
She was not seeking favors
For a dime a day and a place to stay
She'd turn those hands to labor

The times were hard Lord the jobs were few
All through Tecumseh Valley
But she asked around and a job she found
Tending bar for Gypsy Sally

She saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied her Pa had died
The word came down from Spencer

She turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
It was many a man returned again
To lay himself beside her

Well they found her down beneath the stairs
That led to Gypsy Sally's
In her hand when she died
Was a note that cried
Fare thee well Tecumseh Valley

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
Chorus:
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

Chorus

Cross the fields and woods I run
Like a bullet from a rabbit gun
Back home to my bed
Ma came in from Gettysburg
Her and that new beau of hers
"Boy you look like hell" was all she said

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
I ain't goin' back there anymore

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

New jersey turnpike ridin' on a wet night
'neath the refinery's glow, out where the great black rivers flow
License, registration, I ain't got none, but I got a clear conscience
'bout the things that I done
Mister state trooper please don't stop me...

Maybe you got a kid maybe you got a pretty wife, the only thing that I got's been botherin' me my whole life
Mister state trooper please don't stop me

In the wee, wee hours your mind get hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby


Radio's jammed up with talk show stations
It's just talk, talk till you lose your patience
Mister state trooper please don't stop me

Hey somebody out there, listen to my last prayer
Hi ho silver-o deliver me from nowhere

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

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

Somewhere out there in the world tonight
Just out of my reach
I hear your heart beat
Comin' in loud and clear tonight
Poundin' in my brain
Callin' out your name
In the darkness something binds you to me
So that I can find you
When you want me
I will be there
Waiting on you
Somewhere out there

In there in your heart tonight
Where I have never gone
You are not alone
It is tearing 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'll keep
Safe from harm until I get
Wherever you are
Somewhere out there

If you're sad or 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

Somewhere out there in the world tonight
Just out of your reach
You'll hear my heart beat

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 says
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 be 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

Sometimes she forgets that not too long ago she swore
She wasn't gonna let her heart be broken anymore

Hey now don't give up 'cause sometimes she forgets

(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

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