Mark Chesnutt

I drove down to The Trap but the joint was closed
Lately they've been droppin' like dominoes
All of my favorite
Waterin' holes are dryin' up

Tell me, is it too much for a man to ask
To hear Haggard and Jones sing CC Waterback
With the lights so low
And cold drafts will cost you one buck, enough's enough

Somebody save the honky tonks
The hard wood floor and the quarter jukebox
Where's the workin' man gonna go to get tore up?
When the last one's tore down

Somebody save the neon lights
And the cinder block shacks crossed the county line
Everyday another piece of history's lost
Somebody save the honky tonks

Well, it's enough to bring a tear to a blood shot eye
Not knowin' where to go on a Friday night
To get down and get loud
And unwind from a hard day

Listen, we the people got a make a stand
Maybe write a letter to our Congressman
Show some support for the drinkin' man
We can't wait, until it's too late

Somebody save the honky tonks
The hard wood floor and the quarter jukebox
Where's the workin' man gonna go to get tore up?
When the last one's tore down

Somebody save the neon lights
And the cinder block shacks crossed the county line
Everyday another piece of history's lost
Somebody save the honky tonks

Why don't they take that ol' wreckin' ball
To the uppity bars, down at the mall?
All I'm askin' and all I want
Somebody save the honky tonks

Here's some things about me you might want to know
I'm gonna tell you even if you don't
I come from the country, I still been to town
An' I like dogs but just not in the house
But I might skip church one Sunday
To catch the football game
But I'll give twice as much next week
When they pass the offerin' plate

[Chorus:]
I'm just ordinary on most days
Extraordinary on my best
I got a good job, but the way I spend money
I never have any left
Hey, I drink too much coffee
An' I'm always runnin' late
I was born a sinner
But my Momma thinks I'm a saint

I've had my share of heartaches, bounced a couple chairs
I had a wife, but now I've got an ex
No, I won't never be the President, hell,l I barely finished school
But I know Justin sings lead for N'Sync, so my kids think I'm cool

[Chorus]

I know there are some who live life differently
But there's a lot more people who are just like me

[Chorus]

Yeah, I was born a sinner
But my Momma thinks I'm a saint

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speakin' in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Well, the preacher man, he told me: "Boy you ain't no good.
"Devil's gonna getcha, best start actin' like you should.
"All the cold beer and bright lights, stayin' out all night:
"Good Book, it tells me, boy, your soul's gonna burn."
Momma said: "Son, you're headin' down the wrong road.
"They don't let honky-tonkers up in Heaven, I've been told."
Don't you worry, Momma, I'll see you up in Heaven.
I've been thinking 'bout it and I've come to this conclusion, now:

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speakin' in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Well, my Daddy said: "Son you're living your life all wrong.
"Lightins gonna strike you down before too long.
"That man upstairs, he don't like what you do.
"When you reach those Pearly Gates, you ain't getting through."
Well, I've been thinkin', got a brand new plan:
I'm gonna start a little Church down at the Stumble Inn.
Yeah, that's right, I'm gonna start my own religion,
We'll be drinkin' and dancin' at the church of Hank Williams, yeah.

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh, he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speaking in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.
Yeah, he does.

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Well, any man that can do that, oh, he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speaking in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves;
I hope he does:
The Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Would you like to hear I love you, all the time
And if you couldn't turn around without touching, would you mind
You know there's something missing 'round your waist
Tell me, would these arms be in your way?

Would you mind another heart beating for you
Two ears that listen, you can talk to
Kisses filled with feeling on your face
Now tell me, would these arms be in your way?

Would you mind another heart beating for you
Two ears that listen, you can talk to
Kisses filled with feeling on your face
Oh, tell me, would these arms be in your way?

Now tell me, would these arms be in your way?.

Well, you don't care how I hurt
You don't care how I've cried
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.

Well, I don't know, I don't know why
But everything you tell me is a lie
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.

Well, it seems at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
But now and then you'd lend yourself to someone else's arms
If you can't, treat me right, well, at least won't you give me a try
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it.

You know at first my thirst for love
Was satisfied by your sweet charms
But now and then you'd lend yourself to someone else's arms
If you can't, treat me right, well, at least won't you give me a try
You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by.

You gotta learn you can't do me
This way and get by with it...

I stay up late and read a lot at night
Lately she's begun to wonder why
She don't know I'm scared that I'll start talking in my sleep
You're a hard secret to keep

And every time she asks me where I've been
A cheaters paranoia begins
Scrambling for an answer anything she might believe
You're a hard secret to keep

One slip of the tongue's all it would take
Just one little note that I forgot to throw away
The slightest trace of make-up on a shirt that won't come clean
You're a hard secret to keep

I never meant for you to touch my heart
I never meant to take one night this far
How much longer can I live this double life I lead?
You're a hard secret to keep

One slip of the tongue's all it would take
Just one little note that I forgot to throw away
The slightest trace of make-up on a shirt that won't come clean
You're a hard secret to keep
I wonder if she feels you every time she touches me
You're a hard secret to keep

You say country like it?s a bad thing, tease me baby for the way I am.
Uptown, uptight, you?re way a living.
I can never be that kind of man.
You got your powdered up painted on lipstick.
I got a hole in my brand new jeans.
You?d never be caught dead in a pickup.
I?d get mud in your limousine.

Chorus

So what are we doing love.
You tell me, cause I give up.
The odds are stacked a hundred to one.
So what are we doing in love.

Sweet tea, cornbread, fried green tomatoes, football, nascar, Redman chew.
You?re sweet champagne and caviar kisses.
I?m cheeseburgers and 90 proof.
I?m a dirt poor redneck cowboy.
You?re a woman of the world.
I don?t know what you see in my brown eyes.
You can do so much better than me.

Chorus


Why do you love me?
I give up baby.

Chorus

Don't ruin it for the rest of us
With your braggin' that you fell in love
Can't you see we're kinda busy here
Swappin lies and cryin' in our beer.

So you're getting married, good for you
It's 1st inning, Braves are down by two
Grab a seat and keep your big mouth shut
And don't ruin it for the rest of us.

I hardly recognized you
With that smile on your face
Your shirt's tucked in
You shaved your chin
And every hair's in place
You smell a whole lot better
Than any body in this bar
Here's a dollar
Buy yourself a cheap cigar.

Don't ruin it for the rest of us
With your braggin' that you fell in love
Can't you see we're kinda busy here
Swappin lies and cryin' in our beer.

So you're getting married, good for you
It's 3rd inning, Braves are down by two
Grab a seat and keep your big mouth shut
And don't ruin it for the rest of us.

You missed the bowling season
Butch blew a perfect game
And when we got the new shirts printed up
There was an "I" in Shooter's name.

Well Ronnie's back to walkin'
He got another D.U.I.
So if you plan on gettin' out of here alive

Don't ruin it for the rest of us
With your braggin' that you fell in love
Can't you see we're kinda busy here
Swappin lies and cryin' in our beer.

So you're getting married, good for you
It's 6th inning, Braves are down by two
Grab a seat and keep your big mouth shut
And don't ruin it for the rest of us.

Don't ruin it for the rest of us
With your braggin' that you fell in love
Can't you see we're kinda busy here
Swappin lies and cryin' in our beer.

So you're getting married, good for you
It's 9th inning, we're about to lose
I told ya twice to keep your pie-hole shut
And don't ruin it for the rest of us.

Can't you see
We've been through enough
Don't ruin it for the rest of us...

There's a bottle of whiskey up above the stove
It's been there thirty years I know
Only used for coughs and colds at mama's house

In the air there's a combination
Of home baked bread and pan fried bacon
No, there's no mistaking mama's house

It seems smaller than the day I left
It don't matter how big I get
I still wipe my feet and watch my mouth
At mama's house

Thing's round here still looks the same
Like a picture in a frame
The light bill's still in daddy's name at mama's house

You won't find one speck of dust
One dirty spoon, or coffee cup
And that ol' dog will still eat you up at mama's house

It seems smaller than the day I left
It don't matter how big I get
I still wipe my feet and watch my mouth
At mama's house

That driveway's still paved with white rocks
Though her name ain't on the mailbox
Come what may there won't ever be any doubt
That's mama's house

It seems smaller than the day I left
It don't matter how big I get
I still wipe my feet and watch my mouth

She's always so glad to see me
Her little boy will always be me
I think I'll spent this [Incomprehensible] out
And head on down to mama's house

> Since you left I can't stay sober and I've let the grass grow over
Those pretty flowers that you planted when we moved in
And the paint has started peeling, down the hall, along the ceiling
Above the busted frame your picture's hangin' in
The carpet's wearin' through, where I dragged around these blues
And the curtain's torn in two, from me lookin' out for you
Once we held it all together, but I can't do it on my own
This old house has gone to pieces since you ain't home
Our TV won't get no picture, there's no light-bulb in the fixture
In our bedroom where you used to love on me
All the memories that we once shared, they're all locked forever in there
'Cause I locked the door and I can't find the key
More, the carpet's wearin' through, where I dragged around these blues
And the curtain's torn in two, from me lookin' out for you
Once we held it all together, but I can't do this on my own
This old house has gone to pieces since you ain't home
This old house has gone to pieces since you ain't home

I'm standin' with somethin' in my hand
That don't look too flower like
She slammed the pretty part
In the door jam, left me and the stems outside

On my way back from fishin'
I thought if I brought a dozen roses home
She'd smile when I told her
There was one for each day that I'd been gone

I tried to think like a woman
Find out where that pretty head was at
I tried to think like a woman
But I don't guess a woman thinks like that

I'm underneath the window
With my guitar in the back yard, soakin' wet
She poured what I'm afraid
Might've been toilet water on my head

And I thought when she heard this song
I wrote her on my way back into town
It would cool her off but it appears
It worked the other way around

I tried to think like a woman
Find out where that pretty head was at
I tried to think like a woman
But I don't guess a woman thinks like that

I'm just gettin' comfortable in the dog house
When she pulls the curtains
And I see her peakin' out
Well, I lay here lookin' sad a while

Suffer some and then she smiles
It's all slowly dawnin' on me now
I tried to think like a woman
Where she wanted me was, right where I was at

I tried to think like a woman
If I was sweet though, she'd cut me some slack
Oh but I don't think a woman thinks like that
I know she don't

I know it?s late, and its a lot to ask of you.
I know that you been working.
Hey I?m tired too.
You probably thought that last call would be the last.
And that we could dim these neon lights, but not so fast.

Chorus

Whiskey, there?s still lips you need to kiss tonight.
Bottle, there?s a hand you need to hold.
Hey jukebox, and cigarettes your work here isn?t over yet.
Just one more then we can all go home.

There used to be a place where I spend all my nights.
With kisses sweet, and loving arms to hold me tight.
I hate that I have to lay this all on you.
But if I can?t turn to old friends, who can I turn to.

Chorus

Whiskey, there?s still lips you need to kiss tonight.
Bottle, there?s a hand you need to hold.
Hey jukebox, and cigarettes your work here isn?t over yet.
Just one more then we can all go home.

Hey jukebox, and cigarettes, whiskey, bottle no your not through yet.
Just one more.
Yeah just one more.
Oh just one more and then we can all go home.

Well now, early one day,
I was on my way
To my favorite fishin' hole.
I was think I could sure use
Another bottle of booze
And my baits a runnin a little low,
Yeah and a box of twelve gauge
Would be all the rage
When I'm all liquered up and I'm feelin good
Well, just up the road
There's a place called bubba's,
Man he's got the goods

And the sign says, beer bait and ammo,
Yeah they got everything in between
They got anything any old beer-drinkin,
Hell-raisin, bonified redneck needs
They got your fishin hooks,
They got your dirty books,
They got your rebel flag on the wall,
The sign says beer, bait, and ammo, yeah you ask me they've got it all.

Well when I walked in
I couldn't even begin
To describe just a what I smelled.
Lord was it the catfish bait,
Or something bubba had ate,
Or was it them pickled eggs on the shelf
With a toothless grin,
He said so step on in
And make yourself right at home
And I said no thank you man
Just a twelve pack of cans
And I'll be good to go

And the sign says, beer bait and ammo,
Yeah they got everything in between
They got anything any old beer-drinkin,
Hell-raisin, bonified redneck needs
They got your fishin hooks,
They got your dirty books,
They got your rebel flag on the wall,
The sign says beer, bait, and ammo, yeah you ask me they've got it all.

Yes they do!

And the sign says, beer bait and ammo,
Yeah they got everything in between
They got anything any old beer-drinkin,
Hell-raisin, bonified redneck needs
They got your fishin hooks,
They got your dirty books,
They got your rebel flag on the wall,
The sign says beer, bait, and ammo, yeah you ask me they've got it all.

Walk it!

> We had a little fight tonight buddy it got vicious
And all the way out the door, I was duckin' dishes
I thought I'd let her simmer down just a few degrees
So I came in here to have a beer or two or three
That's when I do my best drinkin' when I'm thinkin' about her
All the fussin' and fightin', leaves me dyin' of thirst
Go ahead and take the keys to my car, make a little room at the bar
Cause buddy when the troubles starts that's when I do my best drinkin'
Now give me somethin' cold and wet in a long neck bottle
Cause she said, ""Some things to me tonight that were hard to swallow""
It's gonna take me all night long to wash 'em down
Cause when she makes me lose my cool one thing I've found
That's when I do my best drinkin' when I'm thinkin' about her
All the fussin' and fightin', leaves me dyin' of thirst
Go ahead and take the keys to my car, make a little room at the bar
Cause buddy when the troubles starts that's when I do my best drinkin'
I ain't seein' double yet, set 'em up Joe's
I ain't as think as you drunk I am, hell you outta know
That's when I do my best drinkin' when I'm thinkin' about her
All the fussin' and fightin', leaves me dyin' of thirst
Yeah go ahead and take the keys to my car, make a little room at the bar
Cause buddy when the troubles starts that's when I do my best drinkin'
Well, I'll tell you when I've had enough, I'm just gettin' loosened up
Cause buddy when love gets tough that's when I do my best drinkin'

Low down leaving sun, I've done did everything that needs done
Woe is me, why can't I see, I best be leaving well enough alone
Them neon light nights, couldn't stay out of fights
They keep a hauntin' me and memories
There is one in every crowd, for cryin' out loud
Why was it always turnin' out to be me.

Where does it go, the good Lord only knows
It seems like it was just the other day
I was down at Green Gables, hawkin' them tables
And generally blowin' all my hard earned pay.

Piano rolled blues, danced holes in my shoes
There weren't another other way to be
For loveable losers, and no account boozers
And honky tonk heroes like me...

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speakin' in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Well, the preacher man, he told me: "Boy you ain't no good.
"Devil's gonna getcha, best start actin' like you should.
"All the cold beer and bright lights, stayin' out all night:
"Good Book, it tells me, boy, your soul's gonna burn."
Momma said: "Son, you're headin' down the wrong road.
"They don't let honky-tonkers up in Heaven, I've been told."
Don't you worry, Momma, I'll see you up in Heaven.
I've been thinking 'bout it and I've come to this conclusion, now:

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speakin' in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Well, my Daddy said: "Son you're living your life all wrong.
"Lightins gonna strike you down before too long.
"That man upstairs, he don't like what you do.
"When you reach those Pearly Gates, you ain't getting through."
Well, I've been thinkin', got a brand new plan:
I'm gonna start a little Church down at the Stumble Inn.
Yeah, that's right, I'm gonna start my own religion,
We'll be drinkin' and dancin' at the church of Hank Williams, yeah.

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Any man that can do that, oh, he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speaking in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves the drinkin' man.
Yeah, he does.

The Lord loves the drinkin' man.
He sends honky-tonk angels to the Promised Land,
I hear that he can turn water to wine.
Well, any man that can do that, oh, he's good friend of mine.
I've been baptized in beer, I'm here to testify,
I was speaking in tongues when I came home last night.
Some folks say I'm livin' in sin,
But I know the Lord loves;
I hope he does:
The Lord loves the drinkin' man.

Have you ever stared down in the bottom of a coffee cup
And discovered that you got no reason staying up
Right at the moment when
The caffine is kickin' in

So you break down and give an old girlfriend a call
Then after two hours of hearing her mindless talk
You remember what you dumped her for
And you wish you hadn't opened that door

[Chorus]
I do it and I don't know why
Hate to admit it but I think that I
Got something rollin' round loose inside
That never was screwed down tight

I don't know why I do it
But I do it all the time
Have you ever worked hard
To line your pockets with dough

Then let a little girl and love start burning a hole
Knowing that she'll break your heart
And max out your credit cards

[Chorus]

No, I don't know why I do it
But I do it all the time

Have you ever fallin' for a girls thinkin' she's the one
And you get a funny feeling that your ramblin' days are done
You can tell she loves you so much
You have to go and screw it up

[Chorus]

No, I don't know why I do it
I do it I do it I do it
I do it and I don't know why
I got a habit of wreckin' my life

Keep leaning left when I want to go right
You know it isn't like I haven't tried
I don't know why I do it
But I do it all the time

(Why do it, Don't know why I do it)
I don't know why I do it,
But I do it all the time....

She started her new life ten dollars in debt
That's all it took to get started back then
A trip to the courthouse across that state line
No-one could stop her
She's made up her mind
He was eighteen,an she wasn't
But she said she was
And never thought twice
And came back home as my daddy's wife
She just shook her head when her mama said:
"Are you sure he's the one?"
An she was
He took a job and farmed on the side
He made the ends meet,but she kept'em tied
Changes were comin' to their little world
She said "What would you like?
"A boy or a girl?
And he said,"Are you?"
An she said she was
And never thoguht twice
'Bout takin' the next step in building their lives
Soon there were three and she tried to
Everything to us
An she was
Those preious moments turned into years
In what seemed like a blink of an eye
I held he rhand as I leaned down to ask her
"Momma,are you ready to say goodbye?"
An she said she was
But she thought twice
Holdin' my hand as she let go of life
Daddy always said a woman like her
Would be hard to give up
An she was (She was)
If there ever was a picture of love
She was

Her Momma cried
her daddy prayed
I'd go away
and let her be
but her blue eyes
looked in my heart
Faced the dark
instilled in me
she opened up her bible
and turned on the charm
I crawled out of the bottle
right into her arms
She's got the heart of an ange

We sit alone in the darkest corner
waitress comes and takes our order
and she looks at us so suspiciously
It's plain to see that we're lovers
tryin' to be alone with each other
It's so hard for us to break free
she whispers softly I love you
this ain't your average rendezvous

Cause I'm in love with a married woman
I don't care, I don't care who know it
I'm in love with a married woman
on her left hand there's a wedding band
that she wears faithfully
and I thank God she's married to me
No cheap hotel where we'll check-in
no other lives we'll be wreckin'
with alibis to hide a cheaters kiss
cause if there's lipstick on my collar
you can bet your bottom dollar
it's the color she wears on nights like this
every friday here at five
I try to keep the fire alive

What the hell was I thinkin'
comin' and livin' in the concrete canyon
trying to swim upstream in a river of vacant eyed people
where are they going so fast what in the world could be that important
and I miss mama
wonder what she's doing
probably looking

You would think after all this time
I wouldn't let you in tonight
that all those feelings for you would be gone
you would think but you'd be wrong
You would think one little kiss
wouldn't temped me like this
that I'd have pride and pretend to be strong

Your eyes have been a different kind of blue
I can feel the sadness when I'm touching you
it's as if lately you've been standing in sinkin sand
before you go down any deeper
let me help - take my hand
I want my baby back
I miss the way you used to laugh

In my mind I'm thinner and I'm taller
Younger too with a little more hair
I saw myself going so much farther

oh but girl there you are
smiling at the plain old me
those honest eyes
in love with what they see
and I go from perfect to just right

It's funny all things a man can do when he's asleep
like playing right field for the Red Sox on national TV
or the next night I could the CEO of IBM
or making out with Sandra Bullock in the movie we're both in
Oh how perfect it would be
if my life we're

Little Billy drew a firefighter
Mary drew a doctor
Bobby he just drew a ball
we all knew he's play soccer
Richard drew a race car
Taylor drew a guitar on her knees
I drew me.....
With you
your eyes are as far as I could see
of all the things a boy would want to be
back then I knew
so I drew me with you
Now Billy ain't no firefighter
and Mary's not a doctor
Bobby got to college but
tore his knee up playing soccer
Richard watches NASCAR
Tayor's raising babies on her knee
as for me
I'm with you
your eyes are as far as I can see
no one wound up what they thought they'd be
but me I knew back when
I drew me
With you
your eyes are as far as I could see
of all the things a boy would want to be
back then I knew
so I drew me with you

Tired of channel surfing
El Camino ain't working
it's Monday night and I'm hurtin' for company
bummed a ride to the hideaway
I'm the only guy in the place
bored silly wasn't gonna stay
then she walked in, heaven sent
and it occurs to me
What a good night to be lonely
somebody's looking out for me
oh what an opportunity
right out of the blue
is it luck or a twist of fate
doesn't really matter either way
it's a good night, a good night to be lonely
Dollars worth of quarters
played some songs and ordered
one for me and one for her as I tipped my hat
said that she felt restless
just moved here from Texas
that's when I suggested
maybe she could dance with me
she said thought you'd never ask
She's following I'm leading
and it feels like I'm dreamin'