He was a long, tall stranger from way down south
Where he'd left his life behind
He had a big, old Gibson and a pickup truck
And Shenandoah eyes
And I remember him sitting in that local bar
Where I earned my pay each night
Singing my songs to empty chairs and going home half tightSo the nights rolled by like headlights shining on a lonesome strip of tar
I kept his word of kindness close to me like a pick on my guitar
And we talked about the singers and the songs we loved
And the songs we'd most forgot
In that run-down bar they'd make last call
And I'd never want to stop[Chorus]
'Cause I was living on nothing but a young girl's dreams
With my cowboy boots and my old six-string
Hitching my wagon to a star
Dreaming of leaving those local bars
When I'd get him up at closing time
For a couple of songs and a chance to shine
Like the star that he longed to be
He looked a hell of a lot like meWell, he'd played a lot of places where the only wages were food and beer for free
No fancy licks, but he had him a gift for the kinds of songs he'd sing
But you do what you can to be a satisfied man
Just to have your peace of mind
So he gave it all up for a government job where the paychecks come on timeSo now he comes to the bar to hear me play guitar
And to share a drink or two
And we sit swapping tales of where we've been and what we'd rather do
There's a wealth of dangers when you're talking to strangers
And I meet them all the time
But my heart knew better than my head when I looked into those eyes[Chorus]Well, maybe I'll quit when I've got me a kid and a place to call my own
But tonight there ain't nobody there waiting up for me at home
It's a helluva way to live from day to day
Not knowing where you're bound
But the look in his eyes made me realize
I was glad for the life I'd found[Chorus]
Songwriters
Carpenter, Mary ChapinPublished by
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