My name is Billy Austin And I'm twenty-nine years old I was born in oklahoma Quarter Cherokee I'm told Don't remember Oklahoma Been so long since I left home Seems like I've always been in prison Like I've always been alone Didnt mean to hurt nobody Never thought Id cross that line I held up a filling station Like Id done a hundred times The kid done like I told him He lay face down on the floor Guess Ill never know what made me Turn and walk back through that door The shot rang out like thunder My ears rang like a bell No one came runnin So I called the cops myself Took their time to get there And I guess I coulda run I knew I should be feeling something But I never shed tear one I didnt even make the papers cause I only killed one man But my trial was over quickly And then the long hard wait began Court appointed lawyer Couldnt look me in the eye He just stood up and closed his briefcase When they sentenced me to die Now my waitins over As the final hour drags by I aint about to tell you That I don't deserve to die But theres twenty-seven men here Mostly black, brown and poor Most of em are guilty Who are you to say for sure? So when the preacher comes to get me And they shave off all my hair Could you take that long walk with me Knowing hell is waitin there Could you pull that switch yourself sir With a sure and steady hand Could you still tell youself That you're better than I am My name is Billy Austin Im twenty-nine years old I was born in oklahoma Quarter cherokee Im told

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore Same as my daddy and his daddy before You hardly ever saw grandaddy down here He only come to town about twice a year He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line Everybody knew that he made moonshine Now the revenue man wanted grandaddy bad He headed up the holler with everything he had Before my time but I've been told He never come back from Copperhead Road | Grandaddy ran whiskey in a big black Dodge Bought it at the auction at the Mason's Lodge Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side Just shot coat of primer then he looked inside Well him and my uncle tore that engine down I can still remember that rumblin'sound Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night I heard momma crying, knew something wasn't right He was headed down to Knoxville with a weekend load You could smell the whiskey burning down Copperhead Road I volunteered for the army on my birthday They draft the white trash first 'round here anyway I did two tours of duty in Vietnam I came home with a brand new plan I take seeds from Columbia and Mexico I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road Now the DEA's got a chopper in the air I wake up screaming like I'm back over there I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know You better stay away from Copperhead Road Copperhead Road Copperhead Road Copperhead Road

Another year has come and gone Another circle 'round the sun Another thousand tears have fallen But I don't ever count 'em 'cause I'm surrounded by your love | | And days are never long enough Four more seasons on parade Show their colours then they fade But that won't happen to us, darlin' We'll remember how it was Then begin again because | | Days are never long enough Time's never late Isn't bound by our fate Try as we may || Love might never be found if we wait Until the sun comes up On another day my love Days are never long enough Time's never late Isn't bound by our fate Try as we may || Love might never be found if we wait Until the sun comes up On another day my love Days are never long enough

'Bout the time my daddy left to fight the big war I saw my first pistol in the general store In the general store, I was thirteen I thought it was the finest thing I ever had seen Asked if I could have it someday when I grew up Mama dropped a dozen eggs, she really blew up Yeah she really blew up, 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 she'd load a mighty slow Loads a mighty slow. I soon found out; It'll get you into trouble but it can't get you out So then I went and bought myself a Colt .45 It was called a Peacemaker, but i never knew why Never knew why, I didn't understand Mama says 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. Well I got into a card game in a company town Caught a miner cheatin' and I shot the dog down I shot the dog down, I watched the man fall Never touched his holster, never had a chance to draw The trial was in the morning and they drug me outta bed Asked me how I pleaded, "not guilty," I said Not guilty I said, you got the wrong man Nothin' touched the trigger but 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 Nothin' touched the trigger but the devil's right hand Mama said the pistol is the devil's right hand.

Well, I took a stroll on the old long walk On a day-I-ay-I-ay I met a little girl and we stopped to talk on a grand soft day-I-ay And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do 'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue And I knew right then I'd be takin' a whirl 'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl We were halfway there when the rain came down On a day-I-ay-I-ay And she took me up to her flat downtown Of a grand soft day-I-ay-I-ay And I ask you, friend, what's a fella to do 'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue So I took her hand and I gave her a twirl And I lost my heart to a Galway girl When I woke up I was all alone With a broken heart and a ticket home And I ask you now, tell me what would you do If her hair was black and her eyes were blue I've traveled around I've been all over this world Boys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

I remember holdin' on to you All them long and lonely nights I put you through Somewhere in there I'm sure I made you cry () But I can't remember if we said goodbye But I recall all of them nights down in Mexico One place I may never go () In my life again Was I just off somewhere just too high But I can't remember if we said goodbye I only miss you every now and then Like a soft breeze blowin up from the Caribbean Most Novembers I break down and cry But I can't remember if we said goodbye But I can't remember if we said goodbye Goodbye Goodbye

Hey pretty baby are you ready for me It's your good rockin' daddy down from Tennessee I'm just out of Austin bound for San Antone With the radio blastin' and the bird dog on There's a speed trap up ahead in Selma Town But no local yokel gonna shut me down 'Cause me and my boys got this rig unwound And we've come a thousand miles from a Guitar Town Nothin' ever happened 'round my hometown And I ain't the kind to just hang around But I heard someone callin' my name one day And I followed that voice down the lost highway Everybody told me you can't get far On thirty-seven dollars and a jap guitar Now I'm smokin' into Texas with the hammer down And a rockin' little combo from the Guitar Town Hey pretty baby don't you know it ain't my fault I love to hear the steel belts hummin' on the asphalt Wake up in the middle of the night in a truck stop Stumble in the restaurant wonderin' why I don't stop Gotta keep rockin' why I still can I gotta two pack habit and a motel tan But when my boots hit the boards I'm a brand new man With my back to the riser I make my stand Hey pretty baby won't you hold me tight We're loadin' up and rollin' out of here tonight One of these days I'm gonna settle down And take you back with me to the Guitar Town

I woke up this mornin' and none of the news was good Death machines were rumblin' 'cross the ground where Jesus stood And the man on my TV told me that its always been that way There's nothin' anyone can do or say And I almost listened to him Yeah, I almost lost my mind I regained my senses again And looked into my heart to find 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 Yeah there'll be no wire or walls We can wash all this blood from our hands And all this hatred from our souls But I believe there'll come a day all the children of Abraham Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem Yeah we must believe that one fine day all the children of Abraham Will lay down their swords forever in Jerusalem

I'm an American, boys, and I've come a long way I was born and bred in the USA So listen up close, I've got something to say Boys, I'm buying this round Well it took a little while, but we're in this fight And we ain't going home 'til we've done what's right We're gonna drink Camden Town dry tonight If I have to spend my last pound When I first got to London it was pourin' down rain Met a little girl in the field canteen Painted her name on the nose of my plane Six more missions I'm gone Well I asked if I could stay and she said that I might Then the warden came around yelling "turn out the lights" Death rainin' down in the London night We made love 'til dawn But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home With a chest full of medals and a G.I. loan They'll be waitin' at the station in San Antone When Johnny comes marching home My P-47 is a pretty good ship And she took a round comin' 'cross the channel last trip I was thinkin' 'bout my baby and letting her rip Always got me through so far Well they can ship me all over this great big world But I'll never find nothing like my North End girl I'm taking her home with me one day, sir, Soon as we win this war But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home With a chest full of medals and a G.I. loan They'll be waitin' at the station in San Antone When Johnny comes marching home Now my granddaddy sang me this song Told me about London when the blitz was on How he married Grandma and brought her back home, A hero throughout his land Now I'm standin' on a runway in San Diego A couple purple hearts and I move a little slow There's nobody here, maybe nobody knows About a place called Viet - nam But when Johnny Come Lately comes marching home With a chest full of medals and a G.I. loan They'll be waitin' at the station in San Antone When Johnny comes marching home

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 in this town The Sleep dont take me first you'll come around I know I can always count on you My old friend the blues Lovers leave and friends will let you down But your the only sure thing that I found No matter what I do I'll never lose My old friend the blues Lovers leave and friends will let you down And your the only sure thing that I 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

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 a tear in mama's eye Where'd we go wrong, now she's gone She met aboy up in Kentucky Charlie was his name Just when he thought he got lucky She stole his watch and chain She always kept on moving and she never wasted time And they say she left quite a string of broken hearts behind Woke up alone, now she's gone Me, I wasn't even trying You could say I was content She went through my life like lightning Blew out the other end I still taste her kisses smell her perfume in the wind And if I could you now that I would do it all again She done me wrong, Now she's gone

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 Now I work at the fillin station on the interstate I'm pumpin gasoline and countin out of state plates They ask me how far into Memphis son and where's the nearest beer 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 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 Someday someday

My baby sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine My baby sparkle and shine And everyone knows she's fine She blesses all that she sees A toss of her hair and a kiss in the breeze But she don't love no one but me And I can't believe she's mine Shimmering she moves Sunlight all around her Even when she's blue Silver clouds surround her My baby sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine My baby sparkle and shine And I can't believe she's mine My baby swings down the street Big tall high heel shoes on her feet Walks by and my heart skips a beat And I'm stumblin' like a fool She give me somethin' so sweet I can't sleep y'all and I can't eat Sparks fly whenever we meet I'm breathless 'cause she's so cool Anywhere she goes I can only follow She'll be there I know When I awake tomorrow My baby sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine My baby sparkle and shine And everyone knows she's fine My baby sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine Sparkle and shine My baby sparkle and shine And everyone knows she's fine And everyone knows she's mine

I went down to Taneytown, I went down to Taneytown To see what I could see My mama told me never go, I?m damned near twenty-two years old Some times I feel this hollow swallowing me. Ma went off to Gettysburg, her and that new beau of hers, I snuck off after dark. It?s a long way down the Canny Road, the stars were bright & the moon was low, Down where the blacktop highway starts. Chorus: I went down to Taneytown, I went down to Taneytown, I went down to see what I could see. Now everybody stared at me, you?d think that they ain?t never seen, A colored boy before. Well, they jumped at me and they called me names, they?d a whupped me sure, but the sheriff came, I slipped off and ran through the drygoods store. I ran down Division Street, but some of them boys followed me, Down to the railroad track. There was four of them & I came five, but I got my old Randall knife, I cut that boy & I never did look back. Chorus Across the fields & woods I run, like a bullet from a rabbit gun, Back home to my bed. Ma came back from Gettysburg, her and that new beau of hers, Boy you look like hell, was all she said. A month went by without a word, till someone down in the hollow 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. Chorus Chorus I ain?t going back there anymore.

Everyone in Nagadoches knew Tom Ames would come to some bad end, Cause the sheriff had caught him stealing chickens and such from the time that he was ten. One day his daddy took a 10 dollar bill and he tucked it in his hand, He said I know you're headed for trouble son, your mama wouldn't under stand. So he took his dad's money and his brother's old bay and he left without a word of thanks, Fell in with this crowd in a border town and he took to robbin' banks. Outside the law his luck a run out fast, a few years came and went; Til he was trapped up in an alley in Abilene with all but four shells spent. And he realized then that prayin' was the only thing he hadn't ever tried; He didn't know quite how to do it but he looked up to the sky. He said "You don't owe me nothin and as far as I know, Lord I don't owe nothin' to you I ain't askin for a miracle Lord a little bit of luck will do. You know I ain't never prayed before cause it always seemed to me that prayin was just like beggin' and I don't take chari ty. Lord, I've had some breaks in my life as you already know I've had some help from the good lord and the devil himself's been strictly touch and go. Right here now with my back to the wall I can't help but re call how they nearly hung me for stealin' a horse in Ft. Smith, Arkansas Judge Parker said guilty and his gavel came down just like a cannon shot I went away quietly I beg an to file and plot. They sent that old preacher down to my cell he said, "the lord is your only hope, he'll be the only friend you have, son when you hit the end of Parker's rope." Well, I guess he could've kept on preachin' til Christmas but he turned his back on me I put a homemade blade to that golden throat and asked the deputy for the key. Ah, but who in the hell am I talkin to? there ain't no one here but me (single strum each chord) So he cocked both his pistols, spit in the dirt, and walked in to that street.