I never saw the gal again Just dig my grave beside the railroad So I can hear the trains go by (Traditional, adapted by Ry Cooder) Come and gather all around me Listen to my tale of woe Got some good advice to give you Lots of things you oughta know Take

You seemed so sweet at the start But the start's all wrong You say you speak from your heart But your heart's all gone Yeah your heart's all gone Take off the gloves We fell in love by the side of the road This desert will break you down The veins you cut

There's a long straight road, out of the cold And we can leave it all behind I wanna get outside, baby, let's get outside I wanna get outside, outside, of me There's something out there There you are dancing at your altar Beautiful earthling, dressed in

And American honey Blowin' in the wind Callin' out my name like a long lost friend Oh I miss those days as the years go by There's a wild, wild whisper Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime She grew up on a side of the road Where the church bells ring and

Feel no shame 'cause time's no chain Feel no shame I thought that I heard someone say now There's no time for running away now Hey now, hey now I hitched a ride with my soul By the side of the road Just as the sky turned black I took a walk with my fame

I'll live to love another day Lord I fell for her smile And she loved me for a while Then she said good-bye gotta go Left me standing on the side of the road Now she's gone and I'm a memory in her past And the long and short of it some things never last