Singles
I’m livin’ for the city, where the sirens sing all night,
I bought a monthly parking pass, thought I’d finally won the game,
I’m livin’ for the city, where the sirens sing all night,
My neighbor plays the trumpet every morning half past three,
But when the sun goes down and those buildings start to glow,
There’s a woman at the diner who remembers what I eat,
I’m livin’ for the city, where the dreamers miss their trains,
Yeah, I’m livin’ for the city,
My baby said, "You never listen," I said, "Honey, that ain’t true,"
She said, "Tell me what I just said," I said, "Was it something ’bout my shoes?"
She rolled her eyes toward heaven, said, "Lord, give this man some light,"
I said, "I may not know the question, baby— but you got that right."
You got that right, you got that right,
I’ve been wrong all day, but I’m feeling right tonight.
My truck won’t start, my dog won’t bark,
My wallet’s looking light,
If you say my luck has gone to hell—
You got that right.
Boss man said, "You’re late again," I said, "Traffic was insane,"
He looked outside that office door—there wasn’t one drop of rain.
He said, "You’re full of excuses," I said, "Sir, you’re pretty bright,"
He said, "One more time, you’re fired!" I said, "You got that right."
You got that right, you got that right,
I’ve been wrong all day, but I’m feeling right tonight.
My bills are high, my cash is low,
My future’s out of sight,
If the banker says, "You’re broke again"—
You got that right.
Doctor said, "You need more exercise, cut back on barbecue,"
I said, "Doc, I walk clear to the fridge—what more you want me to do?"
He said, "Lose ten pounds by Christmas," I said, "That sounds all right—
I’ll just buy a bigger bathroom scale
And move the numbers right."
Preacher said on Sunday, "Son, temptation leads astray,"
I said, "Preacher, I avoid temptation—unless it comes my way."
He said, "The truth will set you free," I said, "That sermon’s dynamite,"
Then my wife leaned over, whispered,
"Try the truth at home tonight."
You got that right, you got that right,
Every woman in this county knows I’m rarely right.
I can lose an argument
Before we even fight,
But when she says, "Don’t say another word"—
You got that right.
I learned two words can save a man
From sleeping with the hound:
Don’t explain, don’t testify,
Don’t spread your logic ’round.
When your sweetheart plants her hands upon her hips
And gives you that look of fright,
Just smile like you’ve got good sense and say,
"Baby… you got that right."
Last night she said, "Do these jeans make me look big?"
I saw my whole life flash,
The pearly gates, my fishing boat, my truck, my secret cash.
I said, "Girl, those jeans look wonderful, you’re a beautiful sight,"
She smiled and said, "You’re learning."
I said, "You got that right!"
You got that right, you got that right,
I finally found the secret to a peaceful married life.
You don’t need no college degree,
No Ph.D. in spite,
Just know when she is talking—
She has probably got it right.
Yeah, you got that right,
Lord, you got that right.
I’ve been wrong since 1982,
But I’m sleeping home tonight.
She said, "Did you just say I’m always right?"
I said, "No, ma’am."
She said, "What did you say?"
…"You got that right."
Reached down for my slippers, left my dignity behind.
Walked out on the sidewalk, something didn’t feel quite right,
Everybody had a shadow—mine had packed up in the night.
Left a note beside the doorway, written underneath my shoe:
"I’ve followed you for forty years—now find somebody new."
Oh, the day my shadow quit me,
Said, "Man, I’ve had enough.
You keep walking into trouble,
And I’m tired of looking tough.
I’ve been stretched out on the pavement,
I’ve been stepped on endlessly—
You can make a fool without me,
So quit blaming it on me."
Yeah, the day my shadow quit me,
Even darkness disagreed with me.
I said, "Shadow, where you going? We’ve been partners all our lives."
He said, "You’ve had three bad jobs, two bad dogs, and four suspicious wives.
I stood beside you at the altar, I was with you at the bar,
I even followed you that evening when you tried to steal your car."
I said, "Technically I owned it," he said,
"That ain’t the point, my friend.
Every time I think you’ve hit rock bottom, you discover a basement."
Oh, the day my shadow quit me,
Said, "I’m filing my release.
I’m tired of all your drama,
I’m pursuing inner peace.
I’ve been dragged through every bad decision,
Every bar from A to Z—
If stupidity needs company,
It ain’t gonna come from me."
Yeah, the day my shadow quit me,
Even darkness disagreed with me.
I found him down in Memphis underneath another man,
Said he’d taken better hours with a blues guitar in hand.
The fellow wore a tailored suit and paid his bills on time,
My shadow said, "He’s boring, but at least he ain’t committed any crimes."
I said, "Come on back, I miss you!" He said, "What’s in it for me?"
I said, "Seven years of bad luck and a lifetime guarantee."
He said, "You blamed me when you gained weight—
Brother, shadows don’t eat pie.
You blamed me for your bald spot—
I’m two-dimensional, not your guy.
You blamed me for your heartbreak,
Your truck, your debts, your knee—
The only thing that’s following you
Is your own stupidity."
Now I walk around at noontime, when a shadow’s hard to see,
So the neighbors won’t discover mine divorced himself from me.
But yesterday at sunset, something stretched across the floor—
My old shadow stood behind me with his suitcase at the door.
I said, "You finally missed me!"
He said, "Don’t flatter yourself, old Jack.
That new guy joined a fitness club—
I ain’t running five miles back."
So my shadow finally joined me,
But we’ve renegotiated terms:
No more dancing on the tabletops,
No questionable tax returns.
He gets Sundays, paid vacation,
And a little dignity—
And if I do something stupid,
He can claim he isn’t me.
Oh, the day my shadow quit me,
I learned something, I suppose:
You can lose your friends and lovers,
You can lose your cash and clothes,
But when the thing that’s stuck behind you
Says, "I’d rather just be free,"
You might wanna reconsider
Your whole damn personality.
Yeah, my woman left on Monday,
My dog left Tuesday night…
But when my shadow left on Wednesday,
I knew something wasn’t right.
Even my shadow had the blues…
And buddy, they were all because of me.
My woman said, “Quit drinkin’, boy, and straighten up your life,”
I said, “Baby, that sounds simple,” then I poured another twice.
She said, “Get yourself a real job, put some money in the bank,”
I said, “I’m workin’ on my future”—from a barstool by the plank.
I got plans stacked to the ceiling,
But my follow-through weighs none,
Lord, everything worth doin’
Is easier said than done.
It’s easier said than done,
Like outrunnin’ the sheriff in the Mississippi sun.
Like tellin’ your woman she’s wrong
And expectin’ her to say, “Hon, you won.”
I can promise, I can preach,
I can swear I’ve overcome,
But when Monday morning finds me—
It’s easier said than done.
I told myself, “Start savin’, put a hundred bucks away,”
Then I saw a shiny guitar and brought that rascal home that day.
I said, “I’ll eat more healthy, no more bacon, grease, or pie,”
Then Miss Lucy fried some chicken—Lord, I nearly started cryin’.
I said, “Just one little drumstick,”
Then somehow I ate a ton,
Yeah, discipline sounds mighty good—
But it’s easier said than done.
It’s easier said than done,
Like givin’ up gamblin’ when your horse is number one.
Like tellin’ your mama, “Don’t worry,”
When you know exactly what you’ve done.
I can talk like I’m a preacher,
Make excuses by the ton,
But changing this old blues man
Is easier said than done.
My doctor said, “Get exercise, start walkin’ every day,”
So I walked down to the corner where they serve cold beer till eight.
He said, “That ain’t what I meant, son,” I said, “Doc, you weren’t precise,
You told me I should walk more—I walked there and back there twice.”
He just stared across his glasses,
Like the joke had missed its run,
But technically I followed orders—
That’s easier said than done.
My preacher said, “Forgive your foes and turn the other cheek,”
I said, “Reverend, I’m a-tryin’, been attemptin’ that all week.”
But old Leroy stole my parking spot and waved at me with pride,
I forgave him in my spirit—
Then I flattened one back tire.
I said, “Lord, I’m still a-growin’,
Please don’t judge me by this one,”
That whole “love your neighbor” business
Is easier said than done.
I said I’d fix the leaky faucet,
That was 1999.
I said I’d clean the old garage up
When I found a little time.
I said I’d stop procrastinatin’—
And I surely will someday,
Matter fact, I made a schedule...
But I misplaced it yesterday.
Now my woman packed a suitcase, said, “I’m tired of your talk,”
I said, “Baby, I can change now!” She said, “Then show me how you walk.”
So I washed every dish in the kitchen, threw my whiskey down the drain,
Mowed the yard, fixed that old faucet, even stood out in the rain.
She came home and saw me working,
Said, “Well, look what you have done!”
I said, “Losing you was harder
Than all the things I should’ve done.”
It’s easier said than done
Till the one you love gets tired and starts to run.
Then a lazy Delta blues man
Can move faster than a loaded gun.
I quit drinking, fixed the screen door,
Even paid what I’d begun—
But I ain’t sayin’ I’m a new man...
That’s easier said than done.
I was born where the Delta rolls flat and wide,
Where the cotton fields shimmer on the riverside.
Had an old six-string and a secondhand case,
And a whole lotta trouble written on my face.
Mama said, “Boy, take the highway home,”
But I heard that back road callin’ me to roam.
So I followed that dust where the blackbirds flew,
Down the road less traveled, like I was born to do.
I took the road less traveled,
Where the gravel cuts your shoes.
Ain’t no signs to tell you where you’re goin’,
Just a heart full of Delta blues.
I’ve been bent, I’ve been battled,
I’ve had nights I barely made it through.
But I found my soul on the road less traveled,
And every mile made the blues more true.
Played my first real gig in a Greenwood bar,
Six folks listenin’ underneath a neon star.
Had a busted amp and a three-dollar chair,
But I sang like the whole damn world was there.
From Clarksdale down to Indianola town,
I learned some roads go up before they take you down.
Every broken promise, every goodbye,
Put another little growl in the way I testify.
I took the road less traveled,
Where the gravel cuts your shoes.
Ain’t no signs to tell you where you’re goin’,
Just a heart full of Delta blues.
I’ve been bent, I’ve been battled,
I’ve had nights I barely made it through.
But I found my soul on the road less traveled,
And every mile made the blues more true.
I met a woman one night outside of Yazoo City,
Lord, she had a hard-luck smile, but she sure looked pretty.
She said, “Come with me, boy, settle yourself down.”
But a restless man ain’t built for a picket-fence town.
She kissed my cheek and whispered, “You’ll learn,”
Then I watched those Mississippi taillights burn.
Some hearts are houses, some hearts are trains,
Mine kept rollin’ through the midnight rain.
Yeah, I paid for every mile I chose,
With a little more gray and some worn-out clothes.
But you can’t sing the blues from a road you ain’t known,
Sometimes you gotta lose your way to find your own.
Now my hands move slower than they did back then,
But these strings still remember where my soul has been.
I’ve seen Beale Street mornings and Delta nights,
Cheap motel rooms and big-city lights.
Never got rich, never needed fame,
Just wanted somebody to remember my name.
And when that old guitar finally lays me down,
Scatter my song on this Mississippi ground.
I took the road less traveled,
Where the gravel cuts your shoes.
Ain’t no signs to tell you where you’re goin’,
Just a heart full of Delta blues.
I’ve been bent, I’ve been battled,
But I wouldn’t trade one scar I’ve been through.
’Cause I found my life on the road less traveled,
And every mile made the blues more true.
Yeah, the easy road might get you there faster,
But it don’t always give you a story to tell.
I took the road less traveled...
And I learned the blues real well.
Hmmmm...
Down that Mississippi road...
Where a man finds out
Who he really is.
I know the way you hide your hurt
Behind that almost-smile,
How you say that you’re alright
When you haven’t been for miles.
I know the dreams you never say,
The scars you never show,
The parts of you the whole world sees
And the ones they’ll never know.
I don’t love the perfect picture,
I love every shade beneath.
The fire, the fear, the faith in you,
The heart behind your heartbeat.
No one can love you like I can,
Through the breaking, through the beautiful,
Through every change of plan.
When the whole world wants the best of you,
I’ll hold what’s left in my hands.
I’ll love the woman you are tonight,
And the one you’re becoming again.
You may find a thousand arms to hold you,
But no one can love you like I can.
I’ll know you when the years have drawn
Their stories on your skin,
When yesterday is farther back
Than where tomorrow’s been.
And if the mirror ever lies
And tells you beauty’s gone,
I’ll kiss every line that time has made
And prove that mirror wrong.
’Cause love is more than roses
On the days when life is kind.
It’s choosing someone over and over
When the road gets hard to find.
No one can love you like I can,
Through the breaking, through the beautiful,
Through every change of plan.
When the whole world wants the best of you,
I’ll hold what’s left in my hands.
I’ll love the woman you are tonight,
And the one you’re becoming again.
You may find a thousand arms to hold you,
But no one can love you like I can.
If you lose your way,
I won’t lead you—I’ll walk beside you.
If you lose your faith,
I’ll remember what I see inside you.
If your wings forget the sky,
I won’t ask you how or why.
I’ll sit with you there on the ground
Till you’re ready again to fly.
And if one day you have to leave me,
If forever has another plan,
I will never call this love a failure
Just because I couldn’t make you stay.
Because loving you was never owning you—
It was knowing when to understand.
No one can love you like I can,
Not because I’m the only heart
That ever could or ever has.
But I have learned your quiet language,
Every prayer beneath your hands.
I know when you need shelter,
I know when you need to stand.
I’ll love you without shrinking you,
I’ll never make your light less grand.
And if a lifetime gets one miracle,
You’ll always be the one I had.
No one can love you like I can.
When our names are only memories,
When time has taken all it can,
Somewhere love will still remember:
No one loved you like I did.
No one can love you like I can.
In the quiet of the night, I used to measure every dream
By all the ways that it could fall, kept my heart behind a guarded door
Afraid to want too much at all. Then you walked in like morning light
Through a window I forgot was there, and suddenly the road ahead
Didn't feel so hard to dare.
You never told me who to be, you just believed in who I am,
And somehow every time you smile, I remember that I can.
When the world says, “Not this time,” you’re the voice inside my mind
Saying, “One more mile… One more try…”
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep reaching higher,
The steady hand behind my dreams, the spark that turns them into fire.
When I’m standing on the edge and I’m afraid to take the chance,
You look at me like I’ve already won, and suddenly—I know I can.
You’re my inspiration, my courage when the road gets long,
You make me want to build a life that’s worthy of the love you’ve shown.
If someday they ask me how I found the strength to make it through,
I’ll tell them every dream I chased had a little piece of you.
You’ve seen me tired at midnight, with a thousand doubts upon my face,
Coffee cold beside the plans I swore would someday find their place.
You never needed promises, you never asked for guarantees,
You’d just lean in and whisper, “Keep going— I still believe.”
And there were days I almost quit, when the mountain felt too high,
But you could see the man I’d be before I saw him in my eyes.
So when the doors refuse to move, I remember what I have to prove—
Not to the world, but to the heart that taught me what a dream is worth.
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep reaching higher,
The steady hand behind my dreams, the spark that turns them into fire.
When I’m standing on the edge and I’m afraid to take the chance,
You look at me like I’ve already won, and suddenly—I know I can.
And if my name is ever written high above some city street,
If strangers ever know my story, if success comes looking for me,
They may see the final picture, they may celebrate the man—
But they’ll never know the quiet nights you held tomorrow in your hands.
You loved me before the victories, before the doors swung open wide,
Before the world could see the fire you had already seen inside.
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep climbing higher,
The beautiful beginning of every dream and every fire.
When I’m standing on the mountain looking back at where I’ve been,
I’ll know the greatest thing I conquered was believing I could win.
You’re my inspiration, more than words could ever say,
You’re the light behind my purpose, you’re the why behind my way.
And if all the stars I’m chasing somehow finally come true,
The brightest one will always be the one that led me back to you.
So if tomorrow asks me where I found the strength to start,
I’ll say, “She gave my dreams a heartbeat… and put forever in my heart.”
You’re my inspiration, my reason to believe.
And every man I’m becoming started with the way you believed in me.
In the quiet of the night, I used to measure every dream
By all the ways that it could fall, kept my heart behind a guarded door
Afraid to want too much at all. Then you walked in like morning light
Through a window I forgot was there, and suddenly the road ahead
Didn't feel so hard to dare.
You never told me who to be, you just believed in who I am,
And somehow every time you smile, I remember that I can.
When the world says, “Not this time,” you’re the voice inside my mind
Saying, “One more mile… One more try…”
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep reaching higher,
The steady hand behind my dreams, the spark that turns them into fire.
When I’m standing on the edge and I’m afraid to take the chance,
You look at me like I’ve already won, and suddenly—I know I can.
You’re my inspiration, my courage when the road gets long,
You make me want to build a life that’s worthy of the love you’ve shown.
If someday they ask me how I found the strength to make it through,
I’ll tell them every dream I chased had a little piece of you.
You’ve seen me tired at midnight, with a thousand doubts upon my face,
Coffee cold beside the plans I swore would someday find their place.
You never needed promises, you never asked for guarantees,
You’d just lean in and whisper, “Keep going— I still believe.”
And there were days I almost quit, when the mountain felt too high,
But you could see the man I’d be before I saw him in my eyes.
So when the doors refuse to move, I remember what I have to prove—
Not to the world, but to the heart that taught me what a dream is worth.
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep reaching higher,
The steady hand behind my dreams, the spark that turns them into fire.
When I’m standing on the edge and I’m afraid to take the chance,
You look at me like I’ve already won, and suddenly—I know I can.
And if my name is ever written high above some city street,
If strangers ever know my story, if success comes looking for me,
They may see the final picture, they may celebrate the man—
But they’ll never know the quiet nights you held tomorrow in your hands.
You loved me before the victories, before the doors swung open wide,
Before the world could see the fire you had already seen inside.
You’re my inspiration, the reason I keep climbing higher,
The beautiful beginning of every dream and every fire.
When I’m standing on the mountain looking back at where I’ve been,
I’ll know the greatest thing I conquered was believing I could win.
You’re my inspiration, more than words could ever say,
You’re the light behind my purpose, you’re the why behind my way.
And if all the stars I’m chasing somehow finally come true,
The brightest one will always be the one that led me back to you.
So if tomorrow asks me where I found the strength to start,
I’ll say, “She gave my dreams a heartbeat… and put forever in my heart.”
You’re my inspiration, my reason to believe.
And every man I’m becoming started with the way you believed in me.
