I was sittin' in a truckstop drinkin' coffee, watchin' the rain
Eighteen wheels were spinnin' round a road map in that trucker's brain
A waitress chewin' Juicy Fruit smiled as she walked by
She knew what he was alookin' for by the look in his eye

Chorus:
When he said "Come on over here
And pour just one for me
I've been drivin' too hard on the dotted line
And Baby, I need some company
My hands are shakin', my heart is breakin'
I'm as lonesome as I can be
Come over here and pour me one
And lay that Juicy Fruit on me"

Now ain't it funny how things happen
When you think you got it made
Some friendly flirtations and some chewin' gum
Seemed to be a good trade
But the bartender was her steady man
Looked stout as an 'ol barstool
He was keepin' one eye on the "juicy fruit"
And one on that truck drivin' fool

Chorus

I left that place later on that night
After the police came
That pesky truck driver, he pushed his luck too far
Playin' on another man's game
While all the fightin' was going on
That waitress poured me two or three
And it was back there in the utility room
Where she laid that "juicy fruit" on me!

Chorus

Broke my wife's heart that day when she found him on his side
Lying in the pasture, I remember how she cried
Was the best friend that she ever had, she loved him from the start
The bond that was shared between them, God held inside their hearts

Chorus: Rocky loved to work for her as he trotted in the round
There was a special place to go with a dream that they had found
His name will live forever like fire in the morning sun
Heaven will send another horse with heart, one day,
Out on "Rocky's Run"

Sometimes I see her walk the fence, I know he's on her mind
Picking all those wildflowers, looking for a sign
I know his spirit is alive out there
When she calls his name again
Seen him trotting home in the twilight
Through soft shadows of the glen

Chorus

Although I still feel helpless, I'm beginning to realize
The courage my wife must have when I look into her eyes
I'm so thankful that she taught me what no one else could say
The journey to your dreams is greater
Than any pain along the way

Chorus

When the preacher said, "Death do us part", it was basically benign
How could I have known you would misconstrue that particular line
I wish you wouldn't pressure me to map out a definitive plan (oh man)
Oh, the direction I'm goin' is too difficult for the lay person to understand

But, I don't play poker anymore with the boys on Friday nights
Got rid of my bird dog, my blue ribbon hog, don't instigate anymore bar fights
I don't whistle at no purdy girl..not even that 'ol redhead
And just for you babe I take a shower every night before I slide into bed
I know you're proud of me makin' good choices
To get a "gold star" on my conduct report
Ain't it amazin' what a man will do for love as a last resort?

I have duties to complete takin' trash to the street
I plod a familiar path
I love the feeling it brings, when I scrub your tub rings
When you're standin' there waitin' for your bubble bath

But, I don't play poker anymore with the boys on Friday nights
Sold my fishin' gear, my bass boat at the pier
You'll never see me in the "neon light
I don't whistle at no sexy girl
Not even my third wife

Got pictures of me all over the bathroom walls
To let you know I'm "number one" in your life
I know you're proud of me,
Makin' good choices to be a career companion and a handsome escort
Ain't it amazin' what a man will do for love as a last resort?
I see the notes that you make on the dishes I break when I'm 'slavin at the kitchen sink
Oh, but one should always cull when the cabinets get too full
I'm only 'allowin the dinnerware inventory to shrink!

Ooh, your Mama's doubtful..she's 'whisperin dark thoughts in your ear
Like, why don't I get a haircut, buy me some clothes, and have a "nine-to-five career"?
Just tell her for twenty years I've had my fortune well diversified..(oh my 'achin side)
And I've admired your Daddy 'takin thirty years, to pay off that "double-wide"

But, I don't play poker anymore with the boys on Friday nights
Don't hang around pool halls 'avoidin your phone calls
Tryin' to sneak back in the house long after mid-night
Don't leave my dirty socks 'layin 'round on the 'livin room floor
And just for you babe, when you bring the groceries in
I always open up that heavy screen door
I know you're proud of me, 'makin good choices over lawyer fees and a divorce court
Aint it amazin what a man will do for love as a last resort
I know you're proud of me 'bein all I can be, 'goin "full tilt" instead of 'comin up short
Aint it amazin what a man will do for love as a last resort

Many people have a notion that the world is round
When apples fall from apple trees, they always hit the ground
The sun will always shine up there and never burn out
But, for my two cents worth, I have my doubts

They say that mighty rivers will always rush to the sea
Birds will always sing their songs to you and me
Some think a kiss is something most could do without
But, for my two cents worth, I have my doubts

They say you ran away because you needed to
No one really thinks you'll ever look back
Say you wanted city lights,
Not the simple life I lead
You were bound to let me fall right through the cracks
Word is true love is never strong enough
To hold wild horses where they don't want to be
Everybody believes I'm wasting my time waiting here for you
Everybody believes that, you see
Everybody believes that, but me

Many think you need money, fortune and fame
They look at sunsets and say, "they all look the same"
They never hear your crying when canyon winds whip about
But, for my two cents worth, I have my doubts

When I was a boy 'growin up in Alabama
Daddy worked a job with a nine pound 'hamma
'Ever now 'n then when his work was done
He'd hitch up the wagon, we'd have some fun

Called all the neighbors and the kids we could find
Cut a watermelon took homemade wine
Mama 'brung biscuits 'n chicken she fried
Got 'everthang ready for the 'Bama Hayride

Bama hayride, 'resin up the bow
Sister played fiddle through the tall cornrows
Hounds would howl when we sang a tune
I kissed a 'purdy girl underneath the full moon
Daddy loved Mama, I saw it in their eyes
Love was alive with a million fireflies
'Lotta sweet 'memries of Southern pride
When daddy took us all on a 'Bama Hayride

When you 'gotta go places far from home
Sweet things bring you back no matter where you roam
Like the green-eyed girl by my side
She was a barefoot beauty on a 'Bama Hayride

Chorus

(bridge)

Choccolocco Creek, and the bridge by the mill
Coldwater Mountain, over the hill
Grandma 'waitin with sweet iced tea
No other place I'd rather be

Chorus

Took me several days to get home after Grandpa had that stroke
Grandma knew what he was thinking, even though he never spoke
They didn't have much money, were mortgaged to the hilt
Had to auction off all they ever owned, everything they built

Bankers planned to build houses where tall green corn once grew
Had plans to raze that old farmhouse, all we ever knew
But the final thing that hurt the most, made those memories flow
Was watching that 'dozer do the work when the old barn had to go

Chorus:
It was a place where Mom and Dad first met,
Played "hide and seek" as kids
I did the same when I was young, Mom showed me where they hid
Was where my Daddy "tanned my hide"
When I done something wrong
I'd dream my dreams up in that loft where I learned to write a song
Many nights Grandma would pray in there, get down on her knees
I could hear her talking to the Lord as the wind danced through the trees
Years ago she said, "We never own anything,
We borrow, and life goes 'round"
But I lost more than ever loaned to me
When Grandpa's barn came down

The very next day Dad and me went fishin', had something on his mind
Knew he was tryin' to hold his tongue, the way he would cast that line
With tearful eyes he finally said, "no one can tear us apart,
They really didn't take down that old barn,
'Cause she's deep inside our hearts"
Chorus

Every night I could hear him with his whiskey he would hide.
The cemetery was his home where he lived with his sweet bride.
Death had come too early with a baby he's never known
In darkness he lay his head beneath the shadow of their throne.

And I heard him cry at night when fallen leaves were still.
He kissed an angel carved in stone above old Highland Hill.
To him she seemed to be alive as on their wedding day,
But he held a marbled hand so cold, drank his life away.

He brought his bottle with him, poured his sorrow down.
He laughed and cried and talked to her, slept right on the ground.
But whiskey never wakes the dead although mortals often try.
I wished I could have eased his pain and offered reasons why

Chorus

Some men are born in freedom.. others are bound as slaves.
The twisted fate of tortured souls are countless as the graves.
Now I stand among three more, where beggars often give,
A mother and her baby, and a man who died to live.

Chorus

I rolled over to Atlanta, Georgia to catch a plane 'flyin up to D.C.
I hated to leave 'ol Dixieland just to see what could happen to me
Well I sang my songs, but it wasn't long, I was back in that Georgia town
Eatin' country ham heading back to Alabam'
With my feet back on the ground
Oh, I thought I'd never see another redneck
'Swingin doors in a roadhouse bar
I thought I'd never see another John Deere hat
On a driver in a "jacked-up" car
But I was 'feelin fine at the Alabama line
And I knew I was home to stay
When I read the bumper stickers with nine kids screamin'
In the back of a Chevrolet

(And they said) Honk your horn for Dixie
See "Rock City"soon
Get off my tail if you want to sail
We're still on our honeymoon
"Georgia Dogs are number one"
"Jesus can save your soul"
"Vote Alan Jackson for the President"
And "Roll Tide Roll!"

At a truckstop in Tallapoosa
I pulled over for a cold beer run
I bought me some of those bumper stickers
I put 'em on my truck for fun
With a can of brew my 'ol "Chevy" flew
She was 'cruisin down I- 20
Passin' Cadillacs spittin' "Redman Tobacco",
Sayin' "this is the only way to go"
So if you ever drive across a Southern state
And you stop in a little country town
You might want to know what they're livin' for
And the heroes that they've found
Oh, the bumper stickers tell the story very well
Of how most of them live and die
With a "Rebel Yell" and a "Give 'em Hell!"
You can read it as they drive right by

When I was just a young boy my hero was my dad.
I admired so many things of his, like the pocketwatch he had.
He let me listen to it tick and oh how the watch would shine
He told me one day when I grew up the timepiece woudl be mine.
I learned my Mama gave it to him on their wedding day
He always kept it near his heart when he had to go away
On business trips to New York, he was a bank auditor
For fifty years he kept that watch and it kept him close to her

It's not the beauty of the gift, it's the beauty of the thought
It's not the battles in your life, it's the honor of how you fought
In the hands of time one day you'll know what I'm speaking of
You'll find there's never too much time to love the ones you love

So many years had come and gone and my Daddy never quit
But he was tragically in the Trade Center when the two airliners hit
Mama was always so very strong, but the bad news broke her down
We had to move her to a nursing home just outside our small town
One day a nurse called me, mom was moved to intensive care
I arrived in time to see her smile when she saw me standing there
She said she had the watch engraved just before that fateful day
As she placed it in my trembling hand
I remembered what my Daddy would say

Chorus

I stayed with Mama all night long with the watch between our hands
Knowing that God was watching us as he weaved his master plan
I read the engraving on the back with the rising of the sun
It read "Happy Anniversary, Love" 9/11/2001

Chorus

"It's time for me to let go of your hand, son,
Keep on going hold on tight
The road will always change in front of you
'Hold'er straight and you'll be all right
Don't worry if you should ever tumble and fall
I'll be near if you're lost and alone
Hold on to dreams and the Radio Flyer, boy,
They'll always show you peaceful, shady trails, and the way back home."
As I grew older, I saw less of the farm
Had ideas of my own, not throwing hay up in the barn
Daddy drove me to the station in a cold drizzling rain
Sat inside his rusty, 'ol pick-up, waiting for that train
Said he was proud to see that I was making my own way
He knew I had my dreams, knew I couldn't stay
With a smile on his weathered face, eyes tearful and red
He shook my hand, hugged me one more time… then he finally said,

(Chorus)

Hadn't been home in a while when he finally got down
Went to see him in the hospital, several miles from our hometown
He was looking at old photos Mama took many years ago
Me riding that red bicycle in bare feet, on that yellow chirt road
Dad said he'd plowed his final row, but it seemed like yesterday
He'd seen me on that Flyer making tracks in the Georgia clay
He took my hand and held it with a long, gentle squeeze
I leaned over towards that humble man and listened, when he said to me,

(Chorus)

Have you been 'seein Rose?
Have you been 'knockin on her door?
'Cause I wondered who it was the other night,
When I told her I couldn't hide anymore

Oh, have you been 'seein Rose?
It was just too dark to see who it was
Who beat on my head as I leaped right out of her bed
Punched me out, upon my little nose
Have you been 'seein Rose?

Tell me, have you been 'seein Rose?
Do you know where she keeps that 'ol shotgun?
'Cause I wondered who it was the other night,
When the hammer clicked, I knew I had to run!
Have you been 'seein Rose?

If you have, I hope you will explain
That the buckshot meant for me, never reached its destiny
You blew away several of her toes
Have you been 'seein Rose?

Have you been 'seein Rose?
Oooh, does that 'ol girl seem to understand
Why I had to leave her side so fast that fateful night
When the buckshot bed sheets hit the window fan?
Have you been 'seein Rose?

Tell her I'll be out on bail real soon
'Cause the police thought it was crude, me 'a-runnin 'round in the nude
I was too damned scared to tell them where I left my clothes
Have you been 'seein Rose?

Tell me, have you been 'seein Rose?
Yeah, have you seen that poor girl try to walk?
I wondered how she called the law so fast that night
I didn't stick around to hear her talk, no
Have you been 'seein Rose?

I hear she hobbles around pretty good
But it's still a little sad to lose a good thing we both had
She'll never be the same I suppose
Have you been 'seein Rose?
Tell me, have you been 'seein Rose?

Rolling down the highway in a blue four door sedan
Ma and Pa were on the road we were moving once again
I was in the back seat with my dog and sister Sue
Times were hard, we were hungry in nineteen fifty-two

Resting at those truck stops and eating candy bars
We took baths in mountain creeks, slept out under stars
Daddy always held my hand when Mama bowed her head
She thanked the Lord for what we had and this is what she said,

"Lord, you have given us strength to carry on
Thank-you for my husband, my daughter and my son
For all these many blessings, we thank-you our dear Lord
Thank-you, once again, for that
And the Forty-seven Ford."

That old car kept running 'til we found a home
Daddy found a job in Georgia, just outside of Rome
Built my Ma a cabin with a well and drinking gourd
Built a shed near that barn for the forty-seven Ford

Years went by, times did change, I grew into a man
I never lost those memories, I go back now and then
Ma and Pa, they passed on, but now I thank the Lord
For all the things they gave me with that forty-seven Ford

Chorus

Drove down to the store for a pack of cigarettes
Saw her standing there pumping gas
She looked the same, but the kids were older
Ooh, when you're having fun, life moves fast
I said, "Hello", she said, "How you doing?"
Nothing else to say, right then, but, "I'm ok"
She looked into my eyes that very moment
Right through my heart filled with words I couldn't say

And the sun still rises over Lake Anna
And the moon melts silver through the trees
Some times when I hear her favorite songbird
I breakdown and fall right to my knees
Oh, I have friends who follow me through my misery
With Jim, George and Jack, I'm never alone
But, if it weren't for Sunday mornings, The Good Hope Baptist Church
And Jesus, I'd never find the strength to carry on.

Talked briefly with the kids before she drove away
But they really didn't know much about me
She drove all night to visit her Mom down in Thornburg
Had to get back to her life in Tennessee
Oh, I saw her look at me through the rear view mirror
And I know she had to stop right over the hill
Crying her eyes out like I do, always knowing
There's a painful love between us we can't kill