Guy Clark

[fox69]

"Rita Ballou"

"Rita Ballou"


She could dance that slow Uvalde
Shuffle to some cowboy hustle
How she made them trophy buckles shine, shine, shine
Wild-eyed and Mexican silvered,
Trickin' dumb ol' cousin Willard
Into thinkin' that he's got her this time

Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played a fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you

She's a rawhide rope and velvet mixture
Walkin' talkin' Texas texture
High-timin' barroom fixture kind of a girl
She's the queen of the cowboys
Look at old Willard grinnin' now, boys
You'd of thought there's less fools in this world

Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you

So good luck Willard and here's to you
And here's to Rita and I hope she'll do ya right all night
Lord I wish I was the fool in your shoes

Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you

Hill country honky-tonkin' Rita Ballou
Every beer joint in town has played the fool for you
Backslidin' barrel ridin' Rita Ballou
Ain't a cowboy in Texas would not ride a bull for you

 

[fox69]

"Shade Of All Greens"

"Shade Of All Greens"


The blackbird she flies wherever she wants to
The mockingbird singin’, oh, any ol’ song
And the swallow she’s nestin’ in the rafters of my house
Summer is coming and the geese are all gone
You got to fly and let fly

Ah, the mower’s broke down and the yard’s run away with me
I’ve taken to sittin’ and just watchin’ it grow
And the rabbits are eatin’ like kings in the driveway
And I’ve just about found me no place to go
You’ve got to live and let live

Come sit by my side in the shade of all greens
It smells like the honeysuckle have gone to extremes
And I’ve found a reason and you’ve made it rhyme
And we can go crazy, tomorrow’s just fine

I’m gonna sit on the front porch till the lightnin’ bugs show up
And it really gets dark and there’s dogs in the trash
It's the first and the last time all rolled into this time
You make me feel like I just took a bath
You got to laugh and let laugh

Come sit by my side in the shade of all greens
It smells like the honeysuckle have gone to extremes
And I’ve found a reason and you’ve make it rhyme
And we can go laughin’ any old time
You got to love and let love
And we can go lovin’ any ol’ time
You got to fly and let fly

 

[fox69]

"She Ain't Goin' Nowhere"

"She Ain't Goin' Nowhere"


Standin' on the gone side of leavin'
She found a thumb and stuck it in the breeze
She'll take anything that's goin' close to somewhere
She can lay it down and live it like she'd please

But she ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'
And she ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in
And she ain't goin' home and that's for sure

She's not sittin' down and cryin' on her suitcase
She has no second thoughts by the road
But she's got feelings than need some reparin'
And she did not give a damn that it showed

But she ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'
And she ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in
And she ain't goin' home and that's for sure

And the wind had it's way with her hair
And the blues have a way with her smile
And she had a way of her own
Like prisoners have a way with a file

She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'
And she ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in
And she ain't goin' home and that's for sure

She ain't goin' nowhere, she's just leavin'
She ain't goin' nowhere she can't breathe in
She ain't goin' home and that's for sure
And she ain't goin' home and that's for sure

 

[fox69]

"She Loves To Ride Horses"

"She Loves To Ride Horses"


Two shots of Wild Turkey puts the wind in her hair
Bound and determined in the cold mornin' air
If you don't like horses I'd suggest you stay home
She don't ride double get a horse of your own

She loves to ride horses, she doesn't care
How long it'll take her or if she ever gets there
She ain't got no reason and she don't need no rhyme
She loves to ride horses in 3/4 time

Ah, you can't tell her nothing she don't want to know
You can't take here nowhere she don't want to go
She might not show up, she might not call
She loves to ride horses and that's about all

She loves to ride horses, she doesn't care
How long it'll take her or if she ever gets there
She ain't got no reason, ah she don't need no rhyme
She just loves to ride horses in 3/4 time

She loves to ride horses, she doesn't care
How long it'll take her or if she ever gets there
She ain't got no reason, ah she don't need no rhyme
She just loves to ride horses in 3/4 time

 

[fox69]

"She's Crazy For Leavin'"

"She's Crazy For Leavin'"


Well the bus pulled away
In a roaring black cloud
I stood in the road
Honey I hollered right out loud

Hey Darlin’ I love ya
Hey bus driver whoa
But you can’t stop a woman who is out of control

She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
And the boys at the bus stop
Just said man let her go
She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
But you can’t stop a woman
Who is out of control

I punched out my truck
On a telephone pole
She never looked back
She just said go driver do

I know I could of stopped her
But I ran out of lock
She was long gone to Lufkin
But the time they got me out of the truck

She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
And the boys at the bus stop
Just said man let her go
She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
But you can’t stop a woman
Who is out of control

So I kicked and I cussed
That old east Texas road
I throwed rocks at my truck
Which had busted my nose

Add insult to injury
What do you get
A bust stop full honkys
That don’t never forget

She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
And the boys at the bus stop
Just said man let her go
She’s crazy for leavin’
I told her so
But you can’t stop a woman
Who is out of control

 

[fox69]

"Shut Up and Talk to Me"

"Shut Up and Talk to Me"


Now love is never gonna be a solid bet
It’s kinda like workin’ without a net
Don’t be afraid to let your feelings out
Hey, that’s what lovin’ is all about

Come on, baby, and give me a break
It’s how do you feel, not what do you think

Stop rattlin’ your keys
Shut up and talk to me
Shut up and talk to me

You know I’ve known you long enough to know
There’s nothin’ you can hide that still don’t show
You ain’t foolin’ anyone but you
When you put me through what you put me through

Come on, honey, and tell me the truth
Give me chicken fried steak, not a baby Ruth

I’m not that hard to please
Shut up and talk to me
Shut up and talk to me now

Well, you can talk about the weather till it drives me nuts
Hey, you can rattle on about who, why, what
A little conversation wouldn’t hurt that much
A little somethin’ with a human touch, hey

Now, if you’re hurtin’, baby, tell me so
If you need attention only let me know
I’m not the one that you’re hidin’ from
You know, it doesn’t matter what the ever you done

You can have your cake and you can eat it too
Hey, that’s the kinda stuff I want from you

How hard can it be
Shut up and talk to me
Hey, shut up and talk to me now

Well, you can talk about the weather till it drives me nuts
Hey, you can rattle on about who, why, what
A little conversation wouldn’t hurt that much
A little somethin’ with a human touch, hey

Shut up and talk to me, darlin'
Tell me the truth
Shut up and talk to me

 

[fox69]

"Sis Draper"

"Sis Draper"


Kick your shoes off in the corner mama
Tuck the babies all up snug
Sis Draper's comin' over, we all gonna cut a rug
When you see that lantern swingin' yonder
Comin' up the Holler Road
Them dogs'll get to barkin'
Ought to tie em all up with a rope

You boys better get in tune
Sis Draper's gonna be here soon
Don't shoot no dice nor get too tight
If you're gonna pick with Sis tonight

She came down from the Boston mountains
There was lightnin' in the air
Honey on them fiddle strings
Magnolia in her hair
She's a diamond in the rough
If you can't see the shine that's tough
Play all night for the likes of us
Sis Draper's got the touch

She'll play all night if she feels like it
Have some fruit punch if you spike it
Sis don't care who don't like it
See, ol' Sis has got a Hell of a bow arm on her

She stepped up and sawed one off
And uncle Cleve dropped his jaw
Said she's the best I ever saw
She must be from Arkansas

I think Grandpa used to date her
Grandma says she still hates her
All the fellas stand up straighter
In the presence of Sis Draper

Sis Draper is the devil's daughter
Plays the fiddle Daddy bought her
Plays it like her mama taught her
She's a travelin' Arkansawyer

Put her fiddle in a box
Said it's getting awful late
She's on her way to Little Rock
And Little Rock can't wait

So we all stood out in the yard
Hands all full of watermelon
Watcher her leave watched her go
Wishin' I was in that wagon

Sis Draper is the devil's daughter
Plays the fiddle Daddy bought her
Plays it like her mama taught her
She's a travelin' Arkansawyer

 

[fox69]

"Soldier's Joy, 1864"

"Soldier's Joy, 1864"


Now first I thought a snake had got me, it happened dreadful quick
'Twas a bullet in my leg, right off I got sick
I came to in a wagonload of ten more wounded men
Five was dead by the time we reached that bloody tent

Gimme some of that Soldier's Joy, you know what I mean
I don't want to hurt no more my leg is turnin' green

Now the doctor came and looked at me and this is what he said
Your dancin' days are done, son, it's a good thing you ain't dead
Then he went to work with a carvin' knifed, sweat fell from his brow
'Bout killed me tryin' to save my life when he cut that lead ball out

Gimme some of that Soldier's Joy, ain't you got no more
Hand me down my walkin' cane I ain't cut out for war

Now the red blood run right through my veins, it run all over the floor
And it run right down his apron strings like a river out the door
He handed me a bottle said, son drink deep as you can
He turned away and he turned right back with a hacksaw in his hand

Gimme some of that Soldier's Joy you know what I like
Bear down on that fiddle boys just like Saturday night

Gimme some of that Soldier's Joy you know what I crave
I'll be hittin' that Soldier's Joy 'til I'm in my grave

 

[fox69]

"Somedays You Write The Song"

"Somedays You Write The Song"


It's just one of those days you can?t explain
When nothing's right or wrong
Too much wine or not enough
So you just play along.
There's no rhyme or reason
Ain't a damn thing you can do
Some days you write the song
Some days the song writes you.

Your sure voice and melody
Will sing my soul to sleep
Reaching for some harmony
Deep inside of me
Some days you know just how it goes
Some days you have no clue.
Some days you write the song
Some days the song writes you.

You can fall

You can fly
Get low down or get high
You can try or just leave it alone.
You can search for the way
You can curse, you can pray
But the words have a way of their own.

It don't matter how much it hurts
You've got to tell the truth.
Some days you write the song
Some days the song writes you.

Now you may think I just made this up
But I would not lie, that's true
Some days you write the song
Some days the song writes you.

 

[fox69]

"South Coast Of Texas"

"South Coast Of Texas"


The south coast of Texas is a thin slice of life
It' s salty and hard it it stern as a knife
Where the wind is for blwon' up hurricanes for showin'
The snakes how to swim and the trees how to lean

[Chorus]
The shrimpers and their ladies are out in the beer joints
Drinkin' em down for they sail with the dawn
They're bound for the Mexican Bay of Campche
And the deck hands are singin' adios Jole Blon

There's snowbirds in search of that sunshine and night life
And fond of greasin' palms down the beach as they're goin'
This livin' on the edge of the waters of the world
Demands the dignity of whooping cranes and
The likes of Gilbert Roland

[Chorus]

In the cars of my youth how I tore thru those sand dunes
Cut up my tires on them oyster shell roads
But nothin' is forever say the old men in the shipyards
Turnin' trees into shrimp oats Hell I guess they ought to know

[Chorus]