(raw acoustic, steady strum, no build)
Verse 1
Sittin at a diner off Sixty-Nine,
Near Locust Grove,
Levi denim stickin to me,
From last night’s rain and Oklahoma dust.
Didn’t say it out loud,
Just thought to myself,
I’m gonna buy me a real old car,
Maybe hang by the diner,
Find a real fine start.
Took a plate of hot bacon,
Some real runny eggs,
Headed northeast to that Wisconsin wind.
Chorus (NEW — built from your lines)
Seemed the comin of the Lord
Was the only thing that brought my smile back,
Only thing that ever kept me
Outta trouble, cryin on the telephone.
Dairy Queen’s still open, hands frozen tight,
Singin songs the whole way home,
Smell of hay hangin in the air
While this old Ford stares down dim, dark roads.
Verse 2
Found my old buddy there,
With that cheek-stretched grin,
Asked him how he’s doin,
Assumed he’s doin alright.
We sat by the amber log pile,
Maybe talked for awhile,
He lost his job near Jenks,
Left a dent in his grin.
Said his fine lady ran off
To Tribeca with him.
Verse 3
We talked about life,
Talked about tryin to get sober,
Asked if he could still smell
That Iowa wind from late September.
All good things pass,
We both knew that line.
Your boy got himself
Into some trouble again,
And all my friends seem bound
To share in this deny.
Chorus (repeat)
Seemed the comin of the Lord
Was the only thing that brought my smile back,
Only thing that ever kept me
Outta trouble, cryin on the telephone.
Dairy Queen’s still open, hands frozen tight,
Singin songs the whole way home,
Smell of hay hangin in the air
While this old Ford stares down dim, dark roads.
Verse 4
Seemed the comin of the Lord
Was the only thing
That could bring me back to my smile.
Them Oklahoma ice-cream cups,
Frozen empty plastics
On the burn pile.
So y’all better keep us in your prayers,
‘Cause we been burnin wood piles
Through the cold black air of midnight cares.
If I told ya everything,
It wouldn’t burn hot enough.
Verse 5
All good things pass,
Like the cold Massachusetts winter streets,
Where Jim took us all
To see that family,
When I was just a little boy.
⸻
Outro (repeat Verse 1 exactly)
Sittin at a diner off Sixty-Nine,
Near Locust Grove,
Levi denim stickin to me,
From last night’s rain and Oklahoma dust.
Didn’t say it out loud,
Just thought to myself,
I’m gonna buy me a real old car,
Maybe hang by the diner,
Find a real fine start.
Took a plate of hot bacon,
Some real runny eggs,
Headed northeast to that Wisconsin wind.