Dust on my Degree

Sun creeps in through the old barn slats

Boots by the door and a dog on the mat

Sketches of horses fill a worn notebook

Dreams of ranch land and the life it took

Country on vinyl and the world outside

Spins a little slower when you're born to ride

Folks say I'm quiet, but I carry a flame

For the wild and the real and a four-letter name

I got dust on my boots and dirt in my veins

Heart full of thunder, soul full of rain

Learnin’ this world ain’t always kind

But I’ve still got stars in the back of my mind

Earnin’ more than just a piece of paper to be

I’m workin’ on somethin’ that’s settin’ me free

Takin' my time, with dust on my degree

Used to chase cowboys with a wistful eye

Till I learned they ride off, just like the sky

Now I let 'em go, like a song on the wind

If they ain’t gonna stay, then they ain’t gonna win

I’d rather walk fences and whisper to colts

Than dance in a bar full of beer and false hopes

I speak with the saddle, not words folks say

And I trust in the rhythm of hooves and hay

I got dust on my boots and dirt in my veins

Heart full of thunder, soul full of rain

Learnin’ this world ain’t always kind

But I’ve still got stars in the back of my mind

Earnin’ more than just a piece of paper to be

I’m workin’ on somethin’ that’s settin’ me free

Takin' my time, with dust on my degree

Maybe one day I’ll have land to call mine

With dogs at the porch and a clothesline

Where the wind tells stories only I understand

And the silence is sweeter than any man

I got dust on my boots and a light in my chest

A long way to go but I’m doin’ my best

I don’t need silver, I don’t need gold

Just a place in this world I can quietly hold

So I’ll keep on ridin’, wild and free

With stars in my eyes and

Dust on my degree