Ribbon of the Road

(Verse)

Moonlight on a two-lane blacktop,

Dust on his boots, .44 cold.

He’s got a promise he can’t walk away from,

Got a love he’ll never let go.

That roadside bar’s gone quiet now,

Neon humming soft and low.

She’s counting seconds with a red ribbon,

Tied where the night wind blows.

(Pre Chorus)

Every town’s got lines you don’t cross,

Every heart’s got something to lose,

But love don’t stop when the stakes get high-

It just dares you to choose.

(Chorus)

Ride, ride, don’t slow down,

Blue lights waiting on the edge of town.

If the sun comes up and the truth gets told,

Let the night remember what we stole.

Ride, ride, if it’s all I know,

For one last touch on a dead-end road.

If I don’t make it, heaven knows—

I gave it all on the ribbon of the road.

(Verse)

Hard knocks echo down the hallway,

Flashlight beams and a ticking clock.

They tell her he ain’t worth the trouble,

Like trouble ever made her stop.

She hears that motor cut the silence,

Feels her whole world start to shake.

Every breath says don’t you come,

Every heartbeat says don’t be late.

(Pre-Chorus)

Some folks play it safe forever,

Some never take the wheel,

Some of us bet it all on one damn moment

Just to feel something real.

(Chorus)

Ride, ride, don’t slow down,

Blue lights waiting on the edge of town.

If the sun comes up and the truth gets told,

Let the night remember what we stole.

Ride, ride, if it’s all I know,

For one last touch on a dead-end road.

If I don’t make it, heaven knows—

I gave it all on the ribbon of the road.

(Guitar solo)

(Bridge)

Gunshot breaks that early light,

Sirens crying through the dawn.

He hit the truth a heartbeat late,

But love was already gone.

(Chorus)

Ride, ride, don’t slow down,

Blue lights waiting on the edge of town.

If the sun comes up and the truth gets told,

Let the night remember what we stole.

Ride, ride, if it’s all I know,

For one last touch on a dead-end road.

If I don’t make it, heaven knows—

I gave it all on the ribbon of the road.

Ride, ride, let it burn,

Some lessons you don’t live to learn.

If they hang my name and close the door,

I’d still do it all once more.

Ride, ride, past right and wrong,

Where her goodbye still pulls me on.

If this is how the story goes—

I’ll go down on the ribbon of the road.

Outro

Moonlight on a two-lane blacktop,

Wind whispering soft and slow.

There’s a love that never made it home—

Still riding that ribbon of road.