On Our Own

One
Are you ready?

I take 35 up to 49, Oklahoma City to the Wichita Line
Passed Missouri, hit St. Louis, along the way
I short my alternator hawk, carburetors burned
Quarts of oil like reading paper
Retired tires and lit 'em on fire
Smudging black rubber smoke up against the sky
And they can say it's hard where they're from
They grew up tough and didn't have no fun
But the road you got is one you're on
Some is wide and some go along

'Cause every man has chains to bind him
To the past that rests behind him
And the past is merciless when she speaks
And life can be a big mean snake
And there ain't a heart that she can't break
Ain't a soul that she can't take and leave
On our own

Well, the South is hot, and the air gets wet
But if you ride 25 for a couple sunsets
Head north, wind will blow you 'round the road
And the mesquite turns to sagebrush
Desert mountains and the Indian paintbrush
The ground gets rough, and the folks will say
"It's hard to read, the seasons change"

But I've traveled along, and I've traveled alone
And I've left a love to sing a song
Now all I've got's this ugly dog
And a car with a hood that the paint's peeling off

'Cause every man has chains to bind him
To the past that rests behind him
And the past is merciless when she speaks
And life can be a big mean snake
And there ain't a heart that she can't break
Ain't a soul that she can't take and leave
On our own
Well, I fell in love, and I fell back out
And I had a few teeth knocked out of my mouth
Got myself a gal, I still hang on
And I'd take yours if I could give you mine
At least we might say, some of the time
But it's hard to tell the map of a man
Just by reading the feel of the shake of his hand

'Cause every man has chains to bind him
To the past that rests behind him
And the past is merciless when she speaks
And life can be a big mean snake
And there ain't a heart that she can't break
Ain't a soul that she can take and leave
On our own