20 minutes south of a Nashville town There's a boy ridin' on a bike Grass-stained tee, and his scraped-up knees From an older brother backyard fight Only thing he loves is his mama And playing catch with his dad Can't wrap his mind around ever needing Anything more than that But meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl in a princess dress Running through the kitchen And dancing on her bed Two stories God is painting One day, He will combine 'em That boy from Tennessee, has never crossed her mind yet But ten hours away, she's growing up beside him Meanwhilе in Carolina Boy grows up, writing songs about love Kind he only knows at 16 Whether in between classes or baseball practice He's thinking 'bout girls it seems And there's a wonderin' about forever A prayer he always prays And in a beach town by the water Is this one that sounds the same 'Cause meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl with her best friends Talking about Prince Charming Planning forever in their heads Two stories God is painting One day, He will combine 'em That boy from Tennessee, is every dream in her mind, but She's just waiting on the day he comes to find her Meanwhile in Carolina Yeah, meanwhile in Carolina Meanwhile in Tennessee Every turn, he learns something About what it'd take to keep her when he finds her Then God lets him in on the secret He's been hiding That meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl with eyes of green That's everything and more Than my mind could ever dream Two stories God was painting That day that He combined 'em That boy from Tennessee can't believe how they lined up That girl he was looking for that whole time was Meanwhile in Carolina (meanwhile in Carolina) Meanwhile in Carolina

Disempowered The scattering flock Dances in a fever At the Castle Rock Dust devils cypress Ripening fruit Ascending quick Into the author's bathroom Fon, Jo and Tootsie Are out on a wire Meth-toothed junkies Are full of desire Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you I've got a lot of work to do I guess I'll leave it up to you Uninvited We'll stay if we want Searching through your closets For your grandfathers gun We will swim in your kidney, Kidney shaped pool Scratching at the bottom For another clue, yeah Fon, Jo and Tootsie Are out on a wire Meth-toothed junkies Are full of desire Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you I've got a lot of work to do I guess I'll leave it up to you