Before I could walk, I had a wrench in my hand I was my mama's little angel, my daddy's second chance He went end over end, the first year he went pro And he lost part of his eyesight, so he couldn't race, no more But he never lost his touch when he got under a hood He knew how to make 'em run, he knew one day he would See his name in victory lane and engraved on that cup Just like all them other crazy fools with racing in their blood He put me on his lap when he'd drive and I'd take the wheel And he'd say, "What do you think about that, son? How does she feel? You just wait 'til them little legs get long enough to reach the gas Once you put her on the floor one time, there ain't no turning back" Every Saturday he'd take me out to the garage He'd take an empty bucket, fill it full of engine parts He's sit me down and pour 'em out in front of me on the floor I'd have to tell him what each one was and what each one was for We'd jump in his old car and go down to the race at night He'd tell me what each driver was doing wrong, what each one did right He could always pick the winner before they ever took a curve Number three might have the car but 43's got the nerves Way before I turned 18 daddy said "Now pretty soon You'll be old enough to race when I'm gonna leave it up to you I taught you all about it, taught you everything I know You gotta have a car to do it, you gotta work and buy your own" First one that I bought was a Mustang number two Nobody kept 'em any longer than they kept a pair of shoes They started showing up at every used car lot in town A V-8 on a go-cart, easy terms, no money down Me and daddy and my uncle took her home and we tore her down Checked her out real good, cleaned her up and bored her out Took out all the seats, pulled the carpet off the floor Knocked out all the glass and we welded up the doors Well, the first time that I raced my qualifying was a shame I started out way in the back and came back 'bout the same Pulled her in the pit, couldn't look my daddy in the eye He said, "If you quit now, son, it's gonna haunt you all your life" See, it ain't about the money or even being number one You gotta know when it's all over, you did the best you could've done And knowing that it's in you and you never let it out Is worse than blowing any engine or any wreck you'll ever have Since then I've wrecked a bunch of cars and I've broke a bunch of bones It's anybody's race out there and I've learned to run my own I'd shove 'em in the wall and I'd hit 'em from behind I'd let them know that I was there, I'd let them know that track was mine It's been several years since my daddy passed away But his picture's on my dash, every time I go to race I lost more than I won, but I ain't gonna give up 'Til they put me in the ground or daddy's name's on that cup

You wanna grow up to paint houses like me A trailer in my yard 'til you're 23 You wanna feel old after 42 years Keep dropping the hammer and grinding the gears Well, I used to go out in a Mustang A 302 Mach One in green Me and your mama made you in the back And I sold it to buy her a ring And I learned not to say much of nothing So I figured you already know But in case you don't or maybe forgot I'll lay it out real nice and slow Don't call what you're wearing an outfit Don't ever say your car is broke Don't worry about losing your accent A Southern man tells better jokes Have fun, but stay clear of the needle Call home on your sister's birthday Don't tell 'em you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away Don't give it away Five years in a St. Florian foundry They call it Industrial Park Then hospital maintenance and Tech School Just to memorize Frigidaire parts But I got to missing your mama And I got to missing you too And I went back to painting for my old man And I guess that's what I'll always do So don't let 'em take who you are, boy And don't try to be who you ain't And don't let me catch you in Kendale With a bucket of a wealthy man's paint Don't call what you're wearing an outfit Don't ever say your car is broke Don't sing with a fake British accent Don't act like your family's a joke Have fun, and stay clear of the needle Call home on your sister's birthday Don't tell them you're bigger than Jesus, don't give it away Don't give it away

I'm going to Colorado To unload my head I'm going to New York City And that's in New York, friends I'm going to Arizona Sex on the rocks all warm and red And we bled! And the writing in the stall said We write our maps in the stalls I'm going up to Alaska I'm going to get off Scot-fucking-free And we all did! This truckers atlas roads the ways The freeways and highways don't know The buzz from the bird on my dash Road locomotive phone This truckers atlas roads the ways The freeways and highways don't know The buzz from the bird on my dash Road locomotive phone I don't feel and I feel great I sold my atlas by the freight stairs I do lines and I crossed roads I crossed the lines of all the great state roads I'm goin' up, going over to Montana You got yourself a trucker's atlas You knew you were all hot Well, maybe you'll go and blow a gasket You start at the northwest corner Goin' down through California Beeline you might drive three days Three nights to the tip of Florida Oh do you speak the lingo? Oh, oh no Oh do you speak the lingo? No no How far does your road go? Oh no, you don't know? I'm going to Colorado To unload my head I'm going to New York City And that's in New York, friends I'm going up to Alaska I'm going to get off Scot-fucking-free And we all did! And the writing in the salt says We ride out to the stars I'm going to Arizona Sex on the rocks all warm and red And we all did! This truckers atlas roads the ways The freeways and highways don't know The buzz from the bird on my dash Road locomotive phone This truckers atlas roads the ways The freeways and highways don't know The buzz from the bird on my dash Road locomotive phone I don't feel and I feel great I sold my atlas by the freight stairs I do lines and I crossed roads I crossed the lines of all the great state roads I'm going up, going over to Montana You got yourself a trucker's atlas You knew you were all hot Well maybe you'll go and blow a gasket Start at the northwest corner Go down through California Beeline you might drive three days Three nights to the tip of Florida

Don't call me your baby I won't answer Love is like cancer And I am immune To all that you're bringing The tune that you're singing A sign of a locked room I saw the locked room It's such an illusion Before the collision I made a decision Don't tell me your secrets I'd rather not listen I know what I'm missing It's always too soon It's always too soon to be cold for comfort To belong to someone inside a locked room But that always happens when nobody's looking (nobody's looking) I really don't care what's inside you I wont stand beside you or answer your calls I don't want to fight now I'm only here right now This moment is all This moment is all Don't call me your baby I'm nobody's baby I won't let you cage me Or lock me away I'm not yours to keep Don't want you to save me You're just a vacation A wonder way station To keep me awake, until I'm ready to sleep To keep me awake, until I'm ready to sleep To keep me awake, until I'm ready to sleep