Small Town - John Mellencamp

You feel frozen But you've been chosen You lay there drunken Your dreams seem sunken Your world's a small one And you break the rules You're one big fish In a bowl of fools Tired of serving up your town Tired of wearing that crown Tired of sliding up and down Tired of being you Your work's no future Your girl don't suit you Your bar won't serve you You have no nerve to Make a break From this sad old school Across the lake Lies a place that's cool Run, you got a place to go Run, you got a boat to row Run, you got a face to show Run while you can The high street's sleeping As Friday's creeping The shops are open But their minds are closed How's it going? But it's not their concern They're talking stuff about you That you never learn Smile, you're on your own Smile, 'cause you've outgrown Smile, you lost your home Smile to yourself

To the folks who need the money but won't sell the family forty Keep telling that suit and tie no To all them hidden county liners, little mom and pop diners Keep telling big money where to go Remember God only made so much real estate Tell the bank I'm gon' take it to the grave Let's keep the red dirt roads red dirt Keep the little white church, keep keeping God first Keep dragging that plow, keep the blue on your collar Keep the sweat on your dollar, keep the sins in the water And your roots in thе ground Keep standing tall, the hell in your naw Herе's to all y'all keepin' small towns small To the ones who rocking rust on a box-bodied truck Rev it up, keep that rubber burned down To the ones coming home to your homecoming queen Keep making that girl's daddy proud To all of y'all fighting for that flag We gon' hold it down 'til ya get back And keep the red dirt roads red dirt Keep the little white church, keep keeping God first Keep dragging that plow, keep the blue on your collar Keep the sweat on your dollar, keep the sins in the water And your roots in the ground Keep standing tall, the hell in your naw Here's to all y'all keepin' small towns small To the gone but not forgotten God, tell 'em we got 'em And we know they're looking down on this town So we gon' keep them red dirt roads red dirt Keep the little white church, keep keeping God first Keep dragging that plow, keep the blue on your collar Keep the sweat on your dollar, keep the sins in the water And your roots in the ground Keep standing tall, the hell in your naw Here's to all y'all keepin' small towns small We keepin' small towns small

Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon He's right outside of my window He acts like a madman from time to time I hope he brings it to a crescendo soon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry rides his skateboard down the street He's thirty-seven years old with six children He sees the world through a ten year old boy's eyes He doesn't even notice that it's raining outside Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon But sometimes he cries He wants me to console him But I know that he's lying About everything he's told me Man in the moon Man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Says, he's prepared to suffer the consequences What is his penalty for his immaturity? Will he be cast into eternal darkness? Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Jerry's yelling at the man in the moon Man in the moon Man in the moon Man in the moon Man in the moon

Headed south to work to the pipeline Make some cash while in the meantime Baby jumped a bird and flew away Lordy, Lordy my mind's aching Drunken down and out and making time With anything that comes my way I staggered to the Greyhound station L.A. man's my destination Put me on the dog take me away Mobile blues baby I can't make it Got me down Lord I can't take it Here in Alabama one more day I called a friend in Frisco He said baby's in L.A. Here I am in Alabama two thousand miles away Lord I got these Mobile blues today Well I left her back in Frisco And she begged me not to go I know somebody must have told her That I travel and I lie That they saw me drunk in Mobile With some wired up chick from Jacksonville And brother did it we look like we could fly I staggered to the Greyhound station L.A. man's my destination Put me on the dog take me away Lord I got these Mobile blues today Lord I got the Mobile blues today