You Can't Go Home Again - Chet Baker

Old tin roof, leaves in the gutter A hole in the screen door big as your fist And flies on the butter Mama baking sugar cookies We were watching cartoons I heard her holler from the kitchen "Which one of you young ones wants to lick the spoon?" Yellow jackets on the watermelon Honeysuckle in the air Daddy turning on the sprinkler Us kids running through it in our underwear Old dog napping on the front porch His ear just a twitching I fell asleep on granddaddy's lap To the sound of his pocket watch ticking Oh, oh, it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago Oh, oh, you can dream about it every now and then But you can't go home again Me and my best friend Jenny set up a backyard camp Stole one of mama's mason jars Poked holes in the lid and made a firefly lamp Me and Billy Monroe, sneaking down by the river I'm still haunted by the taste of the kiss I was too scared to give him Oh, oh, it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago Oh, oh, you can dream about it every now and then But you can't go home again But there's a blacktop road A faded yellow centerline It can take you back to the place But it can't take you back in time Oh, oh, it doesn't seem like it was all that long ago Oh, oh, you can dream about it every now and then But you can't go home again Old tin roof, leaves in the gutter A hole in the screen door big as your fist And flies on the butter

I spent 20 years trying to get out of this place I was looking for something I couldn't replace I was running away from the only thing I've ever known Like a blind dog without a bone I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold I been there, done thatand I ain't lookin' back on the seeds I've sown, Saving dimes, spending too much time on the telephone Who says you can't go home Who says you can't go home There's only one place they call me one of their own Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright I went as far as I could, I tried to find a new face There isn't one of these lines that I would erase I lived a million miles of memories on that road With every step I take I know that I'm not alone You take the home from the boy, but not the boy from his home These are my streets, the only life I've ever known, Who says you can't go home Who says you can't go home There's only one place they call me one of their own Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright I been there, done thatand I ain't looking that It's been a long long road Feels like I never left, that's how the story goes It doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter where you go If it's a million miles aways or just a mile up the road Take it in, take it with you when you go, Who says you can't go home Who says you can't go home There's only one place they call me one of their own Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, its alright Who says you can't go home Who says you can't go home

I spent twenty years tryin' to get out of this place I was lookin' for somethin' I couldn't replace I was runnin' away from the only thing I've ever known And like a blind dog without a bone I was a gypsy lost in the twilight zone I hijacked a rainbow and crashed into a pot of gold I've been there, done that, now I ain't lookin' back And the seeds I've sown, savin' dimes Spendin' too much time on the telephone Who says you can't go home? Who says you can't go home? There's only one place that call me one of their own Just a hometown boy, born a rollin' stone Who says you can't go home? Who says you can't go back? Been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left, I wanna go Who says you can't go home? It's alright It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright I went as far as I could, I tried to find a new face There isn't one of these lines that I would erase I left a million mile of memories on that road Every step I take, I know that I'm not alone You take the home from the boy but not the boy from his home These are my streets and only life I've ever known Who says you can't go home? Who says you can't go home? There's only one place that call me one of their own Just a hometown boy, born a rollin' stone Who says you can't go home? Who says you can't go back? Been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left, I wanna go Who says you can't go home? It doesn't matter where you are, doesn't matter where you go If it's a million miles away or just a mile up the road Take it in, take it with you when you go Who says you can't go home? Who says you can't go back? Been all around the world and as a matter of fact There's only one place left, I want to go Who says you can't go home? It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright,it's alright Who says you can't go home? It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright,it's alright Who says you can't go home? It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright,it's alright Who says you can't go home?

I won't get drunk no more, no more, the old refrain it shines with use While you sop your bread in barley-wine, and mop your floor in tobacco juice So they kicked you out of paradise, grinned and locked the garden gate What those devils called your greatest sin, Gabriel and I called your great escape Where are you gonna run Tell me, where will you roam When you can't go home You can't go home Oh, pilgrim, you can't go home The gilded cage cannot contain the gypsies of the earth The poet and the tumbleweed discuss what rootlessness is worth And pity those who never felt inspiration's cold wet nose It wakes you up in the ditch where you're tumbling 'round where the four winds blow Where are you gonna run Tell me, where will you roam When you can't go home You can't go home Oh, pilgrim, you can't go home The polaroids of indio show desert flowers entwined Their nakedness has already been blasted by the sands of time But still you thought you sad Jane would wait for you till who knows when But that little girl's got a new tattoo to let you know you can't go home again Where are you gonna run Tell me, where will you roam When you can't go home You can't go home Oh, pilgrim, you can't go home So spin the wheel of St.Columba's and ride his golden calf Climb up the silver strings of the mandolin till you can hear the angels laugh And if rock and roll is more your thing, go ahead and wear the badge Cause chaos needs another king, a pillar of smoke who don't look back Where are you gonna run Tell me, where will you roam When you can't go home You can't go home Oh, pilgrim, you can't go home I'm dirty and torn, my tails hung out, a ship with tattered sails Been down and out, around the horn to chase the great white whale Across the night and across the day, I save my song for eternity Now here I find you gazing out of the window of St. James infirmary Where are you gonna run Tell me, where will you roam When you can't go home You can't go home Oh, pilgrim, you can't go home So keep rollin', rollin' down that road you're on Keep rollin', rollin' on, rollin' on Keep rollin', rollin' down that road that you're on Keep rollin', rollin', rollin' on