From the recording This One's on the House (2009)
Lyrics
Car lights on the highway, like pearls at night
A string of red going my way alongside a string of white
And I'm trying to remember just how free and lucky I am
But I'm racing back and forth to nowhere, and I'm too tired to give a damn
Sometimes I feel I've been suckered by a dream of living on the roam
Turns out it's a lot like bein' a trucker, it's a lot of drivin' alone
Pull into the next town, feeling weary and strange
Seems I'm coming to resemble the very things I wanna change
A room full of strangers, and I'm trying to connect
But they only wanna hear what they've already heard, what did I expect?
One says you're some kinda tripper, just following the muse along
And I say it's a lot like being a stripper, a lot of trying to turn drunks on
Those of us who'll do it, we'll do it anyway
And that suits those who'll use it, cause they don't have to pay, and they say,
It's about the music, not the fifty dollars, and aren't you having fun?
And I say it's a lot like working blue-collar, a lot of just gettin 'er done
I'm thinkin' bout a young girl who caught me off guard with her smile
She was following roads and songs, and she rode along awhile
Like the boiling ocean she crashed in and rolled out again
She was in love with a vague notion, not this particular man, and she says
Don't sweat when things don't go well, there'll be plenty more along your way
And I say it's a lot like livin' in hotels, it's nice, but you can't stay
You start out with something sacred that you wanna tell someone
But this mean old world might break you, or you might just take the money and run
And it might be good for your karma, and yeah, ramblin' has its thrills
But it's more like being a farmer, strugglin to pay the bills
Met a kid in a campground with a guitar and a head full of dreams
Starting on a road I've been partway down with no idea what it means
I wanted to warn him about some stuff up ahead
But it occurred to me that his road ain't mine, I should be telling myself instead
And he says he might starve alone, but he's hopin' for some bright day
And I say it's a lot like carving stone, you just keep chippin' away