The Highwaymen Live

MUSIC PLAYS

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: The Highwayman

# I was a highwayman

# Along the coach roads I did ride

# With sword and pistol by my side

# Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade

# And many a soldier shed his lifeblood on my blade

# The bastards hung me in the spring of '25

# But I am still alive

# I was a sailor

# I was born upon the tide

# And with the sea I did abide

# I sailed a schooner round the Horn to Mexico

# I went aloft to furl the mainsail in a blow

# And when the yards broke off They said that I got killed

# But I am living still

# I was a dam builder

# 'Cross the river deep and wide

# Where steel and water did collide

# A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado

# I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below

# They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound

# But I am still around

# I'll always be around

# And around and around and around and around and around

# I fly a starship

# 'Cross the universe divide

# And when I reach the other side

# I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can

# Perhaps I may become a highwayman again

# Or I may simply be a single drop of rain

# But I will remain

# And I'll be back again

# And again and again and again

# And again and again and again. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

# Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold

# They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold

# Lone Star belt buckles and old faded Levis

# And each night begins a new day

# And if you don't understand him and he don't die young

# He'll prob'ly just ride away

# Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

# Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks

# Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such

# Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

# They'll never stay home and they're always alone

# Even with someone they love

# Cowboys like smoky old pool rooms and clear mountain mornings

# Little warm puppies and children and girls of the night

-# Whoop, whoop

-Whoop, whoop

# And them that don't know him won't like him

# And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him

# He ain't wrong He's just different

# But his pride won't let him

# Do things to make you think he's right

# Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

# Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks

# Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such

# Mammas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys

# They'll never stay home and they're always alone

# Even with someone they love. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: Good Hearted Woman

# Well, a long time forgotten

# Are dreams that just fell by the way

# And the good life he promised

# Ain't what she's living today

# But she never complains of the bad times

# Or the bad things he's done

# She just talks about the good times they've had

# And all the good times to come

# She's a good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man

# And she loves him in spite of his ways that she don't understand

# Whoo

# And through teardrops and laughter

# They'll pass through this world hand in hand

# This good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man

# He likes the nightlife

# The bright lights and his good timin' friends

# And when the party's all over

# She'll welcome him back home again

# Through teardrops and laughter

# They'll pass through this world hand in hand

# A good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man

# She's a good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man

# And she loves him in spite of his ways that she don't understand

# Yeah

# And through teardrops and laughter

# They'll pass through this world hand in hand

# Whoa

# This good hearted woman in love with a good timin' man. #

CHEERING

CHEERING

Whoo!

Is everybody having a good time so far?

CHEERING

Well, you might as well, cos we done got your money.

LAUGHTER

About half of it's spent.

I'm going to do you this song.

This is a song I wrote about myself.

But looking at some of y'all, I might have wrote it about you, too.

# I was so ugly

# The doctor slapped my momma when I was born

# Then he took out his pocketknife and cut off my horns

# He said, "Lady, if you ain't already picked out a name

# "Go ahead on and call him Trouble Man

# "He's gonna be wild

# "I'm giving you warning

# "He's gotta have room

# "Keep an eye on him"

# I grew up with long and lean and hungry looks

# I learned you can't go nowhere when you go by the book

# People all around me earthbound I learned how to fly

# Upside, downside, outside Sailing on by

# Out of my reach

# Out of my hands

# Out of control

# Trouble Man

# Yeah

# I've been as far in all directions as you can get

# I ain't never had enough of anything yet

# I have women that tore me apart without any reason

# I say, "Baby, I don't get mad I just get even"

# I don't explain

# If you don't understand

# I'm my own man

# Trouble Man

# Trouble Man

# Mm. #

CHEERING

Thank you.

MUSIC: Amanda

# I've held it all inward

# God knows I tried

# But it's an awful awakening

# In a country boy's life

# To look in the mirror

# In total surprise

# At the hair on my shoulders

# And the age in my eyes

# Amanda

# Light of my life

# Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

# Amanda

# Light of my life

# Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

# It's a measure of people

# Who don't understand

# The pleasures of life

# In a hillbilly band

# I got my first guitar

# When I was 14

# Well, I'm finally past 40

# Still wearing jeans

# Amanda

# Light of my life

# Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife

# Amanda

# Light of my life

# Fate should have made you a gentleman's wife. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Here's a song me and John did when we were just children.

MUSIC: Ain't No Good Chain Gang

# Bet it ain't a-rainin' back home

# I bet your sister's still on the phone

# I bet Mamma's in the kitchen

# Cookin' fried chicken

# Wishin' that I hadn't done wrong... #

Take it, John.

Ah, but don't you worry about us none, though, Mamma.

We'll be all right.

They're taking good care of us in here.

Just the other day the warden came to me and he said,

"I hear you got a turkey for Christmas."

And I said, "I ain't never touched a turkey in my life."

Have you?

I said, "What happened to it?" He said, "A guard got it."

I went to that guard and I said, "You get my turkey?"

And he said, "Yeah, I got your turkey, so what?"

And I said, "You got your turkey, didn't you?"

# There ain't no good in an evil-hearted woman

# And I ain't cut out to be no Jesse James

# And you don't go writin' hot cheques down in Mississippi

# And there ain't no good chain gang

# Papa's readin' yesterday's mail

# Wishin' that the hay was all bailed

# I'll bet he's a-wishin' Mom would stay in the kitchen

# Here I am a-laying in jail... #

Don't you worry about us none, though, Papa. We'll do all right.

I was hanging round the pits the other day

and this guard came up to me and he said,

"What are you hanging round here for?"

And I said, "For whatever's going around, I'll have some."

He said, "You're a smart aleck, ain't you?"

And I said, "No, sir, I just didn't have any breakfast.

"I just get that way sometimes during the middle of the day."

# There ain't no good in an evil-hearted woman

# And I ain't cut out to be no Frank James

# And you don't go writin' hot cheques down in Mississippi

# And there ain't no good chain gang

# Yeah

# There ain't no good in an evil-hearted woman

# And I ain't cut out to be no Frank James

# And you don't go writin' hot cheques down in Mississippi

# And there ain't no good chain gang

# And you don't go writin' hot cheques down in Mississippi

# And there ain't no good chain gang. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: Ring Of Fire

CHEERING

# I fell in to a burnin' ring of fire

# Went down, down, down

# And the flames went higher

# And it burns, burns, burns

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire

# Love is a burning thing

# And it makes a fiery ring

# Bound by wild desire

# I fell in to a ring of fire

# I fell in to a burnin' ring of fire

# Went down, down, down

# And the flames went higher

# And it burns, burns, burns

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire

# I fell in to a burnin' ring of fire

# Went down, down, down

# And the flames went higher

# And it burns, burns, burns

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire

# The taste of love is sweet

# When hearts like ours meet

# I fell for you like a child

# Ohh

# But the fire went wild

# I fell in to a burnin' ring of fire

# Went down, down, down

# And the flames went higher

# And it burns, burns, burns

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire

# And it burns, burns, burns

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire

# The ring of fire. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you. Thank you.

You know, I'm really glad we could bring this show

to Nassau Coliseum.

Glad to be with you folks tonight.

CHEERING

This is a great tour. I love working with these guys.

We haven't had a fight yet, and... LAUGHTER

Of course, they've done everything I've told 'em to.

No, it's been a great tour, and it's not over yet, thank God.

We're really enjoying it, and thanks for coming out to the show.

I usually introduce this song by saying,

"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," but you already knew that.

MUSIC: Folsom Prison Blues

# I hear the train a-comin'

# It's rollin' round the bend

# And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when

# I'm stuck in Folsom Prison

# And time keeps draggin' on

# But that train keeps a-rollin'

# On down to San Antone

# When I was just a baby My mamma told me, "Son

# "Always be a good boy Don't ever play with guns"

# But I shot a man in Reno

# Just to watch him die

# When I hear that whistle blowin'

# I hang my head and cry... #

Yeah!

# I bet there's rich folks eatin'

# In a fancy dinin' car

# They're probably drinkin' coffee and smokin' big cigars

# Well, I know I had it comin'

# I know I can't be free

# But those people keep a-movin'

# And that's what tortures me... #

Yeah!

# Well, if they freed me from this prison

# If that railroad train was mine

# I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line

# Far from Folsom Prison

# That's where I want to stay

# And I'd let that lonesome whistle

# Blow my blues away. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain

# In the twilight glow I see her

# Blue eyes cryin' in the rain

# And when we kissed goodbye and parted

# I knew we'd never meet again

# Love is like a dying ember

# And only memories remain

# And through the ages I'll remember

# Blue eyes cryin' in the rain

# Some day when we meet up yonder

# Meet up yonder

# We'll stroll hand in hand again

# In a land that knows no partin'

# Blue eyes cryin' in the rain. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Thank you very much.

MUSIC: Sunday Morning Coming Down

# Well, I woke up Sunday mornin'

# With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt

# And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad

# So I had one more for dessert

# Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes

# Found my cleanest dirty shirt

# And I washed my face and combed my hair

# Stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

# I smoked my mind the night before

# With cigarettes and songs that I'd been pickin'

# But I lit my first and watched a small boy

# Cussin' at a can that he'd been kickin'

# I crossed the empty streets

# Caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken

# And it took me back to somethin'

# That I lost somehow, somewhere along the way

# On a Sunday mornin' sidewalk

# I'm wishin', Lord, that I was stoned

# Cos there's somethin' in a Sunday

# That makes a body feel alone

# There ain't nothin' short of dyin'

# Ohh

# Half as lonesome as the sound

# Of a sleepin' city sidewalk

# Sunday mornin' comin' down

# In the park I saw a daddy

# With a laughin' little girl that he was swingin'

# And I stopped beside a Sunday school

# Listened to the songs that they were singin'

# Bringin' In The Sheaves

# Then I headed back for home

# Somewhere far away A lonesome bell was ringin'

# And it echoed through the canyon

# Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday

# On a Sunday morning sidewalk

# I'm wishing, Lord, that I was stoned

# Cos there's something 'bout a Sunday

# That'll make your body feel alone

# There ain't nothin' short of dyin'

# Half as lonesome as the sound

# Of a sleepin' city sidewalk

# Sunday mornin' comin' down. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Whoo!

Thank you.

We'd like to introduce you to this all-star band behind us

that Chips Moman put together for the tour and the album.

They've been kicking tail all over the country here.

Starting with the man on the harmonica, Mickey Raphael.

CHEERING

And on the slide guitar and Dobro, Robby Turner.

CHEERING

Back there on the base, Mike Leech.

CHEERING

On the drums, Gene Chrisman.

CHEERING

Rhythm guitar and vocals, JR Cobb.

CHEERING

Reggie Young on lead guitar.

CHEERING

And on the keyboards and vocals, we have Bobby Woods...

CHEERING

..Bobby Emmons and Danny Timms.

Superstars. These guys are as good as you get.

MUSIC: Help Me Make It Through The Night

# Take the ribbon from your hair

# Shake it loose, let it fall

# Layin' soft against my skin

# Like the shadows on the wall

# Come and lay down by my side

# Till the early mornin' light

# All I'm takin' is your time

# Help me make it through the night

# I don't care what's right or wrong

# I don't try to understand

# Let the devil take tomorrow

# Lord, tonight I need a friend

# Cos yesterday is dead and gone

# And tomorrow's out of sight

# And it's bad to be alone

# Help me make it through the night... #

CHEERING

# I don't care what's right or wrong

# Yes, I do

# I don't try to understand

# Let the devil take tomorrow

# Lord, tonight I need a friend

# Cos yesterday is dead and gone

# And tomorrow's out of sight

# And it's bad to be alone

# Help me make it through the night

# Help me make it through the night. #

That helps!

CHEERING

MUSIC: Best Of All Possible Worlds

# I was runnin' through the summer rain

# And tryin' to catch that evenin' train

# And kill that old familiar pain weavin' through my tangled brain

# When I tipped my bottle back I smacked into a cop I didn't see

# Whoo

# That policeman said, "Mr Cool, if you're ain't drunk then you're a fool"

# I said, "If that's against the law

# "Tell me why I never saw a man locked in that jail of yours

# "Who wasn't neither black or poor as me"

# Well, that was when someone turned out the lights

# I wound up in jail to spend the night

# And dream of all the wine and lonely girls

# In this best of all possible worlds

# Well, I woke up next morning feelin' like my head was gone

# And like my thick old tongue was lickin' somethin' sick and wrong

# I told that man I'd sell my soul

# For somethin' wet and cold as that old cell

# That kindly jailer grinned at me All eaten up with sympathy

# And poured hisself another beer Came and whispered in my ear

# That booze was just a dime a bottle

# Boy, you couldn't even buy the smell

# I said I knew there was somethin' I liked about this town

# It takes more than that to bring me down

# There's still a lot of wine and lonely girls

# In this best of all possible worlds... #

Yeah!

Course, that was a long time ago, don't you know?

We don't get in trouble like that any more.

Willie does!

# They finally came and told me they were gonna set me free

# That I'd be leavin' town if I knew what was good for me

# I said, "It's nice to learn

# "That everybody's so concerned about my health"

# I said, "I won't be leavin' no more quicker than I can

# "Cos I've enjoyed about as much of this as I can stand

# "And I don't need this town of yours

# "More than I've never needed nothing else"

# Cos there's still a lot of drinks that I ain't drunk

# And I ain't going to

# Lots of pretty thoughts that I ain't thought

# And, Lord, there's still so many lonely girls

# In this best of all possible worlds. #

Whoa!

CHEERING

Kris, I want to do another one of your songs.

Help me out on it, will you?

# I have seen the morning burnin' golden on the mountain in the sky

# Aching with the feelin'

# And the freedom of an eagle when she flies

# Turnin' on my world the way

# She smiled upon my soul as I lay dyin'

# Healing as the colours in the sunshine

# And the shadows of her eyes

# Wakin' in the mornin' to the feelin' of her fingers on my skin

# Wipin' out the traces of the people and the places that I've been

# Teachin' me that yesterday

# Was somethin' that I never thought of tryin'

# Talkin' of tomorrow

# And the money, love and time we had to spend

# Lovin' her was easier than anything I'll ever do again

# Comin' close together

# With a feelin' that I've never known before

# In my time

# You're not ashamed to be a woman

# She's not afraid to be a friend

# I don't know the answer

# To the easy way she's opened every door in my mind

# And dreamin' is as easy

# As believin' that it's never gonna end

# Lovin' her was easier than anything I'll ever do again

# Comin' close together

# With a feelin' that I've never known before

# In my time

# She's not ashamed to be a woman

# She's not afraid to be a friend

# I don't know the answer

# To the easy way she's opened every door in my mind

# But dreamin' is as easy

# As believin' that it's never gonna end

# Lovin' her was easier

# Than anything I'll ever do again

# Lovin' her was easier

# Than anything I'll ever do again. #

CHEERING

Thank you all very much.

MUSIC: City Of New Orleans

# Ridin' on the City of New Orleans

# Illinois Central

# Monday mornin' rail

# 15 cars and 15 restless riders

# Three conductors

# And 25 sacks of mail

# All along the southbound odyssey

# The train pulled out from Kankakee

# And rolls along past houses, farms and fields

# Passin' trains that have no names

# And freight yards filled with old black men

# And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles

# Good mornin', America How are you?

# Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son

# I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans

# And I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

# Dealin' cards with the old men in the club car

# Penny a point There ain't no-one keepin' score

# And pass the paper bag that holds the bottle

# Feel the wheels rumblin' 'neath the floor

# And the sons of Pullman porters

# And the sons of engineers

# Ride their father's magic carpet made of steel

# And mothers with their babes asleep

# Rockin' to the gentle beat

# And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel

# Good mornin', America How are you?

# Say, don't you know me? I'm your native son

# I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans

# And I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

# Night-time on the City of New Orleans

# Changing cars in Memphis, Tennessee

# Halfway home We'll be there by mornin'

# Through the Mississippi darkness Rollin' down to the sea

# But all the towns and people seem to just fade into a bad dream

# And the steel rail still ain't heard the news

# Conductor, sing your songs again

# And passengers will please refrain

# This train has got the disappearin' railroad blues

# Good mornin', America How are you?

# Hey!

# Don't you know me? I'm your native son

# I'm the train they call the City of New Orleans

# And I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

# And I'll be gone 500 miles when the day is done

# And I'll be gone 500 miles

# When the day is done. #

CHEERING

Thank you very much.

MUSIC: Always On My Mind

# Maybe I didn't love you

# Quite as often as I could have

# Maybe I didn't treat you

# Quite as good as I should have

# If I made you feel second best

# Girl, I'm sorry I was blind

# But you were always on my mind

# You were always on my mind

# Tell me

# Tell me that your sweet love hasn't died

# And give me

# Give me one more chance

# To keep you satisfied

# I'll keep you satisfied

# Little things I should have said and done

# I just never took the time

# But you were always on my mind

# On my mind

# You were always on my mind

# You were always on my mind

# You were always on

# My mind. #

CHEERING

MUSIC: Me & Bobby McGee

# Busted flat in Baton Rouge

# Headin' for a train

# Feelin' nearly as faded as my jeans

# Bobby thumbed a diesel down

# Just before it rained

# Took us all the way to New Orleans

# I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandanna

# I was blowin' sad while Bobby sang the blues

# With them windshield wipers slappin' time

# And Bobby clappin' hands

# He finally sang up every song that driver knew

# Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose

# Nothin' ain't worth nothin' But it's free

# Feelin' good was easy, Lord

# When Bobby sang the blues

# Feelin' good was good enough for me

# Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

# From the coal mines of Kentucky

# To the California sun

# Bobby shared the secrets of my soul

# Standin' right beside me, Lord

# Through everything I've done

# Every night she'd keep me from the cold

# Then one day near Salinas, Lord

# I let her slip away

# Searchin' for the home I hope she'll find

# And I'll trade all my tomorrows

# For one single yesterday

# Holdin' Bobby's body close to mine

# Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose

# Nothin' ain't worth nothin' But it's free

# Feelin' good was easy, Lord

# When Bobby sang the blues

# Buddy, that was good enough for me and Waylon and Johnny and Willie

# Hey

# Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

# Yeah

# Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

# Bobby McGee, yeah

# Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose

# Nothin' ain't worth nothin' But it's free

# And you don't cost nothin'

# Feelin' good was easy, Lord

# When Bobby sang the blues

# Buddy, that was good enough for me

# Yeah

# Good enough for me and Bobby McGee

# Yeah. #

CHEERING

Right back at you.

Yeah, here's our new single record from Highwayman 2 album.

Silver Stallion.

# I'm gonna steal me a silver stallion

# With not a mark upon his silky hide

# Teach him he can trust me like a brother

# And one day we'll saddle up and ride

# And we're gonna ride

# We're gonna ride

# Ride like the one-eyed jack of diamonds

# With the devil close behind

# We're gonna ride

# I'm gonna find me a reckless woman

# Razor blades and dice in her eyes

# Just a touch of sadness in her fingers

# Thunder and lightning in her thighs

# And we're gonna ride

# We're gonna ride

# Ride like the one-eyed jack of diamonds

# With the devil close behind

# We're gonna ride

# I'm gonna chase the sky forever

# With the woman and the stallion and the wind

# And the sun is gonna burn into a cinder

# Before we ever pass this way again

# And we're gonna ride

# We're gonna ride

# Ride like the one-eyed jack of diamonds

# With the devil close behind

# We're gonna ride. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

MUSIC: The Last Cowboy Song

# This the last cowboy song

# The end of a hundred-year waltz

# The voices sound sad as they're singin' along

# Another piece of America's lost

# He rides the feedlot

# Clerks in a market

# On weekends selling tobacco and beer

# He dreams tonight surrounded by fences

# But he'll dream tonight of when fences weren't here

# He blazed the trail with Lewis and Clark

# And eyeball to eyeball Old Wyatt backed down

# He stood shoulder to shoulder

# With Travis in Texas

# And rode with the 7th when Custer went down

# This the last cowboy song

# The end of a hundred-year waltz

# The voices sound sad as they're singin' along

# Another piece of America's lost

# And Remington showed us

# How he looked on canvas

# And Louis L'Amour has told us his tale

# And me and Johnny and Waylon and Kris sing about him

# And wish to God we could have ridden his trail... #

OTHERS SING CHORUS

The old Chisholm Trail is covered with concrete now.

And they truck 'em to market in 50-foot rigs.

They roll by his marker and don't even notice.

Like livin' and dyin' was all he ever did.

# ..Another piece of America's lost

# This is the last cowboy song

# The end of a hundred-year waltz

# The voices sound sad as they're singin' along

# Another piece of America's lost

# This the last cowboy song. #

CHEERING

SONG: Two Stories Wide

# Come out of the darkness

# Don't hide in the night

# Come out in the sunshine

# It will be all right

# Life's too long to worry

# And it's too short to cry

# It's too deep to measure

# And it's two stories wide

# There's your side and my side

# Which side do you need?

# Both sides make you lonely

# And make your heart bleed

ALL: # Life's too long to worry

# And it's too short to cry

# And it's too deep to measure

# And it's two stories wide

# Life's too long to worry

# And it's too short to cry

# And it's too deep to measure

# And it's two stories wide

# Life's too long to worry

# And it's too short to cry

# And it's too deep to measure

# It's two stories wide. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

All right, here's a song that could have been sung by an old soldier

who rode with Zapata.

Or Che Guevara.

Or Jesus Christ.

One of them revolutionaries.

SONG: Living Legend

# Were we bitter then

# With our backs against the wall?

# Were we better men

# Than we'd ever been before?

# Say, if she came again today

# Would you still answer when she called?

# Tell the truth, my friend

# Don't it matter any more?

# We were simple men

# By her side when she was born... #

Talkin' about the dream.

# It was simple then

# Like the freedom when you fall

# And we were smaller then you see

# But soon we gathered like a storm

# They don't understand

# What that thunder meant at all

# Was he crucified?

# Was he done in by the law?

# Are you satisfied

# He'll never ride again?

# Some people say he got away

# They say he never died at all

# If that story's true

# Don't it bother you, my friend?

# Was it bitter then

# With our backs against the wall?... #

Say, 2,000 years ago.

# Were we better men

# Than we've ever been before?... #

Or 200 years ago.

# And if she came again today

# Would you still answer to her call?... #

Or tomorrow.

# Tell the truth, my friend

# Don't it matter any more? #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: Pilgrim

# See him wasted on the sidewalk

# In his jacket and his jeans

# Wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile

# Once he had a future full of money, love and dreams

# Which he spent like they was goin' out of style

# But he keeps right on a-changin'

# For the better or the worse

# Searchin' for a shrine he's never found

# Never knowin' if believin' is a blessing or a curse

# And if the goin' up is worth the comin' down

-# He's a poet

-He's a picker

-# He's a prophet

-He's a pusher

# He's a pilgrim and a preacher

# And a problem when he's stoned

# He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth, partly fiction

# Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home

# He's tasted good and evil in your bedrooms and your bars

# Traded in tomorrow for today

# Runnin' from his devils, Lord, and reachin' for the stars

# Losin' all he loves along the way

# But if the world keeps right on turnin' for the better or the worse

# And all he ever gets is older and around

# From the rockin' of the cradle till the rollin' of the hearse

# The goin' up was worth the comin' down

-# He's a poet

-He's a lair

-# He's a prophet

-He's a dreamer

# He's a pilgrim and a preacher

# And a problem when he's stoned

# He's a walkin' contradiction, partly truth, mostly fiction

# Takin' ev'ry wrong direction on his lonely way back home. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you. Here's a song for the heroes of the spirit.

SONG: They Killed Him

# There was a man named Mahatma Gandhi

# He would not bow down, he would not fight

# He knew the deal was down and dirty

# And nothing wrong could make it right away

# But he knew his duty

# And the price he had to pay

# Just another holy man

# Who tried to make a stand

# My God, they killed him

# Another man from Atlanta, Georgia

# The name of Martin Luther King

# He shook the land like rolling thunder

# And made the bells of freedom ring today

# With a dream of beauty

# That they could not burn away

# Just another holy man

# Who dared to be a friend

# My God, they killed him

# My God, they killed him

# The only son of God Almighty

# The holy one called Jesus Christ

# Healed the lame and fed the hungry

# And for his love they took his life away

# On the road to glory

# Where the story never ends

# Just the holy son of man

# We'll never understand

# My God, they killed him

# Sing about Mahatma Gandhi

# Sing of Martin Luther King

# Sing Of Jesus Christ Almighty

# And the brothers Kennedy. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: I Still Miss Someone

# At my door the leaves are fallin'

# A cold wild wind will come

# Sweethearts walk by together

# And I still miss someone

# And I go out on a party

# And look for a little fun

# But I find a darkened corner

# Because I still miss someone

-BOTH:

-# I never got over those blues eyes

# I see them everywhere

# I miss those arms that held me

# When all the love was there

# And I wonder if she's sorry

# For leaving what we'd begun

-BOTH:

-# There's someone for me somewhere

# And I still miss someone

-BOTH:

-# I never got over those blues eyes

# I see them everywhere

# I miss those arms that held me

# When all the love was there

# And I wonder if she's sorry

# For leaving what we'd begun

-BOTH:

-# There's someone for me somewhere

# And I still miss someone. #

WHISTLING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Hey!

You know...

This tour, as I told you, has a few days to go,

then I have to leave these guys and I take our show -

June Carter and myself - and John Carter and the band overseas.

June Carter, who wrote Ring Of Fire, my wife, is here tonight.

Stand up and take a bow, will you, June?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Where are you, baby?

Hey, here she is, back over here.

Anyway...

Anyway, we're going to, um...

After this tour we go to Europe and our tour ends in Bucharest, Romania.

Looking forward to going there.

But of all the places we've ever been overseas -

it don't matter where - when we come back to this country,

we love it a whole lot more than when we left...

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I thank God for all the freedoms we've got in this country -

I cherish them and treasure them.

Even the rights to burn the flag, you know.

I'm proud of those rights.

But I tell you what...

we've also got... Let me tell you something, shh.

We've also got a right to bear arms

and if you burn my flag I'll shoot you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

But I'll shoot you with a lot of love, like a good American.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

After such a trip overseas in 1975 I wrote this.

MUSIC BEGINS

I walked through a county courthouse square

and on a park bench an old man was sitting there.

I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down."

He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town."

I said, "Your old flag pole is kinda leaned a little bit

"and that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it."

He said, "Have a seat," and I sat down.

"Is this the first time you've come to our little town?"

I said, "I think it is." He said "I don't like to brag,

"but we're kinda proud of that ragged old flag."

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: Ragged Old Flag

You see, we got a little hole in that flag there

When Washington took it across the Delaware

And it got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key

Sat up watching it, writing Say Can You See

Got a little rip in New Orleans

With Pakenham and Jackson tugging at its seams

It almost fell at the Alamo beside the Texas flag

But she waved on, though

It got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville

Got cut again at Shiloh Hill

There was Robert E Lee, Beauregard and Bragg

And the south wind blew hard on that

Ragged old flag

On Flanders Field in World War I

She took a bad hit from a Bertha gun

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp and low by the time that one was one through

She was in Korea, Vietnam

She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam

The Native American Indians, the blacks, yellows, the white

She had red blood for the stars and stripes

And in her own good land here she's been abused

She's been burned, dishonoured, denied, refused

And the very government for which she stands

Was scandalized throughout out the land

And she's getting threadbare and she's wearin' kinda thin

But she's in good shape for the shape she's in

Cos she's been through the fire before

And she can take a whole lot more

So we raise her up every morning

And we bring her down slowly every night

We don't let her touch the ground and we fold her up right

On second thought I guess I do like to brag

Cos I'm mighty proud of that

Ragged old flag.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you.

SONG: Ghost Riders In The Sky

# An old cowpoke went riding out one dark and windy day... #

CHEERING

# Along a ridge he rested as he went along his way

# When all at once a mighty herd of red-eyed cows he saw

# A-plowin' through the ragged brush

# And up the cloudy draw

# Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel

# Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel

# A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the skies

# For he saw the riders comin' hard

# And he heard their mournful cry

-# Yippee-yi-ya

-Yippee-yi-ya

-# Oh, yippee-yi-yo

-Yippee-yi-yo

# Ghost riders in the sky... #

Reggie Young.

# Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred,

# Their shirts all soaked with sweat

# They're riding hard to catch that herd but they ain't caught 'em yet

# Cos they'll have to ride forever on that range up in the sky

# On horses snortin' fire

# As they ride on hear them cry

# As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name

# If you want to save your soul from hell riding on our range

# Then, cowboy, change your ways today or with us you will ride

# Trying to catch the devil's herd

# Across these endless skies

-# Yippee-yi-ya

-Yippee-yi-ya

-# Yippee-yi-yo

-Yippee-yi-yo

# Ghost riders in the sky

# Ghost riders in the sky

# Ghost riders in the sky. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way

# It's the same old tune, fiddle and guitar

# Where do we take it from here?

# Rhinestone suits and new shiny cars

# It's been the same way for years

# Somebody told me when I first got to Nashville

# You finally got it made

# Old Hank made it here, we're all sure that you will

# But I don't think Hank done it this way

# Did old Hank really do it this way?

# Ten years on the road, making one night stands

# Speeding my young life away

# So tell me one more time just so I'll understand

# Are you sure Hank done it this way?

# Did old Hank really do it this way? #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Here's a little blues number I wrote a little while back.

Going to get Robby to start it off on the steel guitar over there.

Called Night Life.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# When the evening sun goes down

# Gonna find me hanging round

# The night life ain't no good life

# But it's my life

# Many people just like me

# Dreaming of old used-to-be

# The night life ain't no good life

# But it's my life

# Well, now, listen to the blues that they're playing

# And listen to what the blues are saying... #

Let me hear you play some blues on the steel guitar, Robby.

# Mine is just another scene

# From the world of broken dreams

# And the night life ain't no good life

# But it's my life... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Well, now, listen to the blues that they're playing

# Listen to what the blues are saying

# Mine is just another scene

# From the world of broken dreams

# And the night life ain't no good life

# But it's my life

# The night life

# Ain't no good life

# But it's my life. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank y'all very much.

CHEERING CONTINUES

This song we're all going to do for you now...

..this may be the best song you ever heard in your whole life.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Then again...it may not be.

SONG: The King Is Gone (So Are You)

# Last night I broke the seam

# On a Jim Beam decanter that looked like Elvis

# Soaked the label off

# A Flintstone jelly jar

# Picked me up a place

# At the little table that you left us

# Pulled me up a big ol' hunk of floor

# I pulled the head off Elvis

# Filled Fred up to his pelvis

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you

# Along about ten we all got to talking

# About Graceland, Bedrock and such

# The conversation finally turned to women

# But they said they didn't get around too much

ALL: # Elvis said, "Find 'em young."

# Fred said, "Old-fashioned women are fun."

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you

# Well, I broke Presley's nose

# Pouring the last drop from his toes

# Fred was rollin' on the floor

# Then I let a stream

# In perfect harmony

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you... #

One more!

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you... #

Two more!

# Yabba dabba doo

# The King is gone and so are you. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Told ya!

SONG: Desperados Waiting For A Train

# I'd play the Red River Valley

# He'd sit out in the kitchen and cry

# Run his fingers through 70 years of livin'

# And wonder, "Lord, has every well I've drilled gone dry?"

# We were friends

# Me and this old man

-ALL:

-# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# He's a drifter and a driller of oil wells

# Old-school man of the world

# He let me drive his car when he's too drunk to

# Wink, give me money for the girls

# And our lives were like some old Western movie

-ALL:

-# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# From the day that I could walk he'd take me with him

# To a place called the Green Frog Cafe

# There was old men with beer guts and dominos

# Lying 'bout their lives while they'd played

# I was just a kid

# They called me Sidekick

-ALL:

-# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# One day I looked up and he's pushin' 80

# And there's brown tobacco stains all down his chin

# To me he's been one of the heroes of this country

# So why's he all dressed up like them old men?

# Drinkin' beer and playin' Moon and 42

-ALL:

-# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# The day before he died I went to see him

# I was grown and he was almost gone

# We just closed our eyes and dreamed us up a kitchen

# And sang another verse of that old song

# "Come on, John, that son of a gun's comin'."

-ALL:

-# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train

# Like desperados waiting for a train. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: Big River

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry

# And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky

# And the tears that I cried for that woman

# Are gonna flood you, Big River

# And I'm gonna sit right here until I die

# Well, I met her accidentally in St Paul, Minnesota

# And it tore me up to hear her when she drawl that Southern drawl

# Well, I heard my dream was back downstream cavortin' in Davenport

# But I followed you, Big River, when you called

# You took me to St Louis later on down the river

# A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone

# Then I found her trail in Memphis but she just walked up the bluff

# Raised a few eyebrows and moved on down alone

# Well, I pulled into Natchez next day downriver

# But there wasn't too much to make the rounders stay very long

# When I left, it was raining so nobody saw me cry

# Big River, why she doing me this way?

# Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen

# Roll it on

# Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans

# Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues down in the gulf

# She loves you, Big River, more than me

# Well, I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry

# And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky

# And the tears I cried for that woman

# Are gonna flood you, Big River

# And I'm gonna sit right here until I die... #

Thank you!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: A Boy Named Sue

# Well, my daddy left home when I was three

# Didn't leave very much to my ma and me

# Except this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze

# Now, I don't blame him cos he run and hid

# But the meanest thing that my daddy ever did

# Was before he left, he went and named me Sue

# He must o' thought that it was quite a joke

# And it got a lot of laughs from a'lots of folk

# It seems I had to fight my whole life through

# Some gal would giggle and I'd turn red

# And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head

# But I'll tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named Sue

# Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean

# My fists got hard and my wits got keen

# Roam from town to town to hide my shame

# But I made me a vow to the moon and stars

# That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars

# And kill that man that gave me that awful name

# Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July

# And I just hit town and my throat was dry

# I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew

# At an old saloon on a street of mud

# There at a table, dealing stud

# Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue

# Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad

# From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had

# Knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye

# He was big and bent and grey and old

# And I looked at him and my blood ran cold

# And I said, "My name is Sue! How do you do?"... #

CHEERING

# "Now you're gonna die."

# Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes

# And he went down, but to my surprise

# He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear

# Then I busted a chair right across his teeth

# And we crashed through the walls and into the street

# Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer

# Well, I tell ya, I've fought tougher men

# But I really can't remember when

# He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile

# I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss

# And he reached for his gun but I pulled mine first

# He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile

# And he said, Son, this world is rough

# "And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough

# "And I knew I wouldn't be there to help you along

# "So I give ya that name and I said goodbye

# "I knew you'd have to get tough or die

# "It's the name that helped to make you strong"

# He said, "You just fought one hell of a fight

# "And I know you hate me, and you got the right

# "To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do

# "But ya ought to thank me, before I die

# "For the gravel in your gut and the spit in ya eye

# "Cos I'm the (BOOO) that named you Sue"

# What could I do?

# I got all choked up and I threw down my gun

# I called him my paw and he called me his son

# Come away with a different point of view

# And I think about it now and then

# Every time I try and every time I win

# If I ever have another boy I'm gonna name him... #

Waylon! Or Willie! Or Kris!

Or after you...Sue! I still hate that name Sue!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SONG: Why Me

God bless ya. This one goes out especially for the Vietnam vets.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Why me, Lord?

# What have I ever done

# To deserve even one

# Of the pleasures I've known?

# Tell me, Lord

# What did I ever do

# That was worth lovin' you

# Or the kindness you've shown?

-ALL:

-# Lord help me, Jesus

# I've wasted it so

# Help me, Jesus

# I know what I am

# But now that I know

# That I've needed you so

# Help me, Jesus

# My soul's in your hand

# Try me, Lord

# If you think there's a way

# I can try to repay

# All I've taken from you

# Maybe, Lord

# I can show someone else

# What I've been through myself

# On my way back to you

-ALL:

-# Lord, help me, Jesus

# I've wasted it so

# Help me, Jesus

# I know what I am

# But now that I know

# That I've needed you so

# Help me, Jesus

# My soul's in your hand

# Jesus

# My soul's in your hand. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Right back at ya.

SPEECH DROWNED OUT BY CROWD

God bless you.

SONG: Luckenbach, Texas

# Well, the only three things in life that make it worth living... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# ..Guitars tuned good and firm-feeling women... #

Women.

# ..I don't need my name in the marquee lights

# I got my song and I got you with me tonight

# Maybe it's time we got down to some basics in love

# Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas

# With Waylon and Willie and the boys

# This successful life we're living's

# Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys

# Between Hank Williams' pain songs

# Newbury's train songs

# Blue eyes crying in the rain

# Out in Luckenbach, Texas

# Ain't nobody feeling no pain

# Baby, let's sell your diamond ring

# Buy some boots and faded jeans and go away

# Coat and tie are killing me

# In your high society you cry all day

# We've been so busy keeping up with the Jones

# Four car garage and we're still building on

# Maybe it's time we got down to some basics in love

# Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas

# With Waylon and Willie and the boys

# This successful life we're living's

# Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys

# Between Hank Williams' pain songs

# Newbury's train songs

# Blue eyes crying in the rain

# Out in Luckenbach, Texas

# Ain't nobody feeling no pain. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SPEECH DROWNED OUT BY CROWD

SONG: On The Road Again

# On the road again

# I just can't wait to get on the road again

# The life I love is making music with my friends

# And I can't wait to get on the road again

# On the road again

# Goin' places that I've never been

# Seein' things that I may never see again

# And I can't wait to get on the road again

-ALL:

-# On the road again

# Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

# We're the best of friends

# Insisting that the world keep turning our way

# And our way

# Is on the road again

# I just can't wait to get on the road again

# The life I love is makin' music with my friends

# And I can't wait to get on the road again

-ALL:

-# On the road again

# Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

# We're the best of friends

# Insisting that the world keep turning our way

# And our way

# Is on the road again

# I just can't wait to get on the road again

# The life I love is makin' music with my friends

# And I can't wait to get on the road again

# I can't wait to get on the road again. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

God bless you. Keep the faith.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE