Ron Rogers and The Wailing Wind – Lyrics

Ron Rogers and The Wailing Wind

Lyrics:

“Alabama Chrome”

Like a vulture sittin’ on his perch
Outside the doors of the holy roller church
He was stalkin’ some sanctified soul who was sinkin’ in despair
His bumper sticker said “brother keep it weird”
Truth be told there was little that he feared
It was rumored that he’d even made the devil
Take a knee and say a prayer

Alabama Chrome’s your salvation on a roll
Now and then you need a little duct tape for your soul
You know Jesus never left home
Without his Alabama Chrome

His sister was a nun from Galilee
Put a curse on his soul for being free
She said sooner or later every sinner’s
Gotta bring it on home
His plastic saviors are tacked upon the door
And his sermons are strewn cross the floor
He’s gonna wrap Jesus in a shroud of Alabama Chrome

Alabama Chrome’s your salvation on a roll
Now and then you need a little duct tape for your soul
You know Jesus never left home
Without his Alabama Chrome

There’s a hooker in a motel down the road
A beast of burden with some baggage to unload
He’s gonna hear her confession Lord
He’s gonna help her to atone
And if temptation is there to make him stray
He’ll ask forgiveness next time he goes to pray
If his saintliness gets tarnished
He’ll just fix it with some Alabama Chrome

“Guard Down”

Bugle boy was blowin’ in your head
Like a restless wind
Get behind the wheel and drive he said
The highway has no end
The truck stop lights were all aglow
Behind them was a world you didn’t know
And you couldn’t find any dirt
Where you could stand your ground
Don’t let your guard down

Packin’ Pete was beatin’ on your door
Bummin’ another load
His pickup truck didn’t have a floor
You can really learn the road
His radio didn’t have a dial
And his singin’ got you down after a while
All you could do was drive him around
Don’t let your guard down

Don’t let your guard down
There’s trouble every time
You deadhead into town
Don’t let you guard down

Mama let the devil get her down
She’ll never be the same
He got into the house and crawled around
With no conscience and no shame
Like a snake he slithered as he lied
His religion was bullshit and chicken fried

The living hell he’s in now seems fitting
Till we put him in the ground
Don’t let you guard down

“Hang Tough”

Starin’ out across the great divide
It’s hard to know what you’re seein’
They put an interest rate on your dreams
And a “for sale” sign on your freedom
They’re gonna sell it to you one more time
They’re gonna hock it to the heavens
When it finally come s your turn in line
It’s all snake eyes and no sevens

You gotta hang tough
You gotta hang tough
Promises ain’t ever enough
They say the rough get goin’
When the goin’ gets rough
You hang tough

Right ‘round the corner is a big train wreck
Like a black snake on a rock sunnin’
One good thing about your old hard times
You never know when they’re comin’
Some corporate raider rolled you salary back
Some politician justified it
Your hunger’s growin’ daily that’s a fact
And their lip service don’t satisfy it

Babe I wish I had a million bucks
I’d get you those things your heart’s cravin’
But we just can’t seem to change our luck
No matter how hard we’re both slavin’
That pot of gold is just a restless ghost
Sometimes your dreams they get stolen
They’ll try and tie you to the whippin’ post
But you take what you got and keep rollin’

You gotta hang tough
You gotta hang tough
Promises ain’t ever enough
They say the rough get goin’
When the goin’ gets rough
You hang tough

“Peace in My Time”

Tell me people, what’s on our minds
We treat each other so unkind
All those treaties our leaders sign
That war machine still grinds and grinds
It makes me wonder
Will I see peace in my time

If there’s a maker, what’s his design
Can’t he hear those starvin’ babies cryin’
Brother against brother eye for an eye
It makes me weap and wail for why
It makes me wonder
Will I see peace in my time

See our sisters, all down the line
Take off their shackles they’ve done no crime
Those ancient customs so deaf and blind
They’re out of step and out of time
It makes me wonder
Will I see peace in my time

“Texas Drifter”

He was a Texas Drifter
Nobody really knew his name
He was a Texas Drifter
Nobody really knew his name
He had God in the rearview mirror
And a tumor big as Houston on his brain

He was a no count cedar chopper
And he drove himself to drink down 35
He was a no count cedar chopper
And he drove himself to drink down 35
And anybody who rode with him,
Well you know they were Goddamned lucky to be alive

He picked up my brother
And he put a 45 slug in his skull
He picked up my brother
And he put a 45 slug in his skull
Then he buried him out on the interstate
Somewhere between Cowtown and the Capitol

Between Plano and San Marcus
There’s a grave yard up and down the road
Between Plano and San Marcus
There’s a grave yard up and down the road
How many souls are buried there
Only the Texas Drifter really knows

“Texas Medicine”

When you see that dark star risin’
Don’t you feel like goin’ home
There’s a world of compromisin’
To get the blood out of the stone
With that sweet soul music playin’
In the land where the blues began
Just like the farmer’s daughter
Busted for raisin cain

Now there’s no one to walk you home
Through the shot gun rain
And they sold your seat upon
The mystery train

It saddened me to see you
Up on the courthouse wall
I hadn’t heard about you
Or the details of your fall
Now they say you’re singin’
Some crazy rebel rhyme
When I used to hear you
You always seemed so sane

Now there’s no one to walk you home
Through the shot gun rain
And they sold your seat upon
The mystery train

Nothin’ down there changes
There’s chicanery at work
They can take a saint’s life story
And sell it just like dirt
Yeah they take that Texas medicine
And they pop you a lethal dose
I hear that some prefer it
To the ball and chain