(Verse 1) Somewhere west of St. Louis With nothing but miles to kill My new friend and I were sitting In the back row by the hill Of cigarette smoke and engine noise That filled the midnight air When a girl walked toward the bathroom And I got a stupid idea there I pulled out a novelty card Trying hard to play it cool The kind of thing a fourteen-year-old Thinks makes him look smooth (Pre-Chorus) Looking back now I can only laugh (Chorus) Non-rip paper That was the joke I figured she'd tear it up And that'd be all she wrote But life has a funny way Of changing plans you make And somewhere on that Greyhound ride My world began to shake (Verse 2) She came out holding that little card Asking who had left it there Before I could even say a word My buddy pointed at my chair She looked at him She looked at me Then smiled and shook her head Told him, "You take my seat." And sat beside me instead Now every mile felt different Every station looked brand new Funny how a single person Can change your whole damn view (Chorus) Non-rip paper That was the joke I figured she'd tear it up And that'd be all she wrote But life has a funny way Of changing plans you make And somewhere on that Greyhound ride My world began to shake (Bridge) I don't remember every word Lord, that was years ago But I remember how the bus lights looked And how fast my heart could go I remember feeling older Than I'd ever felt before Like childhood got off somewhere And never boarded anymore (Verse 3) Morning came and miles passed by Then eventually her stop She grabbed her things and stood to leave And everything seemed to stop She smiled Waved goodbye Then disappeared into the crowd And suddenly the bus felt bigger And a whole lot quieter somehow (Final Chorus) Non-rip paper That's what I remember most Not the note Not even the joke But the moment life first showed me That some people leave a mark Then disappear beyond the window Like headlights in the dark (Outro) A little card A Greyhound bus And a summer I'd never forget
