# Track 6 – *No Crown But Dust* **Theme:** Fame, respect, loneliness, independence, the price of becoming a legend **Tempo:** Mid-tempo, reflective and bittersweet — warm acoustic guitar, mournful fiddle, restrained banjo, gradually building into a huge emotional final chorus ### [Verse 1] The folks all whisper when I ride through Children point fingers, old women do too Men lift their hats when I pass them by Some look with respect, some look in my eye They leave me bread and they leave me space Some cross themselves when they see my face I've become a story they tell after dark A woman who rides like a wolf in the park They know my name from the mountains to town They know what I stole and who I brought down They know all the stories the newspapers print But they don't know the woman beneath all of it ### [Pre-Chorus] For a name can travel farther Than a woman ever can And a legend has no heartbeat When you're reaching for a hand ### [Chorus] **No crown but dust on my travelling hat** No kingdom but the road where I'm at No subjects kneeling, no scepter held high Just freedom beneath this endless sky I rule no people, I command no land I've got the reins and my life in my hands If this is a kingdom, let the whole world see **The only thing I rule is me** No crown but dust… No throne but stone… The road is my kingdom And I ride it alone ### [Verse 2] I've slept in barns and I've slept in snow I've shared my fire with the ones below I've eaten at tables with kings of the road Then carried a stranger's half of the load I've given away more than I've ever kept Sat beside widows while their children slept I've left silver coins where the cupboards were bare And disappeared before they could thank me there They call me a saint in one little town A devil in another when the sun goes down A thief to the law, a hero to some But nobody knows where I'm really from ### [Verse 3] I've had men offer diamonds and horses and gold Say, “Come off the road, girl, you're getting too old” One brought me a ring with a stone like the sun Said, “You don't have to keep living on the run” Another said, “Marry me, I'll give you a name A warm little house and a respectable frame” I nearly said yes when I looked at the door Then remembered the girl I'd been years before A roof can be shelter, a roof can be a cage A ring can be silver, a ring can be a chain I've worn iron before and I know what it weighs I won't trade my freedom for comfortable days ### [Chorus] **No crown but dust on my travelling hat** No kingdom but the road where I'm at No subjects kneeling, no scepter held high Just freedom beneath this endless sky I rule no people, I command no land I've got the reins and my life in my hands If this is a kingdom, let the whole world see **The only thing I rule is me** ### [Verse 4 – More Personal] But sometimes at midnight when the campfire dies I find myself talking to empty skies I hear another horse and I turn my head For half of a heartbeat I think he's there instead I remember black hair and a silver creek The promises whispered when I was weak I remember a hand that once held mine And wonder if leaving was still the right sign There are nights when the silence gets under my skin And I miss having someone to let me in But I learned long ago what loneliness costs And I'd rather miss someone than lose myself again ### [Pre-Chorus – Quiet] So don't mistake the silence For a heart that's turned to stone I've loved and I've lost And I've learned to stand alone ### [Chorus – Emotional] **No crown but dust on my travelling hat** No kingdom but the road where I'm at No lover beside me, no hand holding mine Just the stars and the old road keeping time And maybe I'm lonely… Maybe that's true… But loneliness isn't the same As belonging to you I rule no people, I command no land I've got the reins and my life in my hands If this is a kingdom, let the whole world see **The only thing I rule is me** ### [Bridge – Builds Slowly] They wanted a queen So they could call her their own They wanted a woman Who'd sit on a throne But I don't want castles I don't want their gold I don't want a story That somebody else told I want the morning I want the rain I want the road Running through my veins I want to wake up And choose where I go **And if that's a kingdom…** **Then I've got everything I need to know.** ### [Final Chorus – Huge, Bittersweet] **No crown but dust on my travelling hat** No kingdom but the road where I'm at No subjects kneeling, no scepter held high Just a wild heart beneath a wild sky I've buried my lovers, I've buried my past I've carried my scars and I've made them last And every mile that I've travelled alone Has taught me the meaning of making my own No crown! No throne! No master's name! No hand on my shoulder telling me where I belong! I've got the road! I've got the sky! I've got the fire that refused to die! And if the price of freedom Is sometimes being lonely… **I'll pay
