[Verse 1: big-lunged blues wailer female, full voice over the stomping drums] Danny Ruiz had a court date on a Monday in the fall Grandma signed her house away to get him out, and Danny didn't call Twenty thousand on the bond, and Monday came, and Monday went Now his grandma's on the porch, and she is countin' every cent So they hand me Danny's folder, and I barely even read I already know the cousin, and I already know the need I already know the bus he's on, I know the seat he'll pick I know the window he'll be starin' out, I know the gum, the trick [Pre-Chorus: the slide guitar climbing] You think you're gone, boy, think you're free and clear But every road you run on, honey, I been standin' here [Chorus: big-lunged blues wailer female, the whole band slamming] You can bail out, baby, you can run until you drop I know every bus, every couch, every motel, every stop I know the lie you'll tell the clerk, I know the name you'll sign You can bail out, baby, but you're runnin' on my line [Verse 2: harder, the harmonica stabbing] Paterson, the cousin's couch, I'm sippin' coffee when you knock Philly, at the bus depot, I'm the lady by the clock Motel by the shore, room six, the ice machine is broke And I'm leanin' on the ice machine, and I'm the one who spoke Out the bathroom window, down the alley, like I knew To the arcade on the boardwalk, where the skee-ball tickets blew You're out of breath, you're out of cash, you're out of road and luck And you sit down on a bench out by the water, and you're stuck [Pre-Chorus: the slide guitar climbing] You think you're gone, boy, think you're free and clear But every road you run on, honey, I been standin' here [Chorus: the whole band slamming] You can bail out, baby, you can run until you drop I know every bus, every couch, every motel, every stop I know the lie you'll tell the clerk, I know the name you'll sign You can bail out, baby, but you're runnin' on my line [Verse 3: big-lunged blues wailer female, she drops into a low raw growl for the confession] So I sit down next to you, and I can tell you how I knew Fifteen years ago, this bench, I was the one who ran there too Same couch, same bus, same motel, same machine that wouldn't ice Same arcade, same tickets, same old lie I told 'em twice And a woman they called Ruth sat down exactly where I sit And she said, "You're tired, kid," and, Lord, I was, I couldn't quit So I'm cuffin' you, and Grandma keeps the porch, and keeps the door And here's my card for when you're out, 'cause I could use one more [Chorus: everything in, full voice again] You can bail out, baby, you can run until you drop I know every bus, every couch, every motel, every stop I know the lie you'll tell the clerk, I know the name you'll sign You can bail out, baby, but you're runnin' on my line [End]
