(Dark desert blues / outlaw rock ballad) Verse 1 Sun was dying on the highway Boot heels dragging through the sand Nothing but a thumb and shadow No destination, no real plan Heat waves danced like fallen angels Dust hung heavy in the sky Then a long black car came rolling Like salvation drifting by Gray-haired lady at the wheel now Silver rings and painted eyes She leaned over, cracked a cold grin Said, “Boy, every ride has got a price” Pre-Chorus She laughed smoke into the twilight One hand tapping on the dash Said, “You got choices out here, stranger…” Then she hit me with the facts Chorus “Ass, grass, or gas Nobody rides for free” Wind cut sharp through the empty dark No mercy in her creed I was hungry, broke, and fading Too far gone to fight or flee Now I’m naked in the cold night Raped and freezing Verse 2 Radio hissed some old-time country Coyote crying somewhere near Her perfume smelled like cheap bourbon And forty hard surviving years I won’t sing about the details Some things die where they begin Just say the devil wore gray lipstick And a rusted wedding ring When the moon climbed high above us She just laughed and slowed the ride Kicked me out beside the nowhere With my pride left far behind Chorus “Ass, grass, or gas Nobody rides for free” Desert wind like razor wire Tearing into me She said, “Next time learn the difference Between a lifeline and a dream” Then her taillights disappeared Leaving raped and freezing Bridge Stars don’t care who’s crying Sand don’t care who bleeds Night keeps all your secrets Buried underneath I walked ten miles till sunrise Half-dead and half-insane Still hear her laughter echo Like thunder in my brain Final Chorus “Ass, grass, or gas Nobody rides for free” That old phrase turned into something Meaner than it seemed Now every road looks haunted Every stranger feels unclean Since she left me in the darkness Raped and freezing Outro Cold horizon breaking open Morning burning hard and pale I pulled myself toward the highway Another ghost beside the rail
