A Little Grace on a Red Clay Road

[VERSE 1 — BUBBA, SUNG]
Red clay sticking to my Sunday shoes,
A little morning sun and a sky so blue.
I took the long way, made some wrong turns,
But there's a kind of peace a wandering heart can learn.

[INSTRUMENTAL — 8 BARS]
[Wooden flute plays a tender mountain phrase]
[Ocarina answers; piano adds a gospel run]

[VERSE 2 — DARLENE, SUNG]
You don't have to carry yesterday,
Like a heavy old stone every step of the way.
There's a brand-new morning coming through,
And a little bit of mercy waiting there for you.

[CHORUS — BUBBA AND DARLENE, SUNG]
A little grace on a red clay road,
A little light when the day's been long.
Let the banjo ring and the church keys roll,
Let that good Lord put a song in your soul.
Hands together, hearts open wide,
We can walk with love on the other side.
A little grace, and a lighter load,
On that red clay road.

[INSTRUMENTAL — 12 BARS]
[Four bars: gospel piano takes a bright solo]
[Four bars: Cletus's Frankenstein guitar answers]
[Four bars: Darlene's tenor sax sings the hook]

[VERSE 3 — BUBBA, COUNTRY RAP / TALK-SING]
[Slap bass pops, tambourine and handclaps]
I used to rush when the world said run,
Chasing down trouble, chasing down sun.
Now I hear a bird and I hear that breeze,
Got a little more room for a little more peace.
Papa said dadgummit when a day went wrong,
But he'd still find a reason to carry on.
So I pick that banjo, let the piano shine,
Ain't gotta fix the world to be kind this time.

[INSTRUMENTAL — 16 BARS]
[Four bars: slap bass solo with popping accents]
[Four bars: Luther's banjo solo]
[Four bars: silver concert flute and kalimba trade phrases]
[Four bars: B3 organ and tenor sax call and response]

[VERSE 4 — DARLENE, SUNG]
There's a difference between the weight and the way,
Between holding on and letting go today.
When the road gets rocky and the sky turns gray,
A little forgiveness helps you find your way.

[BRIDGE — BUBBA, SPOKEN]
You know, Darlene,
I spent a lot of years trying to outrun the rain.

[DARLENE, SPOKEN]
And what'd you find, Bubba?

[BUBBA, SPOKEN]
Sometimes you've just got to stand still
and let the sunshine find you.

[INSTRUMENTAL — 12 BARS]
[Wooden flute opens softly]
[Ocarina carries the melody]
[Ukulele strums; warm organ builds]
[Darlene answers on tenor sax]

[FINAL CHORUS — DUET WITH SMALL GOSPEL CHOIR]
A little grace on a red clay road,
A little light when the day's been long.
Let the banjo ring and the church keys roll,
Let that good Lord put a song in your soul.
Hands together, hearts open wide,
We can walk with love on the other side.
A little grace, and a lighter load,
On that red clay road.

[CHOIR RESPONSE — JOYFUL]
On that red clay road!
Oh, let that mercy roll!

[OUTRO — INSTRUMENTAL, 16 BARS]
[Banjo and Frankenstein guitar trade short joyful licks]
[Otis's piano rolls into a soft church cadence]
[Kalimba, wooden flute and ocarina weave together]
[Darlene's tenor sax holds one warm note]
[Slap bass settles; B3 organ and handclaps fade]
[BUBBA, SOFTLY SPOKEN]
Well, all is well.

3235/7500

[INTRO — INSTRUMENTAL, 12 BARS] [Kalimba picks a sunrise melody] [Five-string banjo answers over gentle ukulele] [Gospel piano rolls in; Hammond B3 swells softly] [Slap bass finds a bouncing pocket; tambourine joins] [VERSE 1 — BUBBA, SUNG] Red clay sticking to my Sunday shoes, A little morning sun and a sky so blue. I took the long way, made some wrong turns, But there's a kind of peace a wandering heart can learn. [INSTRUMENTAL — 8 BARS] [Wooden flute plays a tender mountain phrase] [Ocarina answers; piano adds a gospel run] [VERSE 2 — DARLENE, SUNG] You don't have to carry yesterday, Like a heavy old stone every step of the way. There's a brand-new morning coming through, And a little bit of mercy waiting there for you. [CHORUS — BUBBA AND DARLENE, SUNG] A little grace on a red clay road, A little light when the day's been long. Let the banjo ring and the church keys roll, Let that good Lord put a song in your soul. Hands together, hearts open wide, We can walk with love on the other side. A little grace, and a lighter load, On that red clay road. [INSTRUMENTAL — 12 BARS] [Four bars: gospel piano takes a bright solo] [Four bars: Cletus's Frankenstein guitar answers] [Four bars: Darlene's tenor sax sings the hook] [VERSE 3 — BUBBA, COUNTRY RAP / TALK-SING] [Slap bass pops, tambourine and handclaps] I used to rush when the world said run, Chasing down trouble, chasing down sun. Now I hear a bird and I hear that breeze, Got a little more room for a little more peace. Papa said dadgummit when a day went wrong, But he'd still find a reason to carry on. So I pick that banjo, let the piano shine, Ain't gotta fix the world to be kind this time. [INSTRUMENTAL — 16 BARS] [Four bars: slap bass solo with popping accents] [Four bars: Luther's banjo solo] [Four bars: silver concert flute and kalimba trade phrases] [Four bars: B3 organ and tenor sax call and response] [VERSE 4 — DARLENE, SUNG] There's a difference between the weight and the way, Between holding on and letting go today. When the road gets rocky and the sky turns gray, A little forgiveness helps you find your way. [BRIDGE — BUBBA, SPOKEN] You know, Darlene, I spent a lot of years trying to outrun the rain. [DARLENE, SPOKEN] And what'd you find, Bubba? [BUBBA, SPOKEN] Sometimes you've just got to stand still and let the sunshine find you. [INSTRUMENTAL — 12 BARS] [Wooden flute opens softly] [Ocarina carries the melody] [Ukulele strums; warm organ builds] [Darlene answers on tenor sax] [FINAL CHORUS — DUET WITH SMALL GOSPEL CHOIR] A little grace on a red clay road, A little light when the day's been long. Let the banjo ring and the church keys roll, Let that good Lord put a song in your soul. Hands together, hearts open wide, We can walk with love on the other side. A little grace, and a lighter load, On that red clay road. [CHOIR RESPONSE — JOYFUL] On that red clay road! Oh, let that mercy roll! [OUTRO — INSTRUMENTAL, 16 BARS] [Banjo and Frankenstein guitar trade short joyful licks] [Otis's piano rolls into a soft church cadence] [Kalimba, wooden flute and ocarina weave together] [Darlene's tenor sax holds one warm note] [Slap bass settles; B3 organ and handclaps fade] [BUBBA, SOFTLY SPOKEN] Well, all is well.

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