[Title: The Stray’s Road] [Verse 1] The road is long, the dust is dry A stray dog under a pale sky They used that name to cut me low Back when I thought I couldn't go But now I walk with no goodbye And "stray" just means the same as "I" [Verse 2] No master waits when I come home No voice demands, no telephone I've loved a few along the way Some for a night, some for a day Their faces fade like morning dew But every one of them was true [Refrain – simple, repeated] I'm just a stray on his own road No heavy heart, no heavy load Nobody's boss, nobody's fool Just wind and gravel, soft and cruel [Verse 3] I sleep in barns, I sleep in fields The earth provides the only shield The rain will wash, the sun will burn And every mile becomes a turn I've learned to listen to the air It tells me that I'm almost there [Verse 4] They think I'm lonely, think I'm lost They'll never know what freedom cost I've paid it gladly with my name They called it shame, I call it flame And when I reach my final bend I'll roam right through it like a friend [Refrain] I'm just a stray on his own road No heavy heart, no heavy load Nobody's boss, nobody's fool Just wind and gravel, soft and cruel [Outro – humming or lone whistle, fading] Mmm mmm mmm... No one's stray but mine...
