[Verse 1] Well the screen door’s hangin’ by a single rusted hinge And the wind’s blowin’ through like an old-time gospel hymn My boots are by the rocker, where her footsteps used to fall Now it’s just me and the crickets, starin’ at this empty wall [Chorus 1] She said love don't live where silence grows And she packed her bags while the rooster crowed I begged her stay, but she just cried Now I haunt this porch like the day she died [Verse 2] We carved our names in that old oak tree Back when forever still meant somethin’ to me Now the bark is peelin’ and so is my pride That swing still sways like she’s just stepped inside [Chorus 2] I pour her coffee though she ain’t there Lay out her dress like she might still care I talk to the night, and it talks back slow With the voice of a woman I used to know [Verse 3] Mama warned me, “Son, she’s got that highway heart” But I loved her wild, right from the start She said, “I ain’t yours to keep, I’m just passin’ through” Now I sip on sorrow like Kentucky brew [Chorus 3] The sun sets slow on this lonesome land Time slips away like dry creek sand If heartache's a house, then I'm its stone Built strong but cold — and always alone [Bridge] Oh the good Lord knows I tried to be The kind of man she'd need from me But freedom’s a fire you can’t confine And some folks just ain’t meant to be tied [Spoken Monologue] You know… sometimes at night, I swear I can still hear her laugh, floatin’ out over the field like it used to… And I get up, open that screen door real quiet… but it’s always just the wind. Just the wind… and me, rememberin’. [Outro] So here I’ll stay with these back porch blues A bottle, a Bible, and worn-out shoes One chair empty, one soul torn Waitin’ for a love that won’t return no more
