[Verse 1] Stray Bill walks the backroad bends Through little towns where the blacktop ends No collar, no name tag, no fixed address Just a shaggy shadow the world might miss He’s got a funny little game he plays To pass the time on endless days [Chorus] He sits right down at a stranger’s door Paws on the step, tail on the floor Sometimes a shoe flies, sometimes a curse Sometimes a hand reaches down and makes it worse Sometimes a bowl of scraps appears Sometimes a soft voice calms his fears He might get a scratch behind the ear And feel like a king while he’s waiting here [Verse 2] Sometimes they open the door up wide “Come on in, boy, step inside” He’ll lie by the fire on a worn-out rug Pretend for a while he’s a house-dog, snug He’ll wag his thanks and play the part But there’s a wild little clock in his gypsy heart [Chorus] He sits right down at a stranger’s door Paws on the step, tail on the floor Sometimes a shoe flies, sometimes a curse Sometimes a hand reaches down and makes it worse Sometimes a bowl of scraps appears Sometimes a soft voice calms his fears He might get a scratch behind the ear And feel like a king while he’s waiting here [Bridge] But every time, there comes a tug The smell of wind on a roadside shrub The whisper of miles he hasn’t roamed A voice in his bones that says “move on” He ain’t a pet, he ain’t a staying kind He needs the scent of the freedom line [Chorus – softer, reflective] So he rises slow from that welcome door Leaves the warmth for the road once more He got a shoe, a curse, a meal, a tear Maybe a memory he’ll hold dear But a king can’t stay on a borrowed throne When the highway calls him to roam alone [Outro] Stray Bill walks the backroad bends The doorstep game never ends… He’s a stray, not a cuddle-pet He needs the smell of freedom yet
