[Verse 1] [Young Man] Well I was just a sprout in them ol’ coal towns, Boot-heel tappin’ on that sawdust ground, Banjo ringin’ high like a blackbird on the day— I’d sip a little shine when the sun dipped low, Next thing I knew I was rarin’ to go, Yeah, I get too drunk and carry it away. [Chorus] [Upbeat | Fiddle Lead-In] Carry it away, boys, carry it away, Two steps left and I’m gone astray— Laughin’ like a fool till the break of day, Yeah I get too drunk and carry it away. [Verse 2] [Still Young | Reckless] Met a pretty little darlin’ by the old mill run, She said, “Slow down, boy, you ain’t eighteen none!” But that copper-still courage got a hold o’ me anyway— Tripped on my pride, nearly drowned in the creek, She pulled me up laughin’ sayin’ “Lord, you’re weak!” Yeah I get too drunk and carry it away. [Chorus] Carry it away, boys, carry it away, Clawhammer pickin’ like a horse in a fray— Life spins fast when you live this way, Yeah I get too drunk and carry it away. [Verse 3] [Older Now | Slower Tempo – but still 2/4 Drive] Now these old bones creak like a cabin door, Ain’t been down to that sawdust floor, But the memories whirl like the fiddlers still play— I sip a little somethin’ when the nights get cold, And I talk to the shadows like the young and bold, But now I get too drunk and carried away. [Chorus] [More Reflective | Still Bright] Carried away, boys, carried away, Folks say I wander when my mind starts to stray— Time’s quick hands, they don’t ever delay, Now I get too drunk and carried away. [Verse 4] [Old Man Facing Death | Meaning Deepens] One night I’ll go where the good Lord leads, Past them high-lonesome hills and the laurel weeds, Hear angels bowin’ strings in that bright array— Lay me down easy by the creek I love, Let the mountains echo what I’m speakin’ of: “I got too drunk… and carried away.” [Final Chorus] [Soft Banjo Tag at the End] Carried away, boys, carried away, I’ll ride that wind where the old souls sway— Don’t weep none, it’s a fair-priced trade, If I get too drunk and carried away. [Outro] [Clawhammer Banjo + Fiddle Turnaround] Boom-chick beat, fiddle cryin’ sweet, Old man smilin’ as he lifts his feet— He got too drunk… and carried away.
