Silver City Dusty acoustic guitar, mournful harmonica and restrained drums. Builds gradually into hard-driving Southern rock by the final chorus. [Verse 1] Silver City dust in the summer heat, Fifteen years old with the world at his feet. Mama's gone, and the money runs thin, So he learns what it takes just to live and get in. A little cheap whiskey, a little white smoke, A pocket full of trouble, a heart full of hope. He laughs with the rough boys outside the saloon, Sombrero Jack whistling a dangerous tune. [Pre-Chorus] The law wears a badge, The thieves wear a gun, And a hungry young boy Don't know where to run. [Chorus] Oh, Silver City, you're teaching him wrong, Telling a young man he has to be strong. Give him a gun and a place he belongs, And he'll learn how to live when the living goes wrong. Oh, Silver City, beneath that blue sky, Every dream's got a price and the innocent die. Henry McCarty is losing his way, And Billy is waiting somewhere in the dust of the day. [Verse 2] A bundle of laundry, a joke gone wrong, A cold little cell where a boy don't belong. Up through the chimney and into the night, Soot on his face and the stars burning bright. They call him a thief, they call him a fool, But nobody showed him the frontier's rules. When hunger comes knocking, pride don't mean much, And a hard world teaches with a heavy touch. [Pre-Chorus] The law wants a name, The town wants a show, The boy wants a chance And a place he can go. [Chorus] Oh, Silver City, you're teaching him wrong, Telling a young man he has to be strong. Give him a gun and a place he belongs, And he'll learn how to live when the living goes wrong. Oh, Silver City, beneath that blue sky, Every dream's got a price and the innocent die. Henry McCarty is losing his way, And Billy is waiting somewhere in the dust of the day. [Bridge – stripped back] Was he born bad? Was he born wild? Or was there still A frightened little child? Could somebody have reached him Before the darkness came? Before Henry disappeared And Billy took the name? [Guitar Solo] Slow, mournful Southern-rock guitar building into a heavier, distorted lead. [Final Chorus] Oh, Silver City, you've taught him the game, How a boy finds a gun and a man finds a name. The road keeps calling, the night won't let go, And every mile west is a mile he don't know. Oh, Silver City, beneath that blue sky, There's a fire in his heart and a storm in his eyes. Henry McCarty is fading away, And the road to Arizona starts today. [Outro] Acoustic guitar returns, with distant harmonica. Silver City dust... Silver City rain... One boy walked in... And never walked out the same.
