Well, I was drivin' down ol' Route 23, When a banjo sound come a-calling to me, It was low and eerie, like a ghost in the breeze, And I swear on my soul, it brought me to my knees. It was the dead man’s banjo, ringin’ in my ear, The sound from the grave, oh boy, it’s crystal clear, I tried to run, but it followed me, That haunted old banjo, ain’t no set me free. I pulled up to a shack 'bout a mile down the road, The door creaked open, but I didn’t unload, Then I saw the man, sittin’ by the firelight, With that banjo strummin’ in the dead of the night. It was the dead man’s banjo, ringin’ in my ear, The sound from the grave, oh boy, it’s crystal clear, I tried to run, but it followed me, That haunted old banjo, ain't no set me free. His eyes were dark as a Texas night, And his fingers moved fast in the flickerin' light, He said, "Boy, you’re cursed and you can’t escape, That banjo’s mine, and now it’s your fate." I grabbed my truck, tried to leave that place, But the banjo kept screamin’, kept quickenin’ the pace, It was playin' my life like it knew every note, I couldn’t shake it, no matter what I wrote. It was the dead man’s banjo, ringin’ in my ear, The sound from the grave, oh boy, it’s crystal clear, I tried to run, but it followed me, That haunted old banjo, ain't no set me free. Now I sleep with one eye open, all night long, With that dead man’s banjo hummin’ a song, I know he’s out there, and he's waitin’ on me, That banjo’s sound, it’ll set me free… or keep me.
