Ain’t No Grave on This Trail

[Intro] [Steel-string guitar, bootheel rhythm, wind whistlin’ soft through canyon walls] [Verse 1] I been ridin' hard since the snow left the pass Ain’t stoppin' for nothin', not wolves, not the past Got a hole in my boot and a scar on my lip And a heart full o’ fire that won’t let me quit [Verse 2] There’s a price on my head and a gal down in Nome Said she’d wait for me there, but I know she’s long gone Still I ride with her name in the dust on my coat And the law close behind like a noose round my throat [Chorus] But I ain’t diggin' no grave on this trail Ain’t singin’ no hymn, ain’t leavin’ no tale If the reaper comes ridin', he best ride fast ‘Cause I ain’t the kinda ghost that forgets his past [Verse 3] Crossed a preacher in Dodge, he said “Son, turn around” But my soul’s been too mean for redemption or towns Tossed a coin in his plate and a wink for good luck Then I vanished like smoke in the back of his truck [Bridge] Now the sun’s hangin’ low like a bullet in sky And I’m countin’ the stars ‘fore I lay down and die But if they catch me tonight, let the record be plain— I died with my boots and my middle name [Final Chorus] No, I ain’t diggin' no grave on this trail Ain’t cryin’ no tears, ain’t beggin’ no bail Let ‘em carve what they want on some old wooden sign— Just don’t let ‘em bury this heart o’ mine [Outro] [Slide guitar bends slow like a coyote’s cry, then silence but for the wind and the creak of a saddle]