[Intro — engine-like guitar scrape, drums enter] County line—coming up fast! One, two—one, two, three, four! [Verse 1] Midnight cracked on the courthouse clock I came in sideways to the last truck stop Black coffee, boot dust, quarter in the phone A crow on the wire said, “Boy, keep moving on” My compass is a matchbook, every match burned down My crown is a hubcap from a one-light town Never stole a thing but the morning from the dawn By the time they knew my name, my taillights were gone [Pre-Chorus] Tomorrow’s in the glovebox Yesterday’s under the spare If the devil wants directions Tell him I was never there [Chorus] NO COUNTY OWNS ME! (Hey!) NO CHAIN CAN HOLD! I wear a blacktop halo and a heart full of chrome NO BADGE CAN NAME ME! (Hey!) NO MAP CAN KNOW! I leave my legend burning everywhere I go Whoa-oh—let the red lights chase me Whoa-oh—they’ll never cage me No county owns me, no county owns me— I’m the thunder with no home! [Turnaround — harmonized guitar hook] No home! No, no, no home! [Verse 2] Sunrise found me at the Blue Motel Room thirteen, bad TV, busted wishing well Every radio tower blinked its ruby eye Passing my confession to the open sky The desk clerk held a telegram: “Return what isn’t yours” I wrote, “You mean the horizon?” and kicked open the doors A kid said, “Where you headed?” I tossed my paper crown “Anywhere the road climbs up and the walls come down” [Pre-Chorus] No deed, no leash, no number No key to any door Every line they draw behind me Gives me one white line more [Chorus] NO COUNTY OWNS ME! (Hey!) NO CHAIN CAN HOLD! I wear a blacktop halo and a heart full of chrome NO BADGE CAN NAME ME! (Hey!) NO MAP CAN KNOW! I leave my legend burning everywhere I go Whoa-oh—let the red lights chase me Whoa-oh—they’ll never cage me No county owns me, no county owns me— I’m the thunder with no home! [Bridge — half-time, low vocal building upward] I was born where the freight trains bite the rain With a switchblade moon and a weather-vane name Every town tried to carve me into stone But stone can’t spell a man who won’t be owned When you hear tires singing and the sky turns white That ain’t me leaving— That’s me arriving in the night! [Guitar Solo — 16 bars; melodic opening, rapid ascending run, harmonized final phrase] [Breakdown — drums and gang vocals] Who owns the wind? (NO ONE!) Who owns the flame? (NO ONE!) Who owns my name? (I DO!) Then turn that key— And punch it through! [Final Chorus — double chorus, octave harmony] NO COUNTY OWNS ME! (Hey!) NO CHAIN CAN HOLD! I wear a blacktop halo and a heart full of chrome NO CLOCK CAN CLAIM ME! (Hey!) NO MAP CAN KNOW! I leave my legend burning everywhere I go Whoa-oh—let the whole world chase me Whoa-oh—it’ll never cage me No county owns me, no county owns me— I’m the thunder with no home! NO COUNTY OWNS ME! (No one!) NO CHAIN CAN HOLD! Blacktop halo burning, hear the night explode Whoa-oh—every mile remakes me Whoa-oh—nothing’s gonna take me No county owns me, no county owns me— I’m the thunder— I’m the thunder— I’m the thunder with no home! [Outro — riff stops, lone vocal] Put my face on the wall… You still can’t put me behind one.
