The Ballad of a Broken Gold Miner

[Verse] I dug for dreams in the cold Hard earth Found naught but dust and a life's thin worth A pan full of hopes All swept downstream Now I sing for my supper Chasing a dream [Verse 2] Boots worn thin A shadow at noon A cowboy's sorrow under a pale-faced moon Thought my worth was buried in gold's allure Turns out these strings and my voice endure [Chorus] They clap their hands for a wreck of a man Broken Bruised Still I stand Singing my sins to the starry skies Surprised I'm loved for the tears in my eyes [Verse 3] Whiskey once poured where my soul should be The bottle ran dry but it rescued me Now every note is a thread to mend A melody frail But it won't pretend [Bridge] A tumbleweed life I roll and roam Crowds feel like strangers The stage feels home They say my voice shakes the dust of years But they don’t see when I choke on my fears [Chorus] They clap their hands for a wreck of a man Broken Bruised Still I stand Singing my sins to the starry skies Surprised I'm loved for the tears in my eyes