[Verse 1] They pinned the odds like a warning on the wall Said the little fire wouldn't answer when they called Gate flew open, everybody chased the crown He was swallowed by the hoofbeats, nearly written down [Pre-Chorus] But there is a place where the quiet ones keep pace Where a heartbeat hides a hammer in its chest Round the turn, through the burn, he remembered how to yearn And the last stretch put the whole world to the test [Chorus] Twenty-three to one, let the rail catch flame Every no they gave him turned into his name Twenty-three to one, hear the long shot drum The back of the pack is where the thunder comes [Verse 2] Churchill shook like a storm inside a glass Favorites threw their shadows, trying not to let him pass Jose leaned low where the brave and broken meet Cherie saw history rising underneath his feet [Pre-Chorus] From the outside, from the nowhere, from the dust behind the kings Came a rhythm like a war drum in the ground Every ticket called him crazy, every expert clipped his wings Till the bluegrass heard that impossible sound [Chorus] Twenty-three to one, let the rail catch flame Every no they gave him turned into his name Twenty-three to one, hear the long shot drum The back of the pack is where the thunder comes [Bridge] For a second there was nothing Just the breath before the flood Then the roses saw him coming With redemption in the mud [Final Chorus] Twenty-three to one, let the rail catch flame Every no they gave him turned into his name Twenty-three to one, hear the long shot drum The back of the pack is where the thunder comes Twenty-three to one, let the roses come The back of the pack is where the thunder comes [Outro] Count me out, count me gone I'll be coming down the rail before too long Twenty-three to one Twenty-three to one
