Payin' the Price

[Verse] Down in that small town stadium, lights shinin' bright, We hired a high-dollar coach, thought he'd turn wrong to right, Paid him more than preachers, more than the doc, But we never saw that win, and now we're on the rocks. [Verse 2] The boosters wrote those big checks, dreams in their eyes, Believin' every promise, every well-crafted lie, The scoreboard's only numbers, the losses and the shame, And all the locals whisper, "Ain't this a cryin' shame?" [Chorus] Payin' the price for our football dreams, All of our hopes ripped apart at the seams, Money can’t buy heart or team pride, Now all we got is regret we can't hide, We're payin' the price for that coach in tight jeans. [Verse 3] Cheerleaders do their routine, their smiles ain't quite as bright, Grandstands full of farmers, ain't feelin' quite right, The town folks are divided, pointin' fingers, takin' sides, But no amount of blamin' can buy forgotten pride. [Bridge] Every Friday night, we still take that field, Playin' hard, believin', givin' all we can yield, But that coach in his Cadillac, he's laughing on his way, Counting every dollar as our dreams fade to gray. [Chorus] Payin' the price for our football dreams, All of our hopes ripped apart at the seams, Money can’t buy heart or team pride, Now all we got is regret we can't hide, We're payin' the price for that coach in tight jeans.