[Verse 1] At the diner by the highway, John takes the corner seat Says he once outran a felon with a flat tire and two bare feet His coffee’s gone to cold again, his grin is still on time He keeps a pocket full of yesterday and spends em like there dimes [Chorus] A hero’s only a hero when he’s young When the road is wide and the race has just begun Now the bill comes due, but he still tells it with a grin He was king before the knees and the interest settled in [Verse 2] He rode a borrowed motorcycle through a courthouse weddin' in the rain Talked a bank clerk out of panic, talked a mule out of a train He says luck was just a waitress who remembered what he drank Now his back gives him a weather report before the clouds get their rank [Chorus] A hero’s only a hero when he’s young When the road is wide and the race has just begun Now the bill comes due, but he still tells it with a grin He was king before the knees and the interest settled in [Verse 3] There’s a scar beneath his collar like a map with one town crossed And a note from an old mechanic for the engine that he lost He’ll tell you every daring deed, including what they cost Then wink and say, “That’s compound interest, son— The kind that won't get lost.” [Verse 4] He once pulled three men from a fire with a belt and metal wire Now he needs both hands to open up a jar of pickled brines His hands still shake at thunder, though he swears it’s just the cold And his old brass buckle shines like it’s been polished by the bold [Bridge] He’s proud of every foolish leap, each bargain made with fate But the doctor keeps a ledger and the landlord loves to wait The past is like a payday loan: it gives you wings at first Then sends a little envelope when you’re thirsty, tired, cursed [Verse 5] At the F O P he’s captain of the paper-cup parade He tells the young ones, “Take your chances— just read what you’ve signed and paid” They laugh until he names the river, names the night, then names the cost They'll buy him one more coffee for the bridges that he's crossed [Chorus] A hero’s only a hero when he’s young When the road is wide and the race has just begun Now the bill comes due, but he still tells it with a grin He was king before the knees and the interest settled in [Verse 6] John walks home beneath the sunset, slow as a B P D parade His old dog limps beside him like a K 9 that's unpaid He says, “I’d do it all again,” then checks his aching thumb Some risks make you a legend; some keep calling till you’re numb [Outro] So raise a cup to John tonight, the king of what he’s done A hero’s only a hero when he’s young But if he’s got a story and a friend who’ll let him spin He’s still got one more victory— and a joke to tuck it in [instrumental] He’s still got one more victory— and a joke to tuck it in.... [fade to end] Yeah; a joke to tuck it in.... [fade to end] a joke to tuck it in.... [end]
