[Spoken Word Intro] (A lonely, dusty acoustic guitar picking a slow, melancholic blues lick, crickets chirping in the background) D Yeah, pour another finger of cheap whiskey. The sun went down three states ago, and the radiator's blown again. Some folks pray for a miracle... me and my shadow just look for a place to lay our burdens down. [Verse 1] D My shadow is tired, he’s broke, and he won’t shut his eyes, G Staring down the barrel of a hundred alibis. D How do I know? 'Cause he’s pouring a drink at dawn, G Laughing at the miles of broken highway gone. Bm And the rain’s beating hard on the roof of this rusted truck, G While he’s cussing out the heavens and our bad luck! [Chorus] D Oh, don't you dare leave me stranded on this side of the line, A You're the only bit of trouble that's left on my mind! Bm Without your wild spirit, this desert's just a dying grave. G The storm's washing out every road we thought we could save, D So pull your hat down low and let's ride into the dust— A You're the only piece of freedom I've got left to trust! [Verse 2] D I'm so thankful you dragged me out of that freezing ditch, G Even though you traded my last dollar to a witch! D You're completely outlaw—thanks a lot, my stubborn friend!— G Stitching up my boots for the bend round the bend. Bm When I thought I was done for and ready to quit, G You just lit a match and watched the whole house bit-by-bit! [Chorus] D Oh, don't you dare leave me stranded on this side of the line, A You're the only bit of trouble that's left on my mind! Bm Without your wild spirit, this desert's just a dying grave. G The storm's washing out every road we thought we could save, D So pull your hat down low and let's ride into the dust— A You're the only piece of freedom I've got left to trust! [Bridge] (A weeping steel guitar sliding in, driving country drumbeat kicks hard) Bm How many laws of the county did we just break? G How many empty promises for heaven's sake? D Who needs a prayer when you've got this highway hum? A You traded my sorrows for a bottle of rum! [Verse 3] D Thank you for busting through jailhouse doors with a grin, G Tearing up the warrants just to see where we've been! D You pulled me right out of the mud and the county mire, G Just to set all my honest-living plans on fire. Bm With a wink and a shrug, you've got ruin planned, G The meanest old ghost in this borderland! [Chorus] D Oh, don't you dare leave me stranded on this side of the line, A You're the only bit of trouble that's left on my mind! Bm Without your wild spirit, this desert's just a dying grave. G The storm's washing out every road we thought we could save, D So pull your hat down low and let's ride into the dust— A You're the only piece of freedom I've got left to trust! [Bridge 2] (Music strips back to just a low hum of a guitar amp and feedback) Bm Hey... where you heading off to down the tracks? G Don't you dare look at me with that smirk on your back... A Fine. Let's see where this dead-end trail takes us. [Spoken Word Outro] (A lone acoustic guitar strum fading out into the sound of wind whistling across an empty highway) D The storm's finally blown over, the sheriff's miles behind us, and we're dead broke. Come on, partner... let's ride.
