I left my home in Norfolk, Virginia
California on my mind
I straddled that Greyhound and rode him into Raleigh
And on across Caroline
We stopped in Charlotte, we bypassed Rock Hill
We never was a minute late
We was 90 miles out of Atlanta by sundown
Rollin' out of Georgia state
Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that's lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband
Daddy, our baby's gone.
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly?
How could she do this to me?
(Good love) All I need is love
(Good love) All I want is love
(Good love) Lovin' early in the morning now
(Good love) Lovin' late at night now
(Good love) Love, love
Well I got me a fine wife I got me an ol' fiddle
When the sun's comin' up I got cakes on the griddle
And life ain't nothin' but a funny funny riddle
Thank God I'm a country boy
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I really love to watch them roll
No longer riding on the merry-go-round
I just had to let it go
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand? Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming?
Is this burning an eternal flame?
Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, babe
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?
Those times I waited for you seem so long ago
I wanted you far too much to ever let you go
You know you never got buy, I feel it too
And I guess I never could stand to lose
It's just a pity to say goodbye to you
Goodbye to you-ooh
I hear that's it's cold way down there,
yeah, crazy cold way down there
And when I die and when I'm gone,
There'll be one child born and
a world to carry on, to carry on
I don't wanna sound pitiful, broken or small
The fact is I don't wanna sound like nothing at all
Just wanna stand there in the shadows and watch the chips fall
Shakin' the night away
Superman or Green Lantern ain't got a-nothin' on me
I can make like a turtle and dive for your pearls in the sea, yeah
A you-you-you can just sit there a-thinking on your velvet throne
'Bout all the rainbows a-you can a-have for your own
So I've decided what I'm gonna do now
So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
Where the spirits go now
Over the hills where the spirits fly, oh, I really don't know
Lights flicker from the opposite loft
In this room the heat pipes just cough
The country music station plays soft
But there's nothing, really nothing to turn off
Just Louise and her lover so entwined
And these visions of Johanna that conquer my mind