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A licorice tattoo turned a gun metal blue scrawled across the shoulders |
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of a dying town |
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Took the one eyed jacks across the railroad tracks |
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and the scar on its belly pulled a stranger passing through |
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He's a juvenile delinquent never learned how to behave but the cops would never think to look in burma shave |
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And the road was like a ribbon and the moon was like a bone |
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he didn't seem to be like any guy she'd ever known |
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he kinda looked like farley granger with his hair slicked back |
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she says i'm a sucker for a fella in a cowboy hat |
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how far are you going he said depends on what you mean |
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he says i'm only stoppin' here to get some gasolene |
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And I guess I'm going thataway just as long as it's paved |
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I guess you'd say I'm on my way to burma shave |
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And with her knees up on the glove compartment |
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she took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer |
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and she popped her gum and arched her back |
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hell marysville ain't nothing but a wide spot in the road |
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some night my heart pounds just like thunder don't know why it don't explode |
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cause everyone in this stinking town has got one foot in the grave |
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I'd rather take my chances out in burma shave. |
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Ppresley's what i go by why don't you change the station |
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count the grain elevators in the rearview mirror |
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She said, mister anywhere you point this thing |
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has got to beat the hell out of the sting |
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of going to bed with every dream that dies here every mornin' |
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and so drill me a hole with a barber pole |
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I'm jumping my parole just like a fugitive tonight |
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why don't you have another swig and pass that car if you're so brave |
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I wanna get there before the sun comes up in burma shave. |
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The spider web crack and the mustang screamed |
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The smoke from the tires and the twisted machine |
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Is just a nickel's worth of dreams and every wishbone that they saved |
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lie swindled from them on the way to burma shave. |
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And the sun hit the derrick and cast a bat wing shadow |
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up against the car door on the shot gun side |
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and when they pulled her from the wreck |
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you know she still had on her shades |
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they say that dreams are growing wild just this side of burma shave |