unknown

(aaron tippin/michael puryear)

I've got some mighty tall tales from livin' hard and fast
I'm a walkin,' talkin,' livin,' breathin,' portrait of my past
I've double-crossed the devil, prayed the lord my soul to keep
Escaped some early graves by the skin of my teeth
All the deepest secrets of my soul the world can plainly see
'cause everything i've ever done is written all over me
If you just read between the lines of this well-weathered face of mine
Every wrinkle, every scar was a painful work of art
That reminds me of mistakes that i've made
And no story i can tell can tell it quite as well
As these souvenirs that livin's left behind
So take a long, hard look at the cover of this book
And read between the lines
And read between the lines

They might be hard to find on this rigid face of stone
There are pleasant deep impressions that are solid as gold
And i'll be the first to tell you that this ol' boy's been blessed
'cause even the worst of times have turned out for the best
Like roads on a map they cross a battered stretch of skin
You can trace your way through memory lane to anywhere i've been

If you just read between the lines of this well-weathered face of mine
Every wrinkle, every scar was a painful work of art
That reminds me of mistakes that i've made
And no story i can tell can tell it quite as well
As these souvenirs that livin's left behind
So take a long, hard look at the cover of this book
And read between the lines
And read between the lines

(aaron tippin/phillip douglas)

With every drink i take, it's gettin' harder to recall
And i ain't gonna stop until i forget it all
'cause once upon a time she used to love me so
But that was many, many, many beers ago
All my tin can buddies that help me ease the pain
One by one they remind me she's not coming back again
Just how long she's been gone i can't say i really know
Lord, it's been many, many, many beers ago

I don't need a watch or a clock on the wall
To tell me just how long it took for me to lose it all
And this gettin' over her is going pretty slow
It's been many, many, many beers ago

Yeah, all my tin can buddies that help me ease the pain
One by one they remind me she's not coming back again
Just how long she's been gone i can't say i really know
But it's been many, many, many beers ago

Yes, it's been many, many, many beers ago

(aaron tippin/michael puryear)

I wanna be loved by you bayou baby
Nobody else but you bayou baby
I searched this world from end to end
I finally found where i should

(aaron tippin/thea tippin/philip douglas)

She was a woman on a mission
Here to drown a man for leavin
So i set her up again to watch him drown

She had just about succeeded
When that low down no goodcheater
Good for nothing came struttin' through the crown

Oh he was layin' it on so thick
He never missed a lick
Professing his never ending love

Oh but i never will forget, when she stood up and said
Well i guess you think we're just goinna kiss and makeup don't ya
(that's when she said)

Why don't you kiss...kiss this
And i don't mean on my rosy red lips
Me and you, oh we are through
And there's only one thing left for you to do
You just come on over here one last time
Pucker up and close your eyes, and kiss this...good bye

Well the next thing i recall
She had him back against the wall
Chewing him like a bulldog on a bone
She was putting him in his place
And i mean right up in his face
Draggin' him down a list of done me wrongs

It was just about now that the crowd gathered round
They came to watch him pay for his every sin
She called him everything under the sun
And when we thought that she was done
She ran back and she let him have it again

She said...she said
Why don't you kiss...kiss this
And i don't mean on my rosy red lips
Me and you, oh we are through
And there's only one thing left for you to do
You just come on over here one last time
Pucker up and close your eyes, and kiss this...good bye

Kiss this
And i don't mean on my rosy red lips
Me and you, oh we are through
And there's only one thing left for you to do
You just come on over here one last time
Pucker up and close your eyes, and kiss this...good bye
Kiss this

(aaron tippin/buddy brock)

Just a skinny little mississippi railroad man
That loved to sing and play
He brought his music from the cotton fields
To the the hillbilly hall of fame
Thank god for jimmie rodgers
Chisel his name in the cornerstone
I just wish he could've lived to see the day
When country took the throne
Now a million songs have come and gone
Since we made that humble start
About neon nights, everyday life
Love and broken hearts
And more and more folks
Kept tuning in and turning on
Now i can proudly say that i saw the day
When country took the throne

Now from carolina to california, texas to new york
They can't get enough of this country stuff
And they're screaming for more
We painted the town with that grand old sound
And the whole world sang along
Yes, i was there the day
When country took the throne

Now, no one knows what the future holds
But i bet my best guitar
There'll be a jukebox jumping on jupiter
And a honky-tonk on mars
In the last frontier they'll stand and cheer
The best music ever known
They'll celebrate that age old day
When country took the throne

Now from carolina to california, texas to new york
They can't get enough of this country stuff
And they're screaming for more
We painted the town with that grand old sound
And the whole world sang along
Yes, i was there the day
When country took the throne

I said i was there the day
When country took the throne

(aaron tippin)

Well if you ask me where i come from
Here's what i tell everyone
I was born by god's dear grace
In an extraordinary place
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly

It's a big 'ol land with countless dreams
Happiness ain't out of reach
Hard work pays off the way it should
Yeah, i've seen enough to know that we've got it good
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly

There's a lady that stands in a harbor
For what we believe
And there's a bell that still echoes
The price that it cost to be free

I pledge allegiance to this flag
And if that bothers you, well that's too bad
But if you got pride and you're proud you do
Hey, we could use some more like me and you
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly

Yes there's a lady that stands in a harbor
For what we believe
And there's a bell that still echoes
The price that it cost to be free

No, it ain't the only place on earth
But it's the only place that i prefer
To love my wife and raise my kids
Hey, the same way that my daddy did
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly

Where the stars and stripes and the eagle...fly
Where the stars and stripes and the eagle fly

If i was runnin' this country
I'd start it over from scratch
Keep what's good, pile up what's bad
And then i'd strike the match
Yeah, we'd go back to the basics
Of how things ought to be
Yeah, there'd be a lot of changes
If it was left up to me

'cause what this country needs
Is a little more steel guitar
And put a litte fiddle right in the middle
Straight out of a texas bar
And give us a song, we can all sing along
From sea to shining sea
Be proud of it and always love it
That's what this country needs

Now if you want to hear about livin'
Just twist that radio dial
'til you come to a singer singin'
What life is all about
'cause you can't deny that people still cry
They laugh and they smile and they hurt
And that's my humble opinion y'all
You can take it for what it's worth

'cause what this country needs
Is a little more steel guitar
And put a litte fiddle right in the middle
Straight out of a texas bar
And give us a song, we can all sing along
From sea to shining sea
Be proud of it and always love it
That's what this country needs

Yeah, turn it on up and let it ring out
Across the land of the free
They ought to build a statue of hand williams, sr.
In washington, d.c.

'cause what this country needs
Is a little more steel guitar
Yeah and put a sawin' fiddle right square in the middle
Straight out of a texas bar
And ya'll give us a song, we can all sing along
From sea to shining sea
Be proud of it and always love it
That's what this country needs

You just be proud of it and always love it
And that's what this country needs.

(aaron tippin/philip douglas)

A million reasons why i could
But only one why i won

(aaron tippin/donny kees)

You are the woman
Who started a fire in my soul
And to this day it

(aaron tippin/thea tippin)

The first time we went all the way
I can truly say it was way beyond my wildest dreams
And i never can forget that day
We spent tangled up in satin sheets
And i never thought we'd top the time that you and i
Oh, baby that was so sweet
Even though that was incredible now i know
The best was yet to be.

The best love we ever made
Kept us up all night
And it's still growing every day
Right before our very eyes
And we're so amazed we could create
Such a priceless work of art
Oh, the best love we ever made
Is the precious child of ours

The first time our baby cried
I knew our lives were never gonna be the same
In the heart of me, a part of me
Opened up a new kind of love i can't explain
Now all this time i thought
That i was living life for you and me alone
Oh, but holding this miracle
Now i know that i was wrong

The best love we ever made
Kept us up all night
And it's still growing every day
Right before our very eyes
And we're so amazed we could create
Such a priceless work of art
Oh, the best love we ever made
Is the precious child of ours

Oh, the best love we ever made
Is this precious child of ours

(aaron tippin/ronnie rogers)

Sit down honey gotta have us a talk
You man is a little upset
There

(aaron tippin/kim williams/philip douglas)

Somewhere out there in the smoky air
Where the night is neon blue
Surrounded by strangers, she don't know the dangers
One drink could lead her to
And if she falls, it's all my fault
For doin' a good woman wrong
I can't be far behind her
Oh, lord, help me find her
Before my angel is gone
Looking for my blue angel
The same one that flew from my arms last night
If you see my blue angel
Tell her that heaven without her feels like hell tonight

Last night when she left i told myself
That she wouldn't go too far
Now i'm not so sure how long her tears
Could last in a stranger's arms
She's wounded i know and feeling so low
She could fall at anytime
I don't know what i'd do if i were to lose
That precious angel of mine

Looking for my blue angel
The same one that flew from my arms last night
If you see my blue angel
Tell her that heaven without her feels like hell tonight

Yes, tell her heaven without her feels like hell tonight

I ain't told nobody 'bout the trouble i've got on me
I keep my tears to myself so no one in the world can see
No i ain't let on the truth to a living soul
So how's the radio know

How's the radio know she left
How's the radio know i did her wrong
Every record that dj spins
Is a good-love-gone-bad song
How's the radio know i miss her
And i'd die to tell her so
Oh, how's the radio know

They played one about a fool chocked up with regret
And then one about a woman that a man won't ever forget
Yeah, back-to-back heartbreakers in a row
How's the radio know

How's the radio know she left
How's the radio know i did her wrong
Every record that dj spins
Is a good-love-gone-bad song
How's the radio know i miss her
And i'd die to tell her so
Oh, how's the radio know

(aaron tippin/buddy brock)

Sometimes she runs, sometimes she don't
More than once she's left me on the side of the road
The older she gets the slower we go
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio
She needs a carburetor, a set of plug wires
She's ridin' me around on four bald tires
The wipers don't work and the horn don't blow
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio

I've got sixteen speakers crossin' my back dash
A little bobbin' dog watchin' everybody pass
Dual antennas whippin' in the wind
Lord, there ain't a country station that i can't tune in
She ain't a cadillac and she ain't a rolls
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio

I got stopped by a cop late last night
Out-of-date tags and no tail lights
He said i oughta run you in but i'm lettin' you go
Because there ain't nothin' wrong with your radio
I got the best lookin' gal in my hometown
I asked her last time that i took her out
Honey, tell me what it is that makes you love me so
She said there ain't nothin' wrong with your radio

I've got sixteen speakers crossin' my back dash
A little bobbin' dog watchin' everybody pass
Dual antennas whippin' in the wind
Lord, there ain't a country station that i can't tune in
She ain't a cadillac and she ain't a rolls
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio

No, she ain't a cadillac and she ain't a rolls
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio

(don schlitz/thom schuyler)

There was a brand new stranger at the old bus station
He said music city is my destination
He said the whole wide world

(aaron tippin/butch curry)

It's taken me some time to read the writing on the wall
But i have finaly figured out just what's been going on
And i need to tell you what i've learned before you turn to go
There's things about that other man i think you should know
The man that came between us was looking out for number one
He didn't care how bad he hurt you by the selfish things he'd done
But looking in the mirror, today, i finally came to see
That man that came between us was me

I know i'm sorry don't make up for half the tears you've cried
And i can't promise miracles but i swear to god i'll try
'cause if you'll give me half a chance i'll love you like i should
Honey, your lovin' man's come home again
And that stranger's gone for good

The man that came between us was looking out for number one
He didn't care how bad he hurt you by the selfish things he'd done
But looking in the mirror, today, i finally came to seed
That man that came between us was me

Oh honey, the man that came between us was me

(aaron tippin/michael p. heeney)

Her last lonely teardrop fell
Along about nine o

(aaron tippin/buddy brock)

Well, down at the factory, i'm never late
I'm a mild mannered man who pulls his weight
I give a hundred percent, i don't ever stop
'til friday evening when i punch that clock
Then i disappear until the weekend's through
And you'll never guess who i turn into

I'm a honky-tonk superman
Ready or not, i'm back again
Dancing on the tables
And swinging from the chandeliers
I'm a honky-tonk superman
That's who i really am
A real rebel, dare-devil
Honky-tonkin' superman

Everybody's waiting for my next move
Last night i broke the record for acting a fool
My favorite waitress said i went a little too far
When i came roller skating down the top of the bar
Now, don't blame me for just having fun
The never should have bet me that it couldn't be done
('cause)

I'm a honky-tonk superman
Ready or not, i'm back again
Dancing on the tables
And swinging from the chandeliers
I'm a honky-tonk superman
That's who i really am
A real rebel, dare-devil
Honky-tonkin' superman

Hey, look up there on the neon sign
It's a bird, it's a plane, lord, he's lost his mind

Oh, it's just honky-tonk superman
Ready or not, i'm back again
Dancing on the tables
And swinging from the chandeliers
Whoa, yeah, i'm a honky-tonk superman
Yeah, that's who i really am
A real rebel, dare-devil, honky-tonkin' superman
Yeah, sure enough, real tough, honky-tonk superman

(aaron tippin/butch curry)

You reach out and touch me and tell me you love me
And promise that you always will
But as i start to kiss your tender lips
I wake up to my living hell
These sweet dreams are killin' me
Your heavenly memory is pure misery
I'm losing my mind one night as a time
These sweet dreams are killin' me

When sleep comes i hold you just like i used to
In a world where our love still lives
But each mornin' i wake as i feel my heart break
When i lose you all over again

These sweet dreams are killin' me
Your heavenly memory is pure misery
I'm losing my mind one night as a time
These sweet dreams are killin' me

These sweet dreams are killin' me
These sweet dreams are killin' me

(aaron tippin/donny kees)

I've called from every run down phone booth in atlanta, georgia
Tryin' to find someone to tell me where you'd gone
I begged and pleaded with your mama 'til she gave me this number
Honey, we can work it out
Just come back home

'cause there's a whole lotta love on the line
And all i need is a chance to change your mind
Don't hang up the phone, 'cause everything's not gone
Think about it, baby
There's a whole lotta love on the line

All this distance that's come between us has gone far enough
And now i know that closer to you is where i belong
And that feelin' i'm feelin' inside is what i'm tryin' to send through these wires
Oh, darling who cares
Who's right or who's wrong

'cause there's a whole lotta love on the line
And all i need is a chance to change your mind
Don't hang up the phone, 'cause everything's not gone
Think about it, baby
There's a whole lotta love on the line

(aaron tippin/buddy brock)

I've had my back against the wall more times than i can count
Seems i was running into trouble every time i turned around
But now my luck is changing, i've run into a dream come true
I've never been up against anything quite like you
There have been tight situations but baby this is close
You're so soft to touch and you're so easy to hold
For the first time in my life i feel like i just can't lose
And i've never been up against anything quite like you

When the odds are against me i just laugh it off
'cause nothing is as tough as this love i've come across
When we met head on, you really changed my point of view
I've never been up against anything quite like you

There have been tight situations but baby this is close
You're so soft to touch and you're so easy to hold
For the first time in my life i feel like i just can't lose
And i've never been up against anything quite like you

No, i've never been up against anything quite like you

(david lee murphy/kim tribble)

There's a pool hall juke box, sawdust floors
Three plays for a quarter, and we still want more
Yeah there's a reason for fast cars
And that double yellow line
Heartbreak songs and good cheap two dollar wine

'cause of people like us
There's honky tonk music, long neck bottles
Rusty old pickup trucks
Oh at last call the lights go up
And its all because of people like us

I got a second hand boat, the last numbers in jail
There's second hand smoke, everywhere i exhale
There's greasy little truckstops, all night di
No-tell motel's and everybody knows why

'cause of people like us
There's honky tonk music, long neck bottles
Rusty old pickup trucks
Oh at last call the lights go up
And its all because of people like us

'cause of people like us
There's honkey tonk music, long neck bottles
Rusty old pickup trucks
Oh at last call the lights go up
'cause of people ... people like us

There's honkey tonk music, long neck bottles
Rusty old pickup trucks
And at last call the lights go up
And its all because of people like us
Late night people like us
Hard lovin people like us
Hahah, just fun lovin people like us
Hillbilly people like us!

(aaron tippin/charlie craig)

She said when she found me i was barely hanging on
To the memory of a love that had been long gone
There must have been somebody else i don't remember who it is
'cause she's got a way of makin' me forget

When she takes me in her arms i get lost in time
She takes complete control of my heart and my mind
I'm not haunted by the past old memories or regrets
Oh she's got a way of makin' me forget

She's taught me that tomorrow is a reason to live
Don't blame and accuse just love and forgive
Now every grudge i ever had no longer exists
'cause she's got a way of makin' me forget

When she takes me in her arms i get lost in time
She takes complete control of my heart and my mind
I'm not haunted by the past old memories or regrets
Oh she's got a way of makin' me forget

Oh she's got a way of makin' me forget

She said when she found me i was barely hanging on
To the memory of a love that had been long gone
There must have been somebody else i don't remember who it is
'cause she's got a way of makin' me forget

Oh she's got a way of makin' me forget

(aaron tippin/philip douglas/kim williams)

Each time the good lord makes a man
He always breaks the mold
So it sure does raise a flag for that
Rebel in my soul
When some phony carbon copy says
I'm the black sheep of the fold
Well, this is what i tell' em
When i tell 'em where to go

If you trim yourself to fit the world
There won't be nothin' left
Just a little here and a little there
Till you won't know yourself
You'll be a pile of shavings
When they put you in your grave
If you trim yourself to fit the world
You'll whittle yourself away

I could change to fit his world
But i just ain't that kind
Some sell their soul for the easy road
The devil's always buying
I can't count the ones i've known
Who fell right into line
Now they walk around with their heads hung down
They've got no piece of mind

If you trim yourself to fit the world
There won't be nothin' left
Just a little here and a little there
Till you won't know yourself
You'll be a pile of shavings
When they put you in your grave
If you trim yourself to fit the world
You'll whittle yourself away

So before you sign that dotted line
Or do something that you'd rather not
Before you compromise your stand
Friend, let me tell you what
Don't let the crowd get so loud
You can't hear your conscience speak
'cause i'm willing to bet that you'll soon regret
That you sold yourself so cheap

If you trim yourself to fit the world
There won't be nothin' left
Just a little here and a little there
Till you won't know yourself
You'll be a pile of shavings
When they put you in your grave
If you trim yourself to fit the world
You'll whittle yourself away

If you trim yourself to fit the world
You'll whittle yourself away

If somebody would've told me
One woman could hold me
And leave me weak as a baby
I'd have told'em they were crazy
Chorus
Love hit me like a
Ten pound hammer
A ten pound hammer
With a five foot swing

I used to play it so cool
Lord knows that i was no fool
No chains would ever bind me
But those days are all behind me-
You see
(repeat chorus)

I never saw love's power
Just the hearts and the flowers
When i fell it was frightning
It struk me down like lightning-
When
(repeat chorus)

I used to live like a rolling stone
Nobody had a hold on me
All it took was a kiss from you
To bring me right to my knees
(repeat chorus)

Yeah, that's all she wrote

(aaron tippin/donny kees)

God gave me the will to survive, a good strong back and a mind
And all the tough stuff it takes to fill a man's shoes
Then god put this heart in me for you
It pushes the blood through my veins
To swing this nine pound hammer one more day
But there's only one reason why it beats so true
God put this heart in me for you
This heart really don't belong to me
This heart will be yours eternally
The man upstairs put it there 'cause
He knows what to do

I'd be nothin' but flesh, blood and bones
If i had to walk through this world alone
Just a ramblin' fool, a blind, stubborn brute
Without this heart in me for you

This heart really don't belong to me
This heart will be yours eternally
The man upstairs put it there 'cause
He knows what to do

God put this in my for you
Yes, god put this heart in me for you

(aaron tippin/charlie craig/mark collie)

I used to smoke and stay out late
Sometimes i drank more that i ate
I used to think, man, i was bad
Why, i'd fight at the drop of a hat
I took a walk on the wild side
I guess i'm lucky that i survived
I had some days i can't forget
And sometimes at night i think about 'em yet
I miss misbehavin'
Yeah, i miss misbehavin'
I've settled down now
But sometimes i miss misbehavin'

There was a girl i do recall
She was as tough as she was tall
We used to dance to every song
Lord, we held each other all night long
She used to call me her honey baby
I called her my miss misbehavin'
I wonder if she's still around
And if she's out there misbehavin' now

I miss misbehavin'
Yeah, i miss misbehavin'
I've settled down now
But sometimes i miss misbehavin'

Yeah, i've settled down now
But sometimes i miss misbehavin'

(aaron tippin/butch curry)

I've walked the straight and narrow and i've worn a rebel's brand
Sometimes i've had to go without for bein' my own man
I've rallied to the cause when i knew the cause was right
I've cut against the grain, but i've kept my peace of mind
And i wouldn't have it any other way
If there's a price for bein' me, that's one i'll have to pay
I'll take the good and bear the bad until my dyin' day
I wouldn't have it any other way
Oh, i wouldn't have it any other way

I could have taken a beaten path every time trouble starts
I'd rather take a beatin' than to ever cross my heart
Stickin' to my guns, can't be sold or bought
Holdin' to my honor no matter what the cost

And i wouldn't have it any other way
If there's a price for bein' me, that's one i'll have to pay
I'll take the good and bear the bad until my dyin' day
I wouldn't have it any other way
Oh, i wouldn't have it any other way

I wouldn't have it any other way

(aaron tippin/buddy brock/michael p. heeney)

She's been staring out the window four nights in a row
Like a caged up tiger, she's pacing the floor
And she just can't resist when she feels the pull
She's got a restless spirit that she can't control
And when she gets like this, i gotta let her go

She hears the call of the wild every once in a while
She lets down her hair, she's gotta get somewhere
She can turn it loose and howl
I know what's in store, katie bar the door
When she winks at me and smiles
She's in a foot stompin,' honky-tonkin'
Love making state of mind
So excuse me, y'all, i gotta answer the call of the wild

If there's ever been a lady, well, baby is
Just more of a woman at times like this
Now, don't you worry about baby stepping out of line
Yeah, she drives me crazy, but it suits me fine
She's hard to handle, so i hold on tight
And lord knows i got my hands full tonight

She hears the call of the wild every once in a while
She lets down her hair, she's gotta get somewhere
She can turn it loose and howl
I know what's in store, katie bar the door
When she winks at me and smiles
She's in a foot stompin,' honky-tonkin'
Love making state of mind
So excuse me, y'all, i gotta answer the call of the wild

I said pardon me, y'all, i gotta answer the call of the wild