Classic

I went to see the preacher, to teach me how to pray
He looked at me and smiled, then that preacher turned away
Said, "If you want to tell him something, you ain't gotta fold your hands.
Say it with your heart, your soul, and believe it, and I'll say, Amen."

Bang a drum for the sinners, bang a drum for your sins
Bang a drum for the losers and those who win
Bang a drum, bang it loudly, or as soft as you need
Bang a drum for yourself son, and a drum for me

Well I called upon my brother, just the other day
He said, "Jon, I'm gonna die if I don't start to live again.
I work each day and night like clockwork, just tryin' to make ends meet.
Well I could kick this bad world's ass if I could just get on my feet."

Bang a drum for the dying, bang a drum for the truth
Bang a drum for the innocence, lost in our youth
Bang a drum, bang it loudly, or as soft as you need
Bang a drum for your brother, and a drum for me

I don't know where all the rivers run
I don't know how far, I don't know how come
But I'm gonna die believin, with each step that I take
Ain't worth the ground that I walk if we don't walk it our own way

I don't claim to be a wise man, a poet, or a Saint
Just another man who's searchin' for a better way
But my heart beats loud as thunder, for the things that I believe
Sometimes I want to run for cover, sometimes I want to scream

Bang a drum for the tomorrow, bang a drum for the past
Bang a drum for heroes, who won't come back
Bang a drum for the promise, bang a drum for the lies
Bang a drum for the lovers, and the tears they cry
Bang a drum bang it loudly, or as soft as you need

But as long as my heart keeps on banging, I've got a reason to believe

Well there's always been groups of people that never could see eye to eye
And I always thougt if they ever had a chance to sit down and talk face to face
They might realize they got a lot in common


Well I was sittin' in a coffee shop
Just havin' a cup to pass the time
Swapin' rodeo stories with this old cowboy friend of mine
When some motorcycle riders started snickerin' in the back

Started pokin' fun at my friend's hat
One ol' boy said "Hey Tex where'd you park your horse?"
My friend just pulled his hat down low but they couldn't be ignored
One husky fella said "I think I'll rip that hat right off your head."
That's when my friend turned around and this is what he said

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
Rope an ol blue norter and milk it till it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboys hat

"Now partner this old hat is better left alone
See it used to be my daddy's
But, last year he passed on
My nephew skined the rattler that makes up this ol' hatband
But, back in sixty nine he died in vietnam

Now the eagle feather was given to me by an indian friend of mine
But, someone ran he down somewhere around that Arizona line
And a real special lady gave me this hatpin
And I don't know if I'll ever see her again

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
Rope an ol blue norter and milk it till it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboys hat

"now if your leather jaket means to you what this hat means to me
Then I guess we understand each other and we'll just let it be
But, if you still think it's funny, man you got my back up against the wall
And if you touch my hat you're gonna havta fight us all"

Well right then I caught a little sadness in that gang leader's eyes
He turned back to the others and they all just kinda shuffled on outside
But when my friend turned back towards me
I noticed he's ol' hatbrim
Well it was turned up in a big ol' Texas grin

"You'll ride a black tornado 'cross the western sky
Rope an ol blue nortern and milk it till it's dry
Bulldog the Mississippi, pin it's ears down flat
Long before you take this cowboys hat"

I never was the kind to wear my feelings on my sleeve
But since I met you girl, there's been a world of change in me
I've got to say I love you, hope you like the sound of that
'Cause I can't keep it under this ol' hat

[Chorus]
Under this ol' hat
Is the head you turned around
And the heart you stole away
The day we met
under this ol' hat's
Two arms that long to hold you tight
And boots I'd walk the soles off of
To be here by your side
And every night in my prayers there's just
One thing I ask
That the man you love will always be
Under this ol' hat

You've got me feeling things
I've never felt before
And it's so good to know when I come a knocking at your door
That of all the men who'd love to waltz across your welcome mat
The one you want is under this ol' hat

[Chorus]

That the man you love will always be
Under this ol' hat

Took my last fall in San Diego
Bus headed north one headed south
I call a farm in Colorado
And I lift a dusty pay phone to my mouth

She says hello I say it's me hon
Sorry I stayed away so long
Tell the kids their old man's through with playin' rodeo
Cause if it's alright with you I'm comin' home

Well there's silence on the line
She says you sure did take your time
But I still need a man for the things a man is good for
You know how it is raisin' crops and raisin' kids
Demands a man at least as fit as you are
So come on git on home there's hay that needs a mowin'
A boy that needs a whippin' and a hundred things to do
I hope you've finally found your mind
To leave that rodeo behind
I've spent half my life just waitin' here for you

I guess that nows the time I'd better tell her
Hon I've got this old friend that's here with me
He used to be a cowboy and a good one so they say
But now his legs are crippled he can't walk you see
But hon you ought to hear him tell his stories
Sing the old songs play the guitar too
I'd really like to show him colorado
But I thought I'd better leave it up to you

Well there's silence on the line
And now I hear her sayin'
Babe I only need a man for the things a man is good for
And you know how it is a place just half this big
Demands a man at least as fit as you are
Put yourself in his place it'd awful hard to face
All the chores and work and nothing he could do
If you want to know my mind leave that rodeo bum behind
Don't waste our time I'm waitin' here for you

Well cryin's just for kids I put down the phone
Fumble with my crutches movin' slow
I wish that I was on the bus that's Colorado bound
And I hope the weather's nice in Mexico

Well the well went dry and the cow did too
And daddy didn't know what to do
The banker came by the house one day
He said he's gonna take the farm away
Then mama came up with a plan
My brother and me started up a band
My sister put a sign on the roof
And daddy bought a case of 90 proof

There we called it the Cadillac Ranch
They're parking cars in the old bean patch
There's a bar in the barn and the place stays packed
'Til the cows come home at Cadillac Ranch

Now the only thing that we raise is cane
You don't need the sun or rain
Just some neon lights saying some ice cold beer
Keeps everything green around here
Mama takes the cash at the door
My brother and me keep them out on the floor
My sister sets them up at the bar
And daddy kicks back with a big cigar

There we called it the Cadillac Ranch
They're parking cars in the old bean patch
There's a bar in the barn and the place stays packed
'Til the cows come home at Cadillac Ranch

Well we gave all the cows away
Now the only horns around here today
Are the ones up on the grill
Of a genuine '59 Coupe Deville

There we called it the Cadillac Ranch
They're parking cars in the old bean patch
There's a bar in the barn and the place stays packed
'Til the cows come home at Cadillac Ranch

There we called it the Cadillac Ranch
They're parking cars in the old bean patch
There's a bar in the barn and the place stays packed
'Til the cows come home at Cadillac Ranch

I was born in a hurry but there wasn't any place
Nowhere fast seemed better than nowhere slow
I never really got the hang of hanging around

When you get down to it
I guess I always knew it
What it is that makes my world go round

[Chorus]
It's a matter of horsepower
For 8 seconds on miles per hour
It's the way I am and it's a fact I can't ignore
Yea, big boy legged, fuel injected
Running wild, radar detected
Man can always stand a little bit more
Horsepower

Well the view looks better from ahead than it looks behind
I've got a need to speed and I don't mean the drugs-store kind
Some people like a life that barely moves at all
I say more power to them
Then I fly right through 'em
'Til it slows down to a crawl

[Chorus]

Then I think about horsepower
For 8 seconds on miles per hour
It's the way I am and it's a fact I can't ignore
Yea, big boy legged, fuel injected
Running wild, radar detected
Man can always stand a little bit more
Horsepower

I was born in a hurry but there wasn't any place
Nowhere fast seemed better than nowhere slow
I never really got the hang of hanging around

When you get down to it
I guess I always knew it
What it is that makes my world go round

[Chorus]
It's a matter of horsepower
For 8 seconds on miles per hour
It's the way I am and it's a fact I can't ignore
Yea, big boy legged, fuel injected
Running wild, radar detected
Man can always stand a little bit more
Horsepower

Well the view looks better from ahead than it looks behind
I've got a need to speed and I don't mean the drugs-store kind
Some people like a life that barely moves at all
I say more power to them
Then I fly right through 'em
'Til it slows down to a crawl

[Chorus]

Then I think about horsepower
For 8 seconds on miles per hour
It's the way I am and it's a fact I can't ignore
Yea, big boy legged, fuel injected
Running wild, radar detected
Man can always stand a little bit more
Horsepower