Twenty Years Of Dirt

I played a wedding for the money,
And i wished that i could tell the bride and groom
Just what i thought of marriage
And what's in store after their honeymoon.

And i was grumblin' to the dancers
'bout how men and women ought to live apart
And how a promise never made can not be broken
And can never break your heart

When suddenly from out of nowhere,
A little girl came dancing 'cross the floor,
And all her crinolines were billowing
Beneath the skirt of calico that she wore.
Oh what a joy fell on the honored guests
As each of them was drawn inside her dream,
And they laughed and clapped and stomped their feet
And hollered at her "dance little jean"

Dance, little jean, this day is for you,
Two people you love, stood up and said "i do"
Dance little jean, the prayer that you had
Was answered today
Your mama's marrying your dad

Well, my cynical heart just melted
'cause i knew what this get together meant
How it ended year of tears and sad confusion
That the little girl had spent.
Well they told the band to pack it up
About the time the couple cut the cake,
But we played as long as they stayed
For love and laughs and little jeanie's sake.

Dance, little jean, this day is for you,
Two people you love, stood up and said "i do"
Dance little jean, the prayer that you had
Was answered today
Your mama's marrying your dad

The promoter says he wants to cancel
Cause there ain't enough tickets sold
The air conditioner on the bus just broke
And i can't shake this cold

The single lost the bullet,
The singer's losin' his wife;
Well i might be crazy but i wouldn't change
A single thing about this life.

Sometimes we feel like champions,
Sometimes we just can't win,
Sometimes our records hit the top of the charts
Or the discount bargain bins.

Through 30 years of touring
We've remained partners, brothers, and friends
We keep it together cause we love it and we're sure
We'll be big time before it all ends.

Well you know you've got the nitty gritty
And jimmy's got his drums along
Then jeffrey and me and bobby will be
Singing all our favorite songs

Catch the fire from the folks in the front row
Fan the flames as the beat gets strong
It's great to be a part of something
So good that's lasted so long

Well i saw a story in the paper
Suddenly the band's big news
The critics all like our records just fine
But they seem a bit confused

Is it folk or rock or country
Seems like everybody cares but us
So just leave us an early wakeup call
So we don't miss the bus

Chorus

The band says it can't stand my latest song, it's too personal
But my first wife's second marriage blew up
She had to get the dang thing annulled
Well if that ain't something to sing about
Well you tell me what is
And we'll give it a beat and put it on the street
And we just might have another hit

Chorus

dark cloud is coming
Headed straight for your heart
Might get just a little bit crazy, baby
Might try to tear us apart

When the storm blows over
Only the true love remains
If we're ever gonna see a rainbow
We have to stand a little rain

Everybody wants love to be easy
But it's never been that way
Each love starts out with blue skies
Sometimes those blue skies turn grey

When the storm blows over
Only the strong love remains
If we're ever gonna see a rainbow
We have to stand a little rain

The thunder rolls
And the lightning strikes
Hold on, darling
It's gonna be alright

'cause when the storm blows over
Only the true love remains
If we're ever gonna see a rainbow
We have to stand a little rain

If we're ever gonna see a rainbow
We have to stand a little rain

I got rippling waters to wake me
To the morning, my woman and love
Our tall pine trees are pointing us easily to heaven above
Blue spruce flaming on the grate in the evening
Takes the chill away fine
Cut the telephone line and the story's the same

There's an old red chair by our window
That we found at a sale down the lane
Some old women said they needed more room for the winter
People like to pull out the stuffing when they sit down
So it passes the time
Cut the telephone line and the story's the same

Blow like a bubble on a windy day
Start to flutter when i hear you say
That you feel to good to go away
And you make me feel fine
You've made my world a warmer place
By the sparkle of your diamond face
On a frayed spot, put a little lace
And you make me feel fine
Warm as the mountain sunshine
On the edge of the snowline
In a meadow of columbine

Oh, little jennifer, i'd give a penny for
What you've got on your mind
It seems like most of the time you're lying here dreaming.
Maybe in your vision you've seen how our mission is slightly less than divine
Cut the telephone line and the story's the same

Yep, now rippling waters flow through pipes
In the walls and they're keeping me warm
And the closest i've been tomy family for days is our music
You can silently stare in themorning sky
It's like hearing her calling my name
Cut the telephone line and the story might change

I don't need the same excuses
All this talk is really useless
You run for cover
Everytime i'm close to you

Don't want to hear about the others
There's something here we should discover
Let's make a little magic
Before the night is through

Oh, you've seen it all before
And heard the same lines,
But if you're willing to take a chance
It could be all right, so fine
We'll find ourselves dancing by firelight.

So don't you try to change the subject
Or try to put yourself above it,
A boy could get pneumonia sitting next to you
That's true

A little sleep is all we're losing
It's up to us to do the choosing
Let's make a little magic before the night is through
Make a little magic before the night is through

Ooh, to the blue skies
Where no one can reach us
It may sound crazy but just hold on tight,
Never has a love run deeper
Baby my heart is true
Baby my heart is true

A little sleep is all we're losing
It's up to us to do the choosing
Let's make a little magic before the night is through