Thin White Lines

Lyrics

There’s a two-lane road outside my town Where the cornfields lean when the sun goes down And the blacktop hums like an old church hymn When the wheels start singin’ and the hurt rolls in I had five bucks, a half-tank, and a heart gone broke A pack of bad news and a Marlboro smoke She said, “Boy, you’re always leavin’” I said, “Girl, I’m tryin’ to breathe” Then I watched her porch light fade behind me Pre-Chorus I wasn’t chasin’ trouble I wasn’t chasin’ fame I was just a young man runnin’ From a mirror with my name Chorus Thin white lines Keep pullin’ me through the night One on the road, one in my mind One more mile from the man I left behind Headlights burn, taillights shine Heartbreak rides on borrowed time I’m lost, I’m found, I’m wrong, I’m right Tryin’ to read God’s signs Between them thin white lines Verse 2 Mama called twice, but I let it ring Couldn’t stand to hear her worry through the pain She’d say, “Son, you ain’t gotta be so tough The strongest men still need someone to love” But pride’s a heavy pistol When you keep it on your hip And silence is a bottle That’ll never leave your lips So I drove past the diner Where Dad used to drink Past the little white cross Where my best friend fell asleep Pre-Chorus I rolled the window down Let the cold air bite my skin Sometimes you gotta lose yourself To meet yourself again Chorus Thin white lines Keep pullin’ me through the night One on the road, one in my mind One more mile from the man I left behind Headlights burn, taillights shine Heartbreak rides on borrowed time I’m lost, I’m found, I’m wrong, I’m right Tryin’ to read God’s signs Between them thin white lines Verse 3 At a truck stop chapel off 65 I saw an old man cryin’ with his hat held tight Said his wife of forty years had gone on home And he didn’t know how to sleep alone I bought him coffee, he bought me truth Said, “Son, the road don’t run from you It only shows you what you carry When there ain’t no crowd around And every ghost you pass Is one you gotta lay down” Bridge There’s a line you cross for freedom There’s a line you cross for sin There’s a line between survivin’ And learnin’ how to live There’s a line on every highway There’s a line in every soul Some keep you steady Some beg you to let go And I’ve crossed too many angry I’ve crossed too many blind But tonight I’m headed home Between them thin white lines Final Chorus Thin white lines Keep pullin’ me through the night One on the road, one in my mind One more mile from the man I left behind Headlights burn, taillights shine Mercy rides on borrowed time I’ve been lost, been found, been wrong, been right Now I’m readin’ God’s signs Between them thin white lines Outro Now the sun’s comin’ up on the county line And I ain’t fixed it all, but I’m still tryin’ There’s a Bible on the dash And a tear in my eye Home’s gettin’ closer With every thin white line