The Crossroads Bargain

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[Intro] Dust on my boots, silver in my hand One road bends toward the river, one cuts through the promised land [Verse 1] I carried my father’s watch through the county fair Its hands stopped cold at midnight, but I kept winding it there A stranger leaned against the payphone, dressed in a Sunday suit He said, “I know what you’ve been missing, and I know what it will cost you.” [Pre-Chorus] He drew a circle in the gravel With the heel of his polished shoe Said, “Sign your name beneath the bargain And the world will bow to you.” [Chorus] At the crossroads, I heard my name From a mouth full of honey and a heart full of flame He offered me thunder, he offered me gold But every bright promise had a chain in the fold I took one step forward, then I heard my mother say “Boy, some doors only open to take your soul away.” [Verse 2] By morning I could play every note the town had ever known The old six-string wept like a woman, and the crowd became my throne But the mirror in the dressing room kept changing every night First it showed a younger face, then nothing but two eyes [Pre-Chorus] The stranger came collecting When the summer harvest failed He held my father’s watch between us And laughed when I turned pale [Chorus] At the crossroads, I heard my name From a mouth full of honey and a heart full of flame He offered me thunder, he offered me gold But every bright promise had a chain in the fold I took one step forward, then I heard my mother say “Boy, some doors only open to take your soul away.” [Bridge] I found an old church burning at the edge of town A preacher with a broken hand said, “Lay that bargain down” I put the watch upon the altar, let the second hand run free Then I played the one true song I had left inside of me [Guitar Solo] [Final Chorus] At the crossroads, he called my name But the choir behind me rose like a midnight train No silver, no thunder, no kingdom to hold Just a battered six-string and a heart made bold I took three steps backward, let the black road fade away Some doors only open to take your soul away [Outro] Dust on my boots, dawn in my eyes The river kept rolling beneath a clean blue sky I still hear that stranger when the evening gets low But I’ve got my name, and that’s all I need to know