Red Dirt Mercy

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I left a dent in every doorway And a debt in every town Kept one hand around the bottle While the other dragged me down Mama quit expecting Sunday My brother quit picking up I wore my sins like railroad iron Till the weight was finally enough [Chorus] I ain't asking for a clean slate Just a chance to make it right I'll put my shoulder to the hard years And keep walking toward the light If forgiveness is a back road I'll take it mile by mile I was born with a crooked compass But I can still learn how to smile [Verse 2] Found my old man in the graveyard On a cold October day Told the stone about the years I stole And the words I never said Then I drove out past the county line Where the cotton fields run dry Saw a kid beside a broken fence With the same storm in his eyes [Chorus] I ain't asking for a clean slate Just a chance to make it right I'll put my shoulder to the hard years And keep walking toward the light If forgiveness is a back road I'll take it mile by mile I was born with a crooked compass But I can still learn how to smile [Bridge] Now I fix what I can fix And I tell the truth when it hurts Leave a little more than I borrowed Give my hands an honest work Some nights the past comes knocking Like a fist against the door I don't pretend I never knew him I just don't belong there anymore [Final Chorus] I ain't asking for a clean slate Just a chance to make it right I'll put my shoulder to the hard years And keep walking toward the light If forgiveness is a back road I'll take it mile by mile I was born with a crooked compass But I can still learn how to smile Yeah, I was born with a crooked compass But I'm learning how to smile [Outro] The road don't owe me mercy But it gave me room to turn And every mile beneath these tires Is another thing I've learned