NEON AT THE COUNTY LINE

Lyrics

[Intro – dirty 2-bar electric guitar riff, dry drums enter, driving Texas groove] [Verse 1 – low, raspy, relaxed male vocal] Twenty years gone like a cloud of dust, Same old highway, same old rust. The Texaco's dark, that diner is gone, Somebody painted over Miller's Barn. I rolled past the school where we learned to fight, Past the water tower in the pale moonlight. Thought this town had forgotten my name, Then I saw that glow through the windowpane. [Pre-Chorus – building] Red and blue through the mesquite trees, Buzzing like an old memory... [Chorus – big, catchy, full band] That neon still knows my name, Still burning like an old blue flame. Everything changed, but it stayed the same, That neon still knows my name. County line, midnight sky, Old ghosts riding shotgun tonight. Years roll on, but some things remain — That neon still knows my name. [Short dirty guitar riff] [Verse 2 – more swagger] Pulled in slow on that gravel lot, Same crooked sign, same parking spot. The bar had a name I'd never seen, But that old neon was still red and green. Then somebody laughed from a pickup bed, “Damn, boy — thought you might be dead!” I knew that voice before I saw his face, Tommy Ray Carter from our hell-raising days. [Pre-Chorus] A little more gray, a little less hair, But that troublemaking grin was still right there. [Chorus – stronger] That neon still knows my name, Still burning like an old blue flame. Everything changed, but it stayed the same, That neon still knows my name. County line, midnight sky, Two old fools with nowhere to hide. Years roll on, but some things remain — That neon still knows my name. [Guitar Solo – gritty Texas blues-rock, rhythmic bends, slide guitar answers] [Verse 3 – rhythmic, confident] We talked about nights we barely survived, Cheap gasoline and Friday-night drives. The girls we chased, the fights we lost, All those lessons that came with a cost. He threw me the keys and said, “You still drive?” I said, “Hell, Tommy — I'm still alive.” He laughed so hard that he spilled his beer: “Then what the hell are we doing here?” [Band stop] [Spoken – smiling] “Now THAT sounds like the old you.” [Drum pickup – full groove returns] [Bridge – bass, drums and low guitar] No going back. No turning time. No need to chase what we left behind. But every now and then it's good to find one little light that survived the miles. [Build – guitars rising] [HALF-BAR STOP – complete silence] [Final Chorus – huge full band, backing vocals] THAT NEON STILL KNOWS MY NAME! Still burning like an old blue flame! Everything changed, but it stayed the same — THAT NEON STILL KNOWS MY NAME! County line! Midnight sky! Two old fools and a Friday night! Years roll on, but some things remain — THAT NEON STILL KNOWS MY NAME! [Backing vocals] (Still knows my name!) (Still knows my name!) [Outro – main guitar riff, loose Texas roadhouse feel] [Spoken over outro] “Come on, Tommy... one beer.” [Second voice, laughing] “One?” [Dirty guitar lick] [Hard stop]