Where the Red Dust Flies

Lyrics

[Verse 1] He left with a six-string in a paper case Two shirts and a map with the corners erased His mother said, "Son, don't gamble your name" He nodded once and boarded the midnight train [Verse 2] He played for coins in a Memphis bar Then a truck-stop crowd beneath a buzzing sign A waitress heard the hurt inside his hands And left a cup of coffee he could never pay back [Chorus] He's been walking where the red dust flies Trading old regrets for a patch of sky Every broken string, every hard goodbye Put a little more truth in the song he writes He ain't looking for a crown or a grand design Just a door that opens when the daylight dies [Verse 3] He lost one brother to a factory fire Lost one love when the road pulled tighter Kept their letters in the lining of his case And sang their names when the crowd got quiet [Bridge] Now the years sit heavy in his Sunday coat But the river still carries every note He bends one blue note till the room stands still Then smiles like a man who has made his peace [Chorus] He's been walking where the red dust flies Trading old regrets for a patch of sky Every broken string, every hard goodbye Put a little more truth in the song he writes He ain't looking for a crown or a grand design Just a door that opens when the daylight dies [Outro] If you see him rolling past the county line With a worn-out case and a steady mind Leave a porch light burning, leave the radio low A bluesman's still traveling where the long roads go