Lyle Lovett Album

Man you better let go
You can't hold on to
What belongs to me
And don't belong to you

I caught you looking
With your roving eye
So Mister you don't have to act
So surprised

If it's her you want
I don't care about that
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

I grew up lonesome
On the open range
And that cold North wind
Can make a man feel strange

My John B. Stetson
Was my only friend
And we've stuck together
Through many a woman

So if it's her you want
I don't care about that
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

My mama told me
Son to be polite
Take your hat off
When you walk inside

But the winds of change
They fill the air
And you can't set your hat down
Just anywhere

So if you plead not guilty
I'll be the judge
We don't need no jury
To decide because

I wear a seven
And you're out of order
'Cause I can tell from here
You're a seven and a quarter

But if it's her you want
I don't care about that
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

If it's her you want
I don't care about that
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

No it never complains
And it never cries
And it looks so good
And it fits just right

But if it's her you want
I don't care about that
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat
You can have my girl
But don't touch my hat

Once upon a time ago
Way up in the land of sleet and snow
How this fairy would go
I could not have know

I had searched around this world so mean
From Livingstone to Palestine
Trying to pursue my dream
Of love

It was then I met this girl so fine
She made me think so fast I left my thoughts behind
And I tried to pass for a sophisticated
Northern man

I said yes my dear, I know exactly what you mean
Because there's not so much I haven't done or seen
And may I say your eyes are the lovliest
Shade of Jade

I said well come on baby
Come on baby
Come on baby

It was then I knew I had made my first mistake
She did not even start to wait
As she turned around to walk away
This is what she had to say

She told me man I come from way down South
I've got a picket fence with a picket house
And I don't need no fast talking Northern man
Like you around

I said well come on baby
Come on baby
Come on baby

Honey I don't know what you just heard
But Alabama is my favorite word
And Birmingham
Is a long way from here

I could see the light began to shine
She turned back around her eyes met mine
And suddenly the whole world became
A better place

Even if it was only for an instant
Because it was then I knew I had made my
Second mistake

She told me man that was a real good try
But Alabama's not where I reside
I come from where the river is wide
And the crawfish hide

I said well come on baby
Come on baby
Come on baby

Honey I don't know what you just heard
But Louisiana is my favorite word
And New Orleans
Is a long way from here

She just looked at me and shook her head
Your lines are pretty sad she said
You are a lonely, weak, pathetic man
If this is doing the best you can

It was then I knew I had made my third mistake
Yes three strikes right across the plate
And as I hollered honey please wait
She was gone

I said well come on baby
Come on baby
Come on baby

Honey I don't know what you just heard
Bartender set 'em up are my favorite words
Because the love I need
Is a long way from here

Oh the love I need
Is a long way from here

Yes well there I sat so all alone
Like a king who sits upon his throne
And whose kingdom may have just gone home
With another kingdom

So as you can imagine much to my surprise
When the door was flung back open wide
It was a miracle
She walked inside
And pulled her chair up next to me

And that's when she knew
She had made her
First mistake

Honey I don't know what you just heard
But come on baby
Are my favorite words
And where we're going
Is a long way from here

And where we're going
Is a long way from here

So like I said before
I could not have known
How this fairy tale would finally go
Still the only certain thing for sure
Is what I do not know

So like the years and all the seasons pass
And like the sand runs through the hour glass
I just keep on running faster
Chasing the happily
I am ever after

I just keep on running faster
Chasing the happily
I am ever after

Way down yonder on the bayou
There lives a little girl-o
Skin so pale
Six feet high
Skinny as a rail
Just one eye

She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona

Her daddy gone to heaven
Her mama won't like you
Her brother he's crazy
He just might bite you
Her sister she's pretty
But she just won't do

She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona

Oh you can say she gonna love you
Because you made a little voodoo
Oh but what they didn't tell you
Is it ain't up to you dude

You better not cross her
You try to boss her
Then you better duck Mister
Here come a cup and saucer

She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona

So if you're going to the bayou
Man I'll tell you all I know
She's got skin so pale
She's six feet high
And she'll look right through you
With just one eye

She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona
She's the one-eyed Fiona

(Lyle Lovett, Willis Alan Ramsey, and Alison Rogers)

You say you're not from Texas
Man as if I couldn't tell
You think you pull your boots on right
And wear your hat so well

So pardon me my laughter
'Cause I sure do understand
Even Moses got excited
When he saw the promised land

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

See I was born and raised in Texas
And it means so much to me
Though my girl comes from down in Georgia
We were up in Tennessee

And as we were driving down the highway
She asked me baby what's so great
How come you're always going on
About your Lone Star State

I said that's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

Oh the road it looked so lovely
As she stood there on the side
And she grew smaller in my mirror
As I watched her wave goodbye

Those boys from Carolina
They sure enough could sing
But when they came on down to Texas
We all showed them how to swing

Now David's on the radio
And old Champ's still on the guitar
And Uncle Walt he's home with Heidi
Hiding in her loving arms

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

They're OK in Oklahoma
Up in Arkansas they're fair
But those old folks in Missouri
They don't even know you're there

But at a dance hall down in Texas
That's the finest place to be
The women they all look beautiful
And their men will buy your beer for free

And they'll say that's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

So won't you let me help you Mister
Just pull your hat down the way I do
And buy your pants just a little longer
And next time somebody laughs at you

You just tell 'em you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
That's right you're not from Texas
But Texas wants you anyway

Late nights in musty motel rooms
Stale lives left by someone else
White lies I wish I could tell you
And questions I ask of myself

Why do I do the things that make me sorry
Why do I do the things that make you cry
Will I lose your love to another
Who loves you better than I

The angels smile when you're praying
But the devil laughs when you lie
And some things they go without saying
When tears fill up your eyes

Why do I do the things that make me sorry
Why do I do the things that make you cry
Will I lose your love to another
Who loves you better than I

Some questions beg for an answer
Like a poet begs for a rhyme
Somehow all I can remember
Is holding your hand in mine

Late nights in musty motel rooms
Stale lives left all alone
He's telling you how he wants you
And I'm praying he doesn't know

Why I do the things that make me sorry
Why I do the things that make you cry
If I could lose your love to another
Who loves you better than I

Who loves you better than I

And his hand it fell behind her
As his arm it reached around
And she looked at the window
And she watched the shade go down

It was a private conversation
No one heard her say
That the man she left behind her
Was two thousand miles away

Singing boy pick up that fiddle
And play that steel guitar
And find yourself a lady
And dance right where you are

There was a lonely girl from nowhere
With a smile all sweet with pain
And she never stopped to wonder
If she'd see him again

It was a private conversation
No one heard her say
That man that she was looking for
Was only twenty streets away

Singing boy pick up that fiddle
And play that steel guitar
And find yourself a lady
And dance right where you are

And the band it just kept playing
As she came walking in
And he never stopped to wonder
If he'd see her again

It was a private conversation
No one heard him say
That girl he left behind him
Was two thousand miles away

He just sang boy pick up that fiddle
And play that steel guitar
And find yourself a lady
And dance right where you are

And the moral of this story
Is I guess it's easier said than done
To look at what you've been through
And to see what you've become

It's a private conversation
No one hears you say
It's a private conversation

And his hand it fell behind her
As his arm it reached around
And she looked at the window
And she watched the shade go down

It was a private conversation
No one heard her say
It was a private conversation
No one heard him say
It was a private conversation
No one heard her say
It was a private conversation

Promises given
And promises broken
Words stain my lips
Just like blood on my hands

And words are like poison
That sinks down inside you
And some things you do
You just don't understand

I offer no reason
I ask for no pity
I make no excuse
For the way that I am

And words are like poison
That sinks down inside you
And some things you do
You just don't understand

I God is my witness
Then God is my savior
But if you are my judge
Then I'm already damned

And words are like poison
That sinks down inside you
And some things you do
You just don't understand

And would if my fingers
To cut off and give you
Could gain my redemption
I'd cut off my hands

But words are like poison
That bends you and blinds you
And some things you do
You just don't understand

So this is my story
And I hope that it finds you
For your sweet attention
I cannot demand

And words are like poison
That lives down inside you
And some things you do
You just don't understand

Tell your mama I love her
Tell your daddy I tried
Tell them I wish that I could explain
The way that I'm feeling

See the sun comes up on the pavement
The pavement it starts to sweat
The steam rises up from the water
And the hotter it is you know the harder it gets

And it ought to be easier
When you turn your lights down low
And it ought to be easier
To leave when you know that you have to go

I know you don't believe me
And I know you don't understand
But honey the way that you treat me
I can't even tell who I am

And you tell me I'm the one you're not to blame
And you tell me I make you feel the same way
And we talk in circles but we never say
It's just out of weakness that both of us stay

And it ought to be easier
When you turn your lights down low
And it ought to be easier
To leave when you know that you have to go

I look at you when you're sleeping
And I think about how it could be
If you would wake up and open your arms
And hold me

But you look at me when you wake up
With eyes that are angry and mean
And I turn away and walk into the kitchen
And I pray for the strength to leave

Because it ought to be easier
When you turn your lights down low
And it ought to be easier
To leave when you know that you have to go
To leave when you know that you have to go

So tell your mama I love her
I hope she knows that I tried
Tell her I wish that I could explain
The way that I'm feeling

See the suns comes up on the pavement
The pavement it starts to sweat
The steam rises up from the water
And the hotter it is you know the harder it gets
The hotter it is you know the harder it gets
The hotter it is you know the harder it gets

This Georgia road is red
The Georgia sky is blue
And it looks just like the sky
That carried me to you
The good Lord up in heaven knows
What I've been going through
And he's whispering to me
That I'll get over you

My angel in distress
You look OK to me
I'll send you my address
I could easily stay with you
On your side of heaven's door
'Cause I don't love you any less
But I can't love you anymore

It's Tuscaloosa, Birmingham
Or Baton Rouge
Hell I don't know just where I'm at
To tell the truth
But the good Lord up in heaven knows
What you've been going through
And he's whispering to me
That he'll take care of you

My angel in distress
You look OK to me
I'll send you my address
When I know what it will be
I could easily stay with you
On your side of heaven's door
'Cause I don't love you any less
But I can't love you anymore

My angel in distress
You look OK to me
I'll send you my address
When I know what it will be
I could easily stay with you
On your side of heaven's door
'Cause I don't love you any less
But I can't love you anymore

I don't love you any less
But I can't love you anymore

Well I'm a long tall Texan
I wear a ten-gallon hat
(He rides from Texas wearing a ten-gallon hat)
Yes I'm a long tall Texan
I wear a ten-gallon hat
(He rides from Texas wearing a ten-gallon hat)
Well people look at me and they say
Is that your hat
(He rides from Texas wearing a ten-gallon hat)

Well I'm a long tall Texan
I ride a big white horse
(He rides from Texas on a big white horse)
Yes I'm a long tall Texan
I ride a big white horse
(He rides from Texas on a big white horse)
Well people look at me and they say
Is that your horse
(He rides from Texas on a big white horse)

Well I was walking down the street
With my shiny badge
My spurs jingling there at my feet
I seen a man a'coming
Coming with a gun and
I just can't be beat

Yes I'm a long tall Texan
I enforce justice for the law
(He rides from Texas to enforce the law)
Well I'm a long tall Texan
I enforce justice for the law
(He rides from Texas to enforce the law)
Well people look at me and they say
Is you the law
(He rides from Texas to enforce the law)

Well I'm a long tall Texan
Yes I'm a long tall Texan
1

The girl at the grocery she's pretty and seems nice
But she looks right through me with eyes cold as ice
She never answers when I ask her name
She only says I should have a great day

But hey what could she mean by that
Perhaps I'm the fool she takes me for
Not anything more

I guess it's the season the time of the year
When people they're happy and full of good cheer
Well they'll wish you and kiss you and wish you again
And they'll tell you it's peace and good will to all men

But hey what could they mean by that
Perhaps I'm the fool they take me for
Not anything more

We stood at the altar and you held my hand
And everyone watched as the preacher he asked
Will you take him and love him for bad and for good
You looked at me then you told him you would

But hey what did you mean by that
Perhaps I'm the fool you take me for
Not anything more

Now each Christmas morning I sit in my chair
And I look up at the angels that float through the air
Some look down upon me, some come to my side
And they tell me that Jesus he said to say hi

As I lay sick and broken
Viva Mexico
My eyes just won't stay open
And I dream a dream of home
I dream a dream of home

Where coffee's on the table
And there's kindness in your hand
Honey I'll help you rightly
But right now I'm feeling bad
Right now I'm feelling bad

Listen to your heart that beats
And follow it with both your feet
And as you walk and as you breathe
You ain't no friend to me
You ain't no friend to me

And the Road to Ensenada
Is plenty wide and fast
If you head south from Tijuana
Then I'll see you at last
I'll see you at last

But my eyes they open slowly
And they look around the room
The old man seems worried
And there ain't no sign of you
A'int no sign of you

Listen to your heart that beats
And follow it with both your feet
And as you walk and as you breathe
You ain't no friend to me
Ain't no friend to me

You can offer to the righteous
The good that you have won
But down here among the unclean
The good just comes undone
The good just comes undone

The sisters at the borderline
They're holding out their hands
They're begging me for something Lord
But I don't understand
I don't understand

So it's adios to Alvarado
Tell him to stay between the lines
And if he sees that Gabriella girl
Tell her I'll look her up next time
I'll look her up next time

Because the road to Ensenada
Is plenty wide and fast
And this time through Tijuana
Well, it won't be my last
It won't be my last

Listen to your heart that beats
And follow it with both your feet
And as you walk and as you breathe
You ain't no friend of me

I said howdy there lady
This sure is some party
I've never seen anything
Like this before
She said howdy there honey
It's just barely started
If you think this is something
Just stand here some more

Then she looked at me
Then she laughed at me
Then she lifted her glass to me
And the rest they say is history

I said that girl in the corner
She looks so pretty
Oh the girls all around her
She makes 'em look plain
Lady I need a drink
Can I bring you another
I'm hoping these bubbles
They might know her name

Well she looked at me
Then she laughed at me
Then she handed her glass to me
And the rest they say is history

But when I returned
Champagne in my hands
There stood two strangers
Where we both did stand
And the lady was gone
And the evening wore on
And the girl in the corner
Was never alone

But she looked at me
Then she smiled at me
Then she turned her eyes away from me
And the rest they say is history

Tim he was tall
And Susan was smart
And Francis she looked
Like a fine work of art
Melissa was sad
But that made her sweet
And Dan and Elaine
Had the world at their feet

Debra had Pliny
Lisa had Tony
And the girl in the corner
She could've had anybody
Richard was cool
And Tubb he was funny
And the tarot card lady
She had everyone's money

So I said my goodbyes
When it came time to leave
And as I walked out
Someone pulled at my sleeve
She said honey we never did officially meet
But I sure am happy you came

She said that girl in the corner
She's more than pretty
And man you're not the first
To look over her way
But if you still wanted
I could introduce you
But you never will be the same

Then she looked at me
Then she laughed at me
Then she extended her hand to me
And the rest they say is histroy