I was 18 on the 4th of July
We were cracking open bottles of homemade wine
Watching fireworks and making out in the yard
I thought about the future and I didn’t see no cubical jobs or college degrees
That’s the first time I picked up daddy’s guitar

Sneak up on me like a sideways rain
Blow me around like a hurricane
Leave me chapped and blistered from your wind
Tie me down in front of a train
Laugh as I squirm and strain
Leave me torn to pieces once again

When I was 23, I headed west, bound for somewhere in Texas
But wound up walking to LA
There was nothing there for a Southern man, so I packed my bags and turned around
And made it back home in about five days

We could count the birds across the wire
Or listen to the sound of screeching tires
The party turned debauchery
Enough to resurrect the Dead Sea
And it left me drowning in your wake
Only a wounded heart at stake

They say that you only live thrice
And the next time I commit suicide
It might could be my last day’s end
When you leave me torn to pieces once again