Shine it on, my man, forget your troubles if you can
I'll hold you 'till the dawn, shine it on, shine it on
You've been too long on the road and you're ready to explode
Come and lighten up your load, shine it on

We had love and not much more but dreams just for free
We sure got lost there, dad and mom and me
He'd let me steer on straight a ways as we drove from town to town
We knew that daddy's gypsy blood wouldn't let him settle down

There were times he'd sit right down, just plain hang his head
But he'd always lift it up and smile whenever mama said
Shine it on, my man, forget your troubles if you can
I'll hold you 'till the dawn, shine it on, shine it on
You've been too long on the road and you're ready to explode

Papa's gone, but lord, his blood is running through my veins
Mama's gone to find him, so she can't ease my pain
Another woman holds me now, in a little different way
Now I know why papa smiled, when he heard mama say