[Intro]
His daddy said, son you ought to quit dreaming
Put your feet on the ground and your future in the hands of the Lord
But the boy said, no, that isn't enough dad

[Chorus]
All you got here is a ceiling, four walls and a floor

[Verse 1]
He left his home in Buckalou County
He went thumbing and sleeping on the roadside living in jeans
Along about Pittsburgh he got him a good job
Bought him a brand new Malibu Chevy that was part of his dreams
He met a pretty girl, she was thinking of a family
He bought a lot of tapes for his Malibu Chevy, but he didn't want more
And the pretty girl said, boy you ought to slow down

[Chorus]

[Verse 2]
He did a little drinking, he did a little gambling
Shot a little nine ball, bet a little money on the football games
He picked up a habit, he got it on the sidewalk
His habit got bigger, but his weekly paycheck stayed the same
His daddy wrote letters but he never answered
The pretty girl begged him to give up the habit and to work on a change
It was a real small gun and a real small robbery
They locked him up and they traded him a number for his name
It isn't big news, it isn't a big story
You didn't see it in the paper, so I guess we ought to put it in a song
The boy got hooked and he couldn't get unhooked
And it's happening somewhere now and maybe that's what's wrong
[Outro]
His daddy said son you ought to quit dreaming