Dirt roads and dryland farming
Might be the death of me
But I can’t leave this world behind

And my debts are not like prison
Where there’s hope of getting free
Oh, but I can’t leave this world behind

And I’ve been from here to Lawrence, Kansas
Trying to leave my state of mind
Trying to leave this awful sadness
But I can’t leave this world behind

South of Delia, there’s a patch
Out back by the willow trees
Oh, I can’t leave this world behind

It’s a fenced in piece of nothing
I hear voices on my knees
And I can’t leave this world behind

Some prophecies are self-fulfilling
But I’ve had to work for all of mine
Better times will come to me, God willing
'Cause I can’t leave this world behind
This world must be frightening
Everybody’s on the run
And I can’t leave this world behind

And my house is a wooden one
And it's built on a wooden one
Seems I can’t leave this world behind

Preacher says that when the master calls us
He’s going to give us wings to fly
But my wings are made of hay and corn husks
So I can’t leave this world behind