Ghost On The Radio
There’s a ghost on the radio whispering through the white noise
A mean face asking “are you listening?”
There’s water ‘neath the bridge laughing at the pillars
And the interstate is slitherin’ sideways
Got gears grinding down that I can’t say now
From a soulless invitation of a human being
Got a fine pair a shoes trying not to use them
‘Cause my mama never raised no runaway
No runaway
There’s some trash on the exit ramp.
The crows are picking through it
There’s an abandoned cardboard sign
In sloppy handwriting in a heavy black marker
Says “I’m broke and I’m hungry and I need a ride”
But the sun he don’t care, he’s going down
And painting pretty colors in the evening sky
There’s a crack in the blacktop. Grass growing up
Just waiving at the trucks blowing by
Blowing by
There’s a little kid standing by the gas pump
Just wondering where his mama has gone
And she’s just inside buying cigarettes
And waiting for the car to fill up
And the smell of sulfur from a papermill
Getting blown in from another town
See, this kid had eyes like he’d never smiled
And I forgot to block him out
Lord, block him out
Wind coming in from the window going down and the sound drowning out the radio
All the trees look tired while the air stands still
The only breeze is me blowing through
Pass a pawn shop, a quick stop
A mom and pop restaurant with an empty parking lot
See mom and pop left when the fast food came in
And found that they could not keep up
Lord, keep up
So, I turned a road where the speed limit’s slower
And the road paint turned into a mowed lawn
Where the fence come up and the trees are young
And civilized people ain’t civil at all
In the broad day light, I can wave as I roll by
And watch the heads just turn away
Where the land has been tamed and the houses look the same
And the neighbors don’t even know each other’s name
And the neighbors don’t even know each other’s name
There’s a ghost on the radio whispering through the white noise
A mean face asking “are you listening?”
There’s water ‘neath the bridge laughing at the pillars
And the interstate is slitherin’ sideways
Got gears grinding down that I can’t say now
From a soulless invitation of a human being
Got a fine pair of shoes trying not to use them
‘Cause my mama never raised no runaway
No runaway
No runaway
No runaway