Songs for Lonesome Cowboys

Mood Red · 2026 · Country · 18 tracks

Eighteen tracks for the long haul. Dusty roads, open skies, and stories from the edge of nowhere.

Tracklist

  1. Dancing Time
  2. Easy Come Easy Go!
  3. Can't Kill Him Now
  4. Always
  5. Driving 'Till I'm Gone
  6. Home Between
  7. Without You Here
  8. Black Seam
  9. One More
  10. Ghost Rider
  11. Naptime
  12. Six Foot Hole
  13. Open Range
  14. Last Train Out
  15. Met My Wife
  16. What's Wrong With Us
  17. Mountain Runner
  18. Song for a Lonesome Cowboy

Lyrics

Dancing Time

Well I worked all week down at the mill
Got paid on Friday, got time to kill
Called up my baby, said "what you say?
Let's kick the dust up, throw the week away"
I want to go out and dance with you
Baby Doll you know that's what we should do
Come on over and we'll be fine
When we go out it's dancing time
Put on your dress, the one I like
The blue one with the flowers, fits you just right
I'll slick my hair back, shine my shoes
We'll hit the honky tonk and blow them blues
Don't need no money, just need the band
Don't need nothing but your little hand
Spin you around til the sun comes up
Can't get enough, no I can't get enough
The band's playing loud and the floor's packed tight
Ain't going home, no, not tonight
You and me, baby, feeling so free
Ain't no place that I'd rather be
I want to go out and dance with you
Baby Doll you know that's what we should do
Come on over and we'll be fine
When we go out it's dancing time
Yeah when we go out it's dancing time
Come on baby, it's dancing time!

Easy Come Easy Go!

I met you in a hayfield
Sunny day in July
You were going nowhere
Could I take you for a ride...
The day smelled like sunshine
Radio playing in between
You didn't know the words
Prettiest thing I ever seen
Easy come, easy go
We didn't even know
Time was after us, after all
What the future wouldn't hold
We stopped in a small town
Sun was shining all along
You said that, and I knew that
The time for love isn't long
Some days, when I think back
Wonder if I said it wrong
Maybe nothing, maybe somethin'
I could have done...
I'm still working in that hayfield
The summer sun shining down
No sad songs, no regrets
Just the memories I found
Easy come, easy go
We didn't even know
Time was after us, after all
What the future wouldn't hold

Can't Kill Him Now

I thought I might kill him
But I wondered how
And the feeling passed
Can't kill him now
He left his boots by the door
His whiskey on the shelf
I had a plan all figured out
Then I poured one for myself
The shovel's in the garden
The river's running deep
But I got tired of thinking
And then I fell asleep
Can't kill him now
The moment's gone somehow
I was mad as hell at midnight
But it's morning now
Love's a funny thing I guess
Can't kill him now
He came home with flowers
Said "baby I was wrong"
Hid the rope behind my back
And so I played along
He's snoring on the sofa
Looks almost sweet
I'll keep my options open
Find a poison for him to eat
Maybe next Tuesday
If he forgets again
I'll revisit my plans
He's safe until then...
Can't kill him now
The moment's gone somehow
I was mad as hell at midnight
But it's morning now
Love's a funny thing I guess
Can't kill him now

Always

I've always loved you, my darling
I've always said that I care
I've always been your sweetheart
But now you're no longer here
I kept your ring on my finger
I kept your picture by my bed
I kept believing you'd come home
But you found someone else instead
No longer here
No longer mine
I gave you all my years
And you gave me all your lies
No longer here
The house still smells like your jacket
Your coffee cup's by the door
I set the table for two
But you don't live here anymore
I've always loved you, my darling
That part will always be true
I just can't understand, sweetheart
How you stopped loving me too
I've always... loved you... my darling
I've always... said... that I care
I've always... been... your sweetheart
But now... you're no longer... here

Driving 'Till I'm Gone

Going down on I-40
Radio playing low
Don't know where I'm headed
Don't know where to go
Left today the state line
Left tomorrow in the dust
Everything I needed
Turned out to be rust
Driving til I'm gone
Til there's no one left to be
Driving til I'm gone
Til there's nothing left of me
Used to think I mattered
Used to think I knew
Used to be so heavy
Now it's falling through
Headlights on the dotted line
Engine humming low
The less I am the lighter
The further I can go
Sadness was a suitcase
Ego was a chain
Left them at a truck stop
Somewhere west of pain
Stars out like diamonds
On a black velvet hood
Got nothing left now
And nothing feels real good
Driving til I'm gone
Til there's no one left to be
Driving til I'm gone
Driving til I'm free
No you, no me
No place left to be
If you want to come along
Then maybe we'll see

Home Between

Head out east on Monday
Come back again on Friday
Two keys in my pocket
And neither one is mine
There's a bed back in the city
Sheets I bought myself
There's a bed out in the country
Where I sleep like someone else
In-between
Between two lives
In-between
Don't know where my future lies

One place has my name
One place has my things
But I left myself somewhere
In-between
Phone calls come from one side
Asking when I'm back
Phone calls from the other
Which way do I tack?
I keep both places clean
I keep the lights on low
I moving on in-between them
It's all that I know
Maybe home is just driving
Maybe home is the sky
Maybe home was a feeling
I let go passing by
In-between
Between two lives
In-between
Don't know where my future lies

I left myself somewhere
I left myself somewhere
I left myself somewhere
On the road

Without You Here

I've been to Paris
I've been to Spain
I've been to dive bars
I can't even name
But every time I raise a glass
I think of you, first and last
I drink champagne
I drink beer
But I never drink
Without you here
Top shelf or bottom
It's all the same
It's all the same
Every sip I take
I toast your name
Friday night or Sunday noon
Corner booth or hotel room
Fancy wine or cheap tequila
Nothing hits until I see ya
They can pour me something strong
They can play my favorite song
But the party doesn't start
Til you walk in with my heart
So come on baby, through that door
Give me something to be thirsty for
The band is hot, the night is young
And this drink's for you, you're the only one
Whiskey neat or gin and lime
Prohibition or modern time
Don't matter what's in my cup
If you ain't here to drink it up
I've closed down bars in Tennessee
Raised a glass in New Orleans
But the sweetest drink I ever had
Was a cheap cold one with you, and that ain't bad
I drink champagne
I drink beer
But I never drink
Without you here
Top shelf or bottom
Coast to coast
Baby, you're the one
I want to toast
You're the one I toast!

Black Seam

Daddy went down in the mountain
When he was just fifteen
Came back up with coal dust lungs
And nothing in between
Now I'm down in that same hole
Crawling on my knees
Digging out the black seam
Like some kind of disease
Black seam
Black lung
Black coffee before the sun
I give this mountain everything
And it gives me none
Black seam
My hands look like my daddy's now
My back bends like his too
He said "son, get out of here"
But what else can I do?
The company owns the houses
The company owns the store
The company owns my future
Can't find the door
Sunlight's just a memory
By the time I see the sky
Stars are out, I'm heading home
Too tired to ask why
They'll bury me in this mountain
Same as all the rest
A pickaxe for a headstone
Coal dust in my chest
Black seam
Black lung
Black coffee before the sun
I gave this mountain everything
And it gave me none
Black seam
Black seam
Lord, black seam

One More

Pour me one more
Before the night is gone
We're talking in circles
Might as well carry on
The bottle's low
The stars are bright
Ain't no place to be
So let's drink tonight
One more round
One more song
One more reason
To not go home
The whiskey's warm
The company's right
One more round
Before we say goodnight
You tell me your secrets
I'll tell you mine
The truth comes easy
After glass number nine
We ain't solving nothing
We ain't making plans
Just two people drinking
Doing what we can
Morning's gonna find us
Right here where we sit
Worse for wear maybe
But I won't regret
So fill my glass darlin'
Let the world spin on
Nights are made for staying
Til the whiskey's gone
One more round
One more song
One more reason
To not go home
The whiskey's warm
The company's right
One more round
One more round
For us tonight.

Ghost Rider

I see you sometimes
When the sun goes down
Riding on the ridge
Never making a sound
Dust don't rise
Beneath your horse's feet
You tip your hat my way
Like we're about to meet
Ghost rider
Where'd you go?
Left me here
With this heart you know
I wait on the porch
When the light turns gold
Missing you, my love
Who the desert stole
Your boots are by the door
Where you left them last
Your coffee cup still sits there
Holding on to the past
Folks say I'm crazy
Talking to the wind
But I know you're out there
Riding back again
Some nights I hear you
Whisper through the sage
Telling me you love me
From some other age
I'll keep the lantern lit
I'll keep your side of the bed
I'll keep on loving you
Long after we're both dead
Ghost rider
Where'd you go?
Left me here
With this heart you know
I wait on the porch
When the light turns gold
Missing you, my love
Who the desert stole
My ghost rider
Ride on home

Naptime

My boss wants a meeting
My wife wants to talk
The kids need money
The dog wants a walk
But I got a date
With my pillowcase
Nap time's calling
I'm just sleeping late
I told my mama
I'd call her back
I told my buddy
I'd help him pack
But the couch is calling
It's siren song
Sorry but listen
I'm sleeping alone
Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
I snore like a horse
I drool in the pillows
Can't get much worse
The world can wait (WAIT!)
I'm checking out
Nap time, Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
That's what it's about
I set my alarm
Then I turned it off
I heard it ringing
And I said "get lost"
Three hours later
I don't know my name
Woke up confused
But I feel no shame
My shirt's all wrinkled
Got a crease on my face
Hair like a crime scene
All over the place
Day going sideways
Don't know what it is
This is the life
This is the biz
Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
I snore like a horse
I drool in the pillows
Can't get much worse
The world can wait (WAIT!)
I'm checking out
Nap time, Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
That's what it's about
Some folks go running
Some folks climb hills
I'm just a sleeper
And I got the skills
Olympic napper
Gold medal dreams
I sleep so hard
I forget what sleep means
So pull the blinds down
Unplug the phone
I'll put a sign
On the front door
I'll see you later
Or maybe I won't
Nap time's here
My eyes are shut
Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
I snore like a horse
I drool in the pillows
Can't get much worse
The world can wait (WAIT!)
I'm checking out
Oh Nap time (NAPS!)
That's what it's about
That's what it's about...

Six Foot Hole

I wake up at four
I'm out by five
Work til I'm wondering
If I'm alive
Sun goes down
I ain't done yet
Work all day
And what do I get?
Six foot hole (six foot hole)
That's where I'm going
Six foot hole (six foot hole)
And I keep on owing
Broke my back
Broke my hands
Dyin' slow
For the company man
Six foot hole
Punch the clock
Do it again
Same damn thing
Til God knows when
Paycheck comes
And paycheck goes
Where it all went
Hell if I know
Boss got a boat
Boss got a plane
I got a bad knee
And a lower back pain
He says "work harder"
From his leather seat
I say "yes sir"
On my broken feet
Gave 'em my twenties
Gave 'em my prime
Gave 'em my body
One day at a time
Forty years later
What's in my hand?
A gold-plated watch
And I can barely stand
They'll write in the paper
"He worked real hard"
Bury me out
In the back of the yard
Kids'll say
"Daddy did his best"
But all I did
Was work to death
Six foot hole (six foot hole)
That's where I'm going
Six foot hole (six foot hole)
And I keep on owing
Broke my back
Broke my soul
All I got's
A six foot hole
That's all any of us get...

Open Range

The sun is risin'
O'er the hill
My pony's ready
And time to kill
No place to be
No trail to find
Just the open range
And peace of mind
I tip my hat
To the mornin' sky
Watch the eagles
Soarin' high
A wanderin' man
Is what I be
The open range
Is home to me
Ride on, ride on
Beneath the sun
Ride on, ride on
Til day is done
No fence to mend
No brand to burn
Just the open range
At every turn
The campfire glows
Beneath the stars
My old guitar
And these here scars
I've rode a thousand
Lonesome miles
But the open range
Still makes me smile
They say "settle down
And find a home"
But I was born
To ride and roam
I'll tip my hat
And say "so long"
The open range
Is where I belong

Last Train Out

I hear that whistle
Comin' down the line
The 5:15
She's right on time
I got my bundle
I got my grin
New adventure's
About to begin
Station master
Tips his cap
I tip mine back
And laugh at that
Them wheels start singin'
And so do I
This town is shrinking
In my eye
Last train out
That's the one for me
Last train out
Lord, I'm finally free
Don't know where she's rollin'
But I don't care
Anywhere but here
Gets me there
I've swept the floors
I've paid my dues
I've worn the holes
Right through my shoes
But tonight I'm leavin'
With a smile
Gonna ride these rails
For a good long while
Mama said
"Boy, you're a fool"
I said "Mama,
That's pretty cool"
A fool sees things
Others don't see
And this fool's finally
Runnin' free
Maybe I'll land
In Tennessee
Maybe I'll stop
By the sea
Maybe I'll just
Keep on goin'
Long as that whistle
Keeps on blowin'
So long to the factory
So long to the boss
What they call leavin'
I call no loss
Wind in my face
Stars up above
This is the life
That I love
Last train out
That's the one for me
Last train out
Lord, I'm finally free
Don't know where she's rollin'
But I don't care
Anywhere but here
Gets me there
Ha ha! Gets me there!

Met My Wife

I walked into that room
She was standing there
I thought "well, that's my wife"
Plain as the air
Don't know how to explain it
Don't know what to say
Just knew it like I know
Night follows day
Just met my wife
All there is to say
Don't make it fancy
Knew it right away
Just met my wife
Nothing more to tell
Walked in a stranger
Now under her spell
Called my buddy up
Said "guess what I did"
He said "what now"
I said "met my wife"
He said "you're kidding"
I said "nope"
She takes her coffee black
Laughs at dumb stuff
Didn't ask for perfect
She's more than enough
Some folks write poems
Some folks make a scene
I just met my wife
You know what I mean
Ain't much of a story
Ain't much of a song
I just met my wife
And I wasn't wrong
I just met my wife
That's just what it is
Don't need to make it fancy
It's just the way it is
I just met my wife
Simple and true
Walked into that room
And there was you

What's Wrong With Us

You drink your whiskey neat
I take mine with ice
You say tomato
I say that's nice
We fight about the window
Open or closed
You run hot
I run cold
I love what's wrong with us
It ain't much but it's ours
Two people who don't fit
Still counting stars
We ain't perfect darling
Who'd want to be
I love what's wrong with us
You and me
You forget to call
I forget to care
We circle back around
And we're still there
Mama said find a good one
I said I did
He's good at being him
And that's enough to give
We don't match on paper
We don't make sense
But sense is overrated
And so is the fence
The neighbors sit on
We just wave and grin
They wonder how we work
We don't know where to begin
I love what's wrong with us
It ain't much but it's ours
Two people who don't fit
Still counting stars
We ain't perfect darling
Never gonna be
I love what's wrong with us
You and me

Mountain Runner

V8 engine screaming
Down the mountain road
Sheriff's in my mirror
But I ain't gonna slow
Dirt flying sideways
Trees a greenish blur
Running like a black bear
With a hound dog on her
GET IT
Daddy built this engine
Mama packed the jar
Grandpa drew the map out
To the county line and far
I got fire in my footwell
I got lightning in my hands
Ain't no law that's catching
What they don't understand
Mountain runner (Born to Fly)
Born to fly
Mountain runner (Do or die)
Do or die
Four wheels screaming (On that dirt)
On tha dirt
Ain't stoppin' til the engine's hurt
Mountain runner (Gone Gone)
Gone gone gone
AH HEY!
Took the curve at Copperhead
On two wheels and a prayer
Saw the deputy's face
And he was grabbing at his hair
I laughed so hard I nearly
Drove into the creek
But this old car knows the mountain
Better than I speak
HERE WE GO!
They set a roadblock up
By Miller's barn
I cut through Widow Johnson's
Corn and bought the farm
A few stalks ain't gonna stop me
When I'm running hot
This mountain runner's got
Everything they ain't ...
THEY AIN'T GOT!
Mountain runner
Born to fly
Mountain runner
Do or die
PICK IT TOO!
Moon's coming up now
I can see the state line
One more mile of madness
Then I'm drinking shine
Cross that line at midnight
Kill the lights and coast
Pull into the holler
Where they need me most
Unload the mason jars
Collect my pay
Mountain runner lives
To run another day
Mountain runner
Born to fly
Mountain runner
Do or die
Four wheels screaming
Through the night
Ain't nothing catches
What's born to flight
Mountain runner
Gone gone gone
GONE!
LET'S GO!

Song for a Lonesome Cowboy

The bar's closing down
Neon's going dim
Just me and my shadow
And this glass of gin
I don't know your story
You don't know mine
But if you're out there listening
You're doing just fine
This is a song for a lonesome cowboy
Out there somewhere tonight
You ain't gotta be brave
You ain't gotta be strong
Just a song for a lonesome cowboy
Ride on
The road gets long
The nights get cold
Here's to you, cowboy
Wherever you go
This is a song for a lonesome cowboy
Out there somewhere tonight
You ain't gotta be brave
You ain't gotta be strong
Just a song for a lonesome cowboy
Ride on
Ride on