Chely Wright Album

Different day, different town
Set it up to tear it down
Oh I ain't been home in almost fifty days
Houston Baton Rouge
Poor girl's gotta pay her dues
And the speeder bus is always driving away

Oh I love what I do
But I wonder what I do it all for
But when I sing, they sing along
I forget where I am
But I know where I belong
The reason why I'm standing here
It's not the miles
It's not the pay
It's not the show
It's not the fame that makes this home
It's the song

Her birthday was in Alabama
Father's day was in Montana
And on Mother's day I was nowhere near the phone
Every hotel bed feels the same
As the last one where I stayed
And it's bending in my sheet
And falling asleep alone

Oh I love what I do
But I wonder what I do it all for
When I sing, they sing along
I forget where I am
But I know where I belong
The reason why I'm standing here
It's not the miles
It's not the pay
It's not the show
It's not the fame that makes this home
It's the song

Dolly and Loretta
Maybe some Patsy Cline
I'm so lonesome I could cry
But when I sing, they sing along
I forget where I am
But I know where I belong
The reason why I'm standing here
It's not the ride
It's not the name
It's not just staying in the game
It's not the miles
It's not the pay
It's not the show
It's not the fame that makes this home
It's the song

(Written by Chely Wright and Liz Rose)

In the back of the bottom drawer
Of the dresser by our bed
Is a box of odds and ends that I have always kept
But the man who sleeps beside me
Doesn't know it's even there
Little pieces of my past
That I shouldn't have to share

A napkin that is stained with time
Has a poem on it that didn't quite rhyme, but it made me cry
In a "Dear Jane" letter from a different guy
He broke up with me and he told me I'm not always right
And a stolen key from an old hotel room door
In the back of the bottom drawer

I don't keep these things 'cause I'm longing to go back
I keep them because I want to stay right where I'm at
I'm reminded of my rights and wrongs
I don't want to mess this up
But I wouldn't know where I belong
Without this box of stuff

A birthday card from my first boyfriend
He signed it "I love you" so I gave in
Yeah, we went too far in his daddy's car
And those Mardi Gras beads from '98
We danced all night, stayed out so late
We thought we were stars, closing down the bars
That champagne was cheap but still I've got that cork
In the back of the bottom drawer

I'm not trying to hide these things from the man I love today
But I'm a better woman for him, thanks to my yesterdays

So now I try to give more than I take
And I bite my tongue, fight the urge to say it's my way
Or no way at all
And now I cherish love a whole lot more
'Cause of what's

I taught him how to talk to me
I showed him what a woman needs
A hand just to hold in the dark
He used to think it was enough
Sending flowers to show love
Now he knows he's gotta open his heart
And the saddest thing 'bout how it all came down
Is he's not here with me now

I got him ready for you
Look at all the things he can do
You can cry on his shoulder
He might even cry too
He's come a long long way
And it's tragic but true
I guess I've got him ready for you

I wouldn't say I have regrets
'bout the time that we both spent
If the truth be known, I'm a little better too
So when he does the little things, when he treats you like a queen
In a crazy way I'm bearing the rood
Ooh, I feel like I did all the fixing in mud
But you moved into our house of love

I got him ready for you
Look at all the things he can do
You can cry on his shoulder
He might even cry too
He's come a long long way
And it's tragic but true
I guess I've got him ready for you

I don't blame you, I'm not saying you stole him away from me
I just want you to know he's not the man he used to be, yeah

He's come a long long way
And it's tragic but true
I guess I've got him ready for you

On a Friday night where I grew up
There ain't a whole lot you can do
The same ole' faces the same ole' places
Ain't nothin' ever new

After the football game we'd hang around
The high school parking lot
Then we'd pile into a couple of cars
And head off to our favorite spot

Down to the river
We went to the river

My sophomore year was a carbon copy
Of the ones that came before
'Til a night in late November
That shook us all down to the core

We'd won the game by twenty points
Couldn't wait to celebrate
But our lead car was goin' way too fast
They never even hit the breaks

They went into the river
Deep in the river

We buried Laurie Mabrey
In the clothes that she'd been wearin'
Her cheerleader outfit never looked
So out of place

That sweater and that pleated skirt
Of blue and white and crimson
Just didn't belong in that shiny silver case

I moved here to Nashville
On May twelfth of eighty-nine
And I started gettin' letters once a week
From this friend of mine

I'd gone to school with Christine Thuro
From kindergarten on
She'd say, "Hang in there 'cause
I just know you're gonna be a star"

She and her boyfriend and a couple of kids
I guess she met through him
Set out for the Marais Des Cygne
To try to cool off by takin' a swim

There'd been a lot of rain that summer
And the current was too strong
I heard they did all they could
But Christine she was gone

Into the river
She died there in the river

I was baptized in that same water
Gave my soul to Jesus
How can such a peaceful place
Be filled with so much pain

'Cause two young mothers lost their daughters
Right there for no reason
I swear I'll never go down there again

Back to the river
That mean ole' river
That beautiful river
That damn ole' river
That damn ole' river

That damn ole' river
That beautiful river

We don't ever stay mad for long
And I guess I've always liked that 'bout us
We usually end up on the floor laughin'
Makin' fun of whatever it was

Passions run high and it might seem like sometimes
We don't get along

Baby that's just the way we do it
Fight a little fight but we get through it
When you're lovin' like this you hold on to it
Baby that's just the way we do it

If we hold back on what we're feelin'
We run the danger of growin' apart
Everybody knows that's how love goes
From good to bad in the beat of a heart

As long as we talkin', nobody's walkin' out
Right or wrong

Baby that's just the way we do it
Fight a little fight but we get through it
When you're lovin' like this you hold on to it
Baby that's just the way we do it

Baby that's just the way we do it
Fight a little fight but we get through it
When you lovin' like this you hold on to it
Baby that's just the way
Baby that's just the way we do it

Baby that's just the way we do it
Fight a little fight but we get through it
When you're lovin' like this you hold on to it
Baby that's just the way we do it

Baby we know what we're fighting for
Ain't nobody walking out that door

Baby that's just the way we do it
Fight a little fight but we get through it
When you're lovin' like this you hold on to it
Baby that's just the way we do it

(written by Chely Wright)

I've got a bright red sticker on the back of my car
Says United States Marines
And yesterday a lady in a mini-van held up a middle finger at me
Does she think she knows what I stand for
Or the things that I believe
Just by looking at a sticker for the U.S. Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

See, my brother Chris, he's been in for more than 14 years now
Our dad was in the Navy during Vietnam
Did his duty then he got out
And my grandpa earned his purple heart
On the beach of Normandy
That's why I've got a sticker for the U.S. Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

But that doesn't mean that I want war
I'm not Republican or Democrat
But I've gone all around this crazy world
Just to try and better understand
Yes, I do have questions
I get to ask them because I'm free
That's why I've got a sticker for the U.S. Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

'Cause I've been to Hiroshima
And I've been to the DMZ
I've walked on the sand in Baghdad
Still don't have all of the answers I need
But I guess I wanna know where she's been
Before she judges and gestures to me
'Cause she don't like my sticker for the U.S. Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

So I hope that lady in her mini-van
Turns on her radio and hears this from me
As she picks up her kids from their private school
And drives home safely on our city streets
Or to the building where her church group meets
Yeah, that's why I've got a sticker for the U.S. Marines

There's a rip in the elbow of the left sleeve
And one button doesn't match
You sewed that one on yourself and at the time it made me laugh
It's frayed on the collar, it's so old and faded out blue

And I'll never wash it
'Cause it smells so exactly like you when you left it
I'm sure you didn't think twice about it
But the irony is that I can't live without it

I wear your shirt like it's your arms around me
I put it on and you just surround me
It's so soft on my skin
Like the touch of your hands

So good it hurts, I should burn it I know
Tear it up I'm this close
But for the moment
I just can't let go of your shirt

It keeps me warm when I sleep
And those nights I don't
It keeps me company
I've got it on in the mornings having coffee
And after work when I'm watching TV

It's my comfort, it's my torture and, yes, I realize
It's just some worn out old fabric
But it's my consolation prize
And I'd be a wreck in a New York minute
If I think too long of how you held me in it

I wear your shirt like it's your arms around me
I put it on and you just surround me
It's so soft on my skin
Like the touch of your hands

So good it hurts
I should burn it, I know tear it up I'm this close
But for the moment
I just can't let go of your shirt

Your shirt, I love your shirt

I know you don't like me, don't like the things I do
The saddest part just might be that I don't like you too
You think you know my story well maybe you did for a little while
I guess that's the way it goes sometimes between
A mother and a child, a mother and a child

All my life you've reminded me how you struggled nine long months
Your aching back and your swollen feet how you almost lost me once
You say you gave up everything all the dreams you had
Told us kids we're the only reason you stayed there with our dad

And you want me to cry for you and you want me to feel the way you do
I'm sorry your life let you down but the fault it is not mine
It's not supposed to be like this between a mother and a child

You want me to just agree with everything you say
Call my dad the bad guy make him pay and pay and pay
It's really not my business it never was or will ever be
But I know nobody's perfect and that's counting you and me
Yeah that's counting you and me

I don't remember all that happened mama I was just a kid
But if it really was all that bad why do you wish I did?

You want me to cry for you I'll never feel the way you do
I'm sorry your life let you down but the fault it is not mine
It's not supposed to be this way between a mother and a child
Oh a mother and a child you're my mother and I'm your child yeah

It's so nice of you to call
To check on me today
It's ironic 'cause after all
You left me this way

You say feel a whole lot better
If I'd at least pick up the phone
'Cause it scares you when you hear my message
"I'm sorry I'm not home"

I'm on the southside of lonesome
I don't know my way back
I am confused and I am broken
Can't believe it hurts this bad

Yeah, the southside of lonesome
It's a little hard to find
But you'll know it when you get here
If you haven't lost your mind

I always did kind of wonder
If we ever were to part
Which one of us would be okay
Which one would fall apart

Well I guess I've got my answer now
It's painful and it's clear
I'm goin' places I have never known
God, it's worse than I ever feared

I'm on the southside of lonesome
I don't know my way back
I am confused and I am broken
Can't believe it hurts this bad

Yeah, the southside of lonesome
It's a little hard to find
But you'll know it when you get here
If you haven't lost your mind

I'm on the southside of lonesome
I don't know my way back
I am confused and I am broken
Can't believe it hurts this bad

Yeah, the southside of lonesome
It's a little hard to find
But you'll know it when you get here
If you haven't lost your mind
Yeah, you'll know it when you get here
If you haven't lost your mind

I've made you mad as hell, heard you yell
But I've never seen you cryin'
It's clear to us, it's serious
We've never been this close to dyin'

We've gotten way to reckless
With the love I thought we treasured
If we keep on like this
We just might miss forever

Baby, we never thought to swerve
It's like we drove straight into the curve
And, baby, we better hit the breaks and take it slow
Get these wheels back on the road

Why do I do what I do
When I don't know what I'm doin'?
I can see the hurt from the words
That I'm throwing as they hit you

Why can't I just shut my mouth
And take some time to breathe?
You'd think I'd know by now
To think before I speak

Baby, we never thought to swerve
It's like we drove straight into the curve
And, baby, we better hit the breaks and take it slow
Get these wheels back on the road

Our first kiss was in this car
And how'd we end up where we are?
Broken down in worlds apart

Baby, we never thought to swerve
It's like we drove straight into the curve
And, baby, we better hit the breaks, we better take it slow
And get these wheels back on the road
Get these wheels back on the road

It was a teenage wedding
And the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre
Did truly love the mademoiselle
Now the young monsieur and madame
Have rung the chapel bell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They furnished off an apartment
With a two room Roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed
With TV dinners and gingerale
But when Pierre found work
The little money comin' worked out well
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They had a Hi-Fi phono
And boy did they let it blast
Seven hundred little records
All rock rhythm and jazz
But when the sun went down
The rapid tempo of the music fell
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They bought a souped-up jitney
Was a cherry-red '53
Drove it down to Orleans
To celebrate their anniversary
It was there that Pierre
Was wedded to the lovely mademoiselle
"C'est la vie" say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell
It goes to show you never can tell

I'm not afraid of growing old
Or dying young or never finding someone
And I'm not scared of the great unknown
Or being alone when it's all said and done
I'm braver than I used to be
But there's still some things in life that terrify me

What about a phone call in the middle of the night
You whispering so she can't overhear you telling me
You still want me desperately
What about a knock on the door at 3 AM
Don't have to hear your voice
To know you've been drinking
What if my hand opens the door and lets you in
Oh no what if I can't say no again

I drive right by that old restaurant
The one we used to haunt
Without turning my head
And I don't think twice about killing the lights
Yeah I sleep through the nights
Without you in my bed
And knowing I don't need you here
Should leave me nothing to fear

What about a phone call in the middle of the night
You whispering so she can't overhear you telling me
You still want me desperately
What about a knock on the door at 3 AM
Don't have to hear your voice
To know you've been drinking
What if my hand opens the door and lets you in
Oh no what if I can't say no again

What about a phone call in the middle of the night
You whispering so she can't overhear you telling me
You still want me desperately
What about a knock on the door at 3 AM
Don't have to hear your voice
To know you've been drinking
What if my hand opens the door and lets you in
Oh no what if I can't say no again

Oh no what if I can't say no again