Wendy Bucklew Road Trip
He's got one hand on the steering wheel The other's playing in the wind And he turns up that song he used to love But was always embarrassed to admit And he sings out loud and clear But only out here. He's passing up the fruit stands and tourist traps He saves his money for convenient-store coffee, smokes, and gas Knows a sure-fire way and has the will of his want He says, "This time things are gonna be different" "This time I'm gonna do as I pleases" He signals right on a random exit That ol' time warp came into view He said, "I'll have the 99-cent breakfast And coffee brewed to wake the dead" And hands back a sticky menu The waitress calls him "honey" My God, she must've worked here All her life And he started missing home 'Til he remembered why he'd left, Sat back and reset his sights And he wants The world to hold him like a baby Never treat him like a child He thinks his tears are some big secret The only one kept by the night Only at night So he picks a dream--any dream Follows it for a while then says, "It's just not me" "No, I'm not running. I'l well on my way" He still has her picture on his dash Yeah, that tramp gave back his ring But every time he's near a pay phone he's tempted again He could call as just a friend, lift his voice and mask his pain But he won't give her the satisfaction No, he won't lower himself again. He says, "This time things are gonna be different" So he calls me collect about 12 am his time And he said that job fell through But there's another one across the line And I asked, already knowing, if he was okay And he said, "Yeah. It's just--sometimes..." So I hugged best I could with words And with a shrug in his voice that couldn't fool a stranger He finally got around to asking, "Did she ask about me?" I wish I could have said "yes".
