(With Seth and Scott Avett)
Well it struck me how cold the rain was
But I didn't look for cover at all
I just stood there
Face to face with my love
Watching her teardrops fall
And sad as it was
Her blue eyes inspired me
And switched on a light in my mind
And when she was gone
I wrote down a song
To claim the moment as mine
But Willie got there first
Put heartache and heartbreak
Into a verse
Like an alchemist turning
His sorrow to gold
Lyrics like maps for a soul
Eloquent truth
In a common man's words
I have such a good idea for a song
But Willie got there first
Well, the phases and stages
Of life they've been changing
And I was sure changing too
The rivers of whiskey
And Bloody Mary mornings
Were causing my plans to fall through
When I was down
I met me an angel
Flying too close to the ground
And we rose up together
And the victory moved me
To make a musical sound
But Willie got there first
Put falling in love
To a beautiful verse
Like the brush strokes
Of a renaissance master so bold
Still lifes of cold black and gold
Breath taking country side
Landscapes of words
I have such a good idea for a song
But Willie got there first
The rhymes are already written
The rhythm laid down by the band
The melodys already
Been brought to life
By the piano players right hand
Bobby play it pretty
Leave that harp solo in
And Mickey take us
Home one more time
Then lets get on the road again
I'm crazy for feeling so lonely
With my family and so many friends
I know how it is
With life as with love
When one ends another begins
To live well you must be tougher than leather
And tender as a babe in a manger
Lets lift up a glass
Of yesterdays wine
And cheers to the red headed stranger
Cause Willie got there first
Fit God and the devil
Into the same verse
Like a preacher man
Letting his Sermon unfold
A tune like a cure for the soul
The truth in a cowboys words
I have such a good idea for a song
But Willie got there first
Willie got there first
