I drove up I-65 to the downtown exit,
And I felt I had arrived.
I found myself walkin’ up 2nd Avenue.
I laid my case down at my feet,
And tucked in a doorway of that busy street.
I started playin’ and waitin’ for dreams to come true.
The water was high, and I could smell it from here,
And all the southern belles and the cheap beer.
The Bellsouth tower was silhouetted in black,
And aside from velvet thunder, it was the only thing with a color like that,
At least this close to the Wild Horse Saloon.
But that old muddy river continued to rise
As I played and was paid by the distaste in their eyes.
It must’ve been them old-timey tunes.
Nashville, who will save you from yourself
Now that you’ve k**ed Hank Williams?
It hadn’t rained for over a week,
So noone could explain why the Cumberland was on Broadway Street
Headin’ up to the Ryman Opry House,
But I heard Hank’s songs in the waves as they would break.
He was singin’ sad and sayin’ it was too late.
They’d already sold their souls off just like Faust.
Nashville, who will save you from yourself,
Now that you’ve k**ed Hank Williams?
I’ll sail away with the legacy on my guitar case,
Singin’ your eulogy,
And I hope you can float on top of your millions.