Jimmy Rankin - Tripper lyrics

T'was a brisk autumn day They remember it well Tripper went strolling along He was merely a boy his mom's pride and joy So sure he could do no wrong Running down to the river and up by the tracks Pretending he was Jesse James With his fathers old hat a stick for a gun Tripper walked home in the rain Such a glorious sight fresh flowers in bloom In the spring when the ice takes to thaw But its rough wretched road a man has to go Living outside of the law For dark dirty cell was Tripper's own hell Survival was his battle cry If drinking don't k** me or a villainous gun He said I'll live 'til I die [Chorus:] Mother dear, I'm in trouble here Far in the distant West I lay down on stony ground I'm not feeling all the best Cold wind on the river and rain on the road Every light in the house burning strong Somebody saying a sad rosary Wondering where Tripper went wrong 'Cause he met his own maker to a grim undertaker Took a knife too deep in the lungs In a dim parking lot his very last thoughts Were the days he went strolling along [Repeat Chorus:]