Song Description

A Woody Guthrie-esque reflection on love, life and the American road. A restless narrator has realised that the highway always wins. Despite the ensuing heartache, they console themself with the thought that their lover still sees the same stars at night as they do.

Lyrics

Many nights have found me standing
Far beyond the edge of town
With a Mackinaw and a crosscut saw and a load of ragged hand me downs
I wasn?t always waiting on a lady
Most times I was waiting for a train
That never got there, never took me anywhere
And it sure makes for lonesome walking
Man that?s just the highway talking

Many days have seen me frozen
Near to death for all my sins
On West Madison Chicago with the cold blown Northern wind
And my battered yellow suitcase
Heating low grade coffee on a kerosene stove
Trying to hustle a few dimes, to get a quart of moonshine
And it sure makes me think of all the things that I miss
Man that?s just the way the world is

Chorus:
It?s the same sun shines upon
All of us be we out there on the water or down there in the dust
Are the stars that you see
Gonna look the same to you as they do to me?

Preacher man down at the burlesque house
Don?t care if it rains or freezes
He says under the freeway
Y?all are safe in the arms of Jesus
Eating rattlesnake burritos, having candlelit soirees south of the Rio Grande
Dealing only contraband
And it makes me realise that I?ve run a long hard race
Man I need to find a resting place

Seen the flickering of the lanterns
In half dollar shanty towns
And the sleazy circus carousel in a cold shoulder cocktail lounge
For me a makeshift palace
Was a bed roll way down on the flop house floor
Over the road from the crossroads store
Crying to Mardi Gras folks won?t you nickel spill your pity
Down on 12th street, Kansas city

Chorus:
It?s the same sun shines upon
All of us be we out there on the water or down there in the dust
Are the stars that you see
Gonna look the same to you as they do to me?

So if you see me on the front porch of some tumbledown motel
In Salvation army clothes with wild eyes
All drunk to hell
Please don?t judge me too harshly
I wanted lonesome prairies and bootleg gold
Wound down playing dominoes
Rode the Nashville- Chattanooga to the far edge of your town
And it?s here I?m gonna lay my burden down

Chorus:
It?s the same sun shines upon
All of us be we out there on the water or down there in the dust
Are the stars that you see
Gonna look the same to you as they do to me?