Lost Selma Summer

Verse 1

Down by the Alabama river, sun slippin' low

Friday night, country light, nowhere to go

Warm dust and fireflies, buzzin' in the heat

Bible school and Kool-Aid, draggin' our feet

Man, we had it made!

Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Blankets of green and red

Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade

Yeah, that Selma summer never went away

Man, it's here to stay!

Verse 2

Pedalin' hard, Western Flyer, tires on the street

Every shortcut was a secret underneath my feet

Empty old buildings, spooky halls, ghost in the air

Don't you look too long, boy, don't you stay in there!

Keep it movin'!

Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Blankets of green and red

Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade

Yeah, that Selma summer never went away

Bridge

Then the theater burned downtown, orange in the sky

Watchin' chapters close, didn't know the reason why

Sirens howlin' loud, ash a-driftin' down

Some things fade away, some things burn into the ground!

Breakdown

Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Instrumental

Pedal Steel Guitar Solo

Piano Interlude

Verse 3

Took the long way home past the water tower stand

Red clay on my sneakers, county map in my hand

Granddaddy's pocket watch, stopped at half past nine

He said time don't slow for nobody, boy, you better make yours mine

Better make yours mine

Verse 4

Miss Ruthie at the corner store, she knew us all by name

Two dimes of penny candy, she'd hand it through the frame

Now the sign is hanging sideways and the shelves are bare

But I still hear that screen door slammin' like we're all still there

Like we're all still there

Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Blankets of green and red

Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade

Yeah, that Selma summer never went away

Man, it's here to stay!

Electric Guitar Solo

Bridge 2

July rain on a tin roof, drummin' soft and slow

Mama hummin' gospel while she kneaded out the dough

We were poor as porch boards, rich as any king

Ain't it funny how a memory can outlast everything

Outlast everything!

Instrumental

Electric Piano Break

Verse 5

Half of us went north and half of us stayed put

Some got married early, some got a wandering foot

But every August evenin' when the light turns gold

I swear the whole town gathers where the river's gettin' cold

Where the river's gettin' cold

Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Blankets of green and red

Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade

Yeah, that Selma summer never went away

Post-Chorus

Oh-oh, oh-oh

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Oh-oh, oh-oh

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Acoustic Guitar Solo

Instrumental Break

Verse 6

Went back on a Sunday, just to see what I could see

New paint on the courthouse, same old oak tree

Stood there where the theater was, just a lot of gravel now

But I heard us laughin' like the years had turned around

Years had turned around

Bridge 3

If I close my eyes I'm eleven years old again

Barefoot on the asphalt, chasin' fireflies with Ben

Don't tell me it's gone, don't you tell me that it's through

'Cause every time I hum it, it comes rollin' back in view

Rollin' back in view!

Final Chorus

Oh, that lost Selma summer

Hummin' right along in my head

Picnics at old Cahawba

Blankets of green and red

Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade

Yeah, that Selma summer never went away

No, it never went away

Outro

Instrumental

Pedal Steel Guitar Outro

Lost Selma summer...

(Picnics at old Cahawba)

Lost Selma summer...

(Cool artesian water, let the whole world fade)

Yeah, it's hummin' right along in my head

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Mm-mm, mm-mm

Mm-mm