One Lame Dog

Intro - Brass section

Verse 1

Bid my farewell to Uncle Sam

Paid my due, did my time

Ten long years... ten long years

And out with no money, not a single dime

Verse 2

The air felt the same, and so did the Sun

And I... I didn't feel like I belonged

Looked around me, left and right

The only thing I saw was one lame dog

Chorus

But a man's gotta walk, even if he limps

Gotta move, even when the road runs out

One lame dog, and one lame man

Finding their way, without a map or a doubt

Verse 3

Me and my dog friend, found us a home

The rent was low, had a busted fan

The floor was creaky, the window drafty

But it was home, for both dog and man

Verse 4

Got me a job, at Rudy's Grill

Six days a week, and the seventh I prayed

Prayed the crew... Would stay away

But I guess the Lord was busy, that particula day

Verse 5

The crew, them boys Darnell and Cash

Told me there's something sweet for us all

I said, I'm out, I'm clean, I'm done

They laughed, and laughed, and had a ball

Bridge - lower, quieter - almost spoken

Little old lady, more money than sense

Keeps it in the house, never in the bank

And all that stood between us was a fence

Verse 6

I told the dog it was just this once

Told that what I hoped was true

He loved me anyway, even though he knew

Chorus

But a man's gotta walk, even if he limps

Gotta move even when the road runs out

One lame dog and one lame man

Finding their way without a

Verse 7

Darnell went left and Cash went right

And I stood in the kitchen and I wanted to go back

Verse 8

The old lady's name was Eulah Grace,

She told me she knew men like me

Some of 'em went right and some went wrong

And most of 'em was just trying to get by

Bridge - rising, almost gospel

Then Cash got greedy and Darnell got loud

And Eulah reached for something in the drawer

I stepped between them and I raised my voice

And I hadn't done that since I was twenty-four

Instrumental Interlude

Verse 9

Darnell swung and I swung back

Cash ran out into the dark and the rain

The neighbors called, the sirens came

And Eulah Grace cried out my name

Verse 10

She told the law I stood for her

Said I'd come to help, I was clear

But there I was, with a tainted past

And the law... The law don't always hear

Chorus - slower, more resigned

But a man's gotta walk, even if he limps

Gotta move even when the road runs out

One lame dog and one lame man

Finding their way without a map or a doubt

Brass Interlude

Verse 11

Eulah came to the courthouse

Said she'd vouch for me with all she had

The judge said the law's clear

Then gave year... Upon year... Upon year

Outro - slow, sparse, just voice and maybe a single piano

I don't lay here thinking about the sky

Or the years that stretch out long ahead

I think about a dog I left

And whether he found someone kind instead

And I think 'bout old lady Grace

How she stood there small, but stood proud an' tall

I think we could've been something like friends

If I'd have been a different kind of guy

Brass outro