Lyrics
[VERSE 1 — laid-back, conversational; sit deep in the pocket] Woke up with the highway humming Rain tapping time on the roof Pocket full of almost-nothings Head full of half-truths Saw a preacher at the truck stop Selling heaven to a tired crowd Saw a kid count quarters While his mama tried not to look down Everybody's got a story Everybody's got a scar Some are running from tomorrow Some don't know where they are I've seen saints with dirty hands And sinners doing what they can Funny how the road keeps teaching What the books don't understand [PRE-CHORUS — melodic lift; restrained] So I keep rolling With the window cracked Trying to leave yesterday Without dragging it back [CHORUS — soulful, memorable; open up] We all got miles behind us We all got somewhere to go Some carry gold in their pockets Some carry weight in their soul You can run from the devil You can pray for the rain But every road that you travel Leaves a little of you in the lane So I keep rolling Yeah, I keep rolling on [VERSE 2 — tighter rhythmic phrasing; more grit] Met an old man with a handshake Hard as gravel, warm as fire Said he lost his wife in '97 Still talks to her when he gets tired Said, "Son, don't count your living By the money that you never made There's a whole lot of rich men starving And a whole lot of poor men brave Don't confuse a full refrigerator With a heart that's full of peace Sometimes what you give away Is the only thing that sets you free" Then he bought me a tank of gas Wouldn't let me pay him back Said, "Somebody did it for me once That's how you keep the road intact" [PRE-CHORUS — warmer, building] And I keep thinking Maybe that's the trick You don't get free by taking You get free by giving it [CHORUS — stronger; rhythmic bite] We all got miles behind us We all got somewhere to go Some carry gold in their pockets Some carry weight in their soul You can run from the devil You can pray for the rain But every road that you travel Leaves a little of you in the lane So I keep rolling Yeah, I keep rolling on [BRIDGE — stripped down; intimate, almost spoken] I've seen anger turn a good man Into somebody he couldn't forgive Seen hunger make a mother Do whatever she could to live Seen boys become fathers Before they ever got to be young Seen people lose everything And still find a reason to love So don't tell me life is simple Don't hand me right and wrong Sometimes all a broken man can do Is find another mile and carry on Maybe the road ain't about arriving Maybe the road is what we become Every scar becomes a compass Every goodbye leaves something undone [BREAKDOWN — rhythmic; increasingly intense] Another mile Another night Another wrong Another right Another town Another door Another reason To keep moving forward [BUILD — melodic, emotional] If I fall, let somebody find me If I'm lost, let somebody call I've spent too many years believing I had to carry it all [FINAL CHORUS — full emotional release] We all got miles behind us We all got somewhere to go Some carry gold in their pockets Some carry weight in their soul You can run from the devil You can pray for the rain But every road that you travel Leaves a little of you in the lane And if I fall by the roadside Let somebody help me stand I'll carry somebody else's burden When I finally can We all got miles behind us And we all got scars to show I don't know where this road ends But I know I'm not alone [OUTRO — quiet, reflective] Highway keeps humming Rain keeps falling slow I don't know where I'm going But I know I gotta go