Waylon Jennings - To Beat The Devil Lyrics
(Kris Kristofferson)It was winter time in NashvilleDown on Music City RowI was lookin' for a place to getMyself out of the coldTo warm the frozen feelin'That was eatin' at my soulAnd keep the chilly winds off my guitar.My thirsty wanted whiskeyAnd my hunger needed beansBut I guess it'd been a month of paydaySince I heard that eagle screamSo with a stomach full of emptyAnd a pocket full of dreamsI left my pride and stepped inside a barActually I guess you'd call it a tavernCigarette smoke to the ceilingSawdust on the floor friendly shadows.I saw that there was justAn old man sittin' at the barIn the mirror I could see himCheckin' me and my guitarHe said come up here boyShow us what you areI said I'm dry, he bought me a beerHe nodded at my guitar.Said it's a tough life ain't itI just looked at himAnd he said you ain'tMakin' any money are youI said you been readin' my mailHe just smiled and said let me see that guitarI got somethin' you oughta hearThen he laid it on me.If you waste your time a talkin'To the people who don't listenTo the things that you are sayin'Who do you thinks gonna hearAnd if you should die explainin'How the thing they complain aboutOr the things they could be changingWho do you thinks gonna care.There were lots of other singersIn the world turned deaf and blindWho were crucified for what they tried to showNow their voices have been scatteredBy the swirling winds of timeAnd the truth remains that no one wants to know.Well, the old man was a strangerBut I'd've heard his song beforeBack when failure had me locked outOn the wrong side of the doorNo one stood behind me but my shadow on the floorAnd lonesome was more than a state of mindYou see the devil haunts a hungry manAnd if you don't wanna join himWell, he's gotta figure out someway to beat himAnd I ain't sayin' I beat the devilBut I drink his beer for nothin'And then I stole his songYou can still hear me singin'To the people who don't listenTo the things that I am sayin'Prayin' someone's gonna hearAnd I guess I'll die explainingHow the things that they complain aboutAre things they could be changin'Hopin' someone's gonna care.I was born to be a singerAnd I'm bound to die the sameBut I've got to feed this hunger in my soulIf I never have a nickelI won't even die in shame'Cause I don't believe that no one wants to know...
