Talkin' Prairie Boy

"Talkin' Prairie Boy"

Buddy's old man is back on the booze

He's swinging a driver at a big bull moose

That keeps getting on the goddamn property

Or so he says

Cigarettes are expensive and whiskey ain't cheap

And winters are bitter, but the summers are sweet

And you can get some modestly priced smokes over at the Rez

If you're so inclined

Most of my time's spent in a big blue van

Just traveling the country with a five-piece band

Pick a little for the folks and sing when I can

Granted, I'm sober

And other days are for meant for chorin'

Just workin' at the ranch to stave off boredom

And keeping the calves from finding new ways to keel over

Just living the dream

I was cooling my heels down in Tennessee

Post 82, some buddies and me

And we were shooting the shit 'till we ran out of ammunition

Some dude overheard from across the room

And instead of minding his own, he'd just as soon

Sit down next to us and join in on the conversation

Brought over some kinda beer

Something called a I-P-A

East Nashville kid in a cowboy hat

And he couldn't tell a shoe lace from a lariat

And the furthest West he'd ever been is Ohio

He's talking at me, says he's looking for work

And he don't mind getting some dirt on his shirt

And would I be so kind as to hire him on, well, oh, my oh

Surprised he didn't bring a resume

He said but if you're doing fence, then I ain't for hire

And if you're doing hay, then frankly, I wouldn't conspire

To ask me about doing that either

I said, "What are ya good for?" And he said, "Plenty"

I could see this conversation wasn't going any which way

And figured I'd do well just to leave here

"So long buddy"

"You can keep your IPAs"

Yeah, this city life has sure got me tired

And it's hard for a prairie boy to admire all the

Concrete and the towering skyscrapers

So just as soon as I'm able to find my hat

I believe I'll leave and head on back home

Where the tallest buildings are all grain elevators

Long gone to Saskatchewan

Yeah, I'm outta this place and bound for the farm

And I'm not taking no greenhorn along

I have a hard enough time just keeping track of myself

But if you're down in Nashville, and you're trying to look cool

But ya can't tell a pretty palomino from a mule

Take my advice and leave the buckaroo hat on the shelf