The Ride

[Verse 1] Well, I was thumbin' from Montgomery Had my guitar on my back When this stranger stopped beside me In this antique Cadillac He was dressed like 1950 Half-drunk and hollow eyed Said, "It's a long walk to Nashville Would you like a ride, son?" [Verse 2] Well, I sat down in the front seat And turned on that radio And them sad old songs comin' out of them speakers Was a solid country gold Then I noticed the stranger was ghost white pale When he asked me for a light And I knew there was something strange about this ride [Chorus] He said, "Drifter, can you make folks cry when you play and sing? Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues? Can you bend them guitar strings?" He says, "Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside? 'Cause if you're big star bound Let me warn you, it's a long hard ride" [Verse 3] Then he talked about the music He talked about the fame All them nights playin' for the people Through the poison and the pain Every story, it smelled like whiskey But every word was the gospel truth And I knew I sittin' beside livin' proof [Chorus] He said, "Drifter, can you make folks cry when you play and sing? Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues? Can you bend them guitar strings?" He says, "Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside? 'Cause if you're big star bound Let me warn you, it's a long hard ride" [Verse 4] Well, he cried just south of Nashville And turned that car around He said, "This is where you get off, boy I'm goin' back to Alabama" As I stepped out of that Cadillac I said, "Mister, many thanks" He said, "You don't have to call me 'mister,' mister The whole world called me Hank" [Chorus] He said, "Can you make folks cry when you play and sing? Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues? Can you bend them guitar strings?" He says, "Boy, can you make folks feel what you feel inside? 'Cause if you're big star bound Let me warn you, it's a long hard ride" [Outro] "Yeah, drifter, if you're big star bound Let me warn you, it's a long hard ride"