Ancient Highway

[Verse 1]

There's a small cafe on the outskirts of town

I'll be there when the sun goes down

Where the roadside bends

And it twists and it turns

Every new generation

And I'll be praying to my higher self

Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground

[Verse 2]

There's a roadside jam playin' on the edge of the town

In a town called Paradise near the ancient highway

When the train whistle blows

All the sadness that Hank Williams knows

And the river flows

Call them pagan streams and it spins and it turns

In a factory in a street called Bread in East Belfast

Where Georgie knows best

What it's like to be Daniel in the lion's den

Got so many friends only most of the time

[Verse 3]

And when the grass is high and the rabbit runs

Though it's talkin' to you and I

And every new generation comes to pay

The dues of the organ grinder jam

And the grinder's switch of the sacrifice

Everybody made to be rational with understanding

And I'll be praying to my higher self

Oh, don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground

[Verse 4]

And what about all the people living in the nightmare hurt

That won't go away no matter how hard they try?

They've got to pay time and time again, time and time again

I'll be praying to my higher self

And I'll be standin' there, where the boats go by

When the sun is sinking way over the hill

On a Friday evening when the sun goes down

On the outskirts of town, I wanna slip away

I wanna slip away, got to get away

And I'll be praying to my higher self

Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground

Don't let me down

[Verse 5]

You'll be cryin' again, you'll be cryin' again, you'll be cryin' again

By the same wipe the teardrops from your eyes

Have to slip away in the evening when the sun goes down

Over the hill, with a sense of wonder

Everything's gonna be right on a Friday evening

All the cars go by all along down the ancient highway

And I'll be praying, I'll be praying to my higher self

Don't let me down, keep my feet, keep my feet on the ground

Keep my feet on the ground

[Verse 6]

Travelling like a stranger in the night, all along the ancient highway

Got you in my sights, got you on my mind

I'll be praying in the evening when the sun goes down

Over the mountain, got to get you right in my sight

As the beams from the cars from the overpass

On the ancient highway shine like diamonds in the night

Diamonds in the night

I'll be praying to my higher self, to my higher self

Don't let me down, don't let me down

[Organ Solo]

[Verse 7]

And you'll be standing there while the boats go by

While the boats go by on a Friday evening

Shining your light, shining your light on a Friday evening

Got to slip away, got to slip away down that ancient highway

In a town called Paradise, in a town, in a town

All along, all along that road, all along that road

All along that road with the trancelike vision

Something like the trancelike, the trancelike vision on my mind, on my mind

I'll be praying to my higher self, don't let me down, don't let me down

Keep my feet on the ground, keep my feet on the ground

Keep my feet on the ground

[Verse 8]

And on that Friday evening I got to slip away

Watching the view from a car from the overpass

And we're driving down that ancient road

Shining like diamonds in the night, oh diamonds in the night

All along the ancient highway

Got you in my sight, got you in my mind

Got you in my arms and I'm praying, and I'm gonna pray

I'm gonna pray to my higher self, don't, ah, don't let me down

Ah, don't let me down, give me the fire, ah, give me the fire