You can catch me gliding down the highways of my youth
There goes the hospital they tell me I was born in
There goes the grocery, the pharmacy, the high school parking lot
Behind the wheel you'd sigh and say "this town ain't nothing"
By the fourth day of July the weather's always far too warm
But still the only day that I could play with fire
And I often got my sister burned, said it was by mistake
I knew that mama wouldn't take me for a liar
Is there anybody listening to me?
From the middle of America you scream out to the ocean it gets lost
Lost like those new shoes left, my dear you know how much those damn things cost us?
There is always that one girl who says that she's too sad to sleep
And she reminds me of what daddy would've told her
That nothing is as good or bad as they will make it seem
I hear they feed that line to people at the border
Is there anybody listening to me?
From the middle of America you scream out to the ocean it gets lost
Lost like daddy's pension fund, my God you know how much that's gonna cost us
It rained so much last lonely spring it nearly drowned the earth
And if it had I would've built an ark of maple
I would've proudly let the skyway guide the highways of my youth
I would've welcomed all the world if I were able
Is there anybody listening to me?
From the middle of America you scream out to the ocean it gets lost
Lost like Lady Liberty who wouldn't care how much it all would cost us
I hear someone knocking
It was just the mailman