This track picks up on the theme of travelling troubadour that made “Wicked and Weird” such a huge success. He sounds like Johnny Cash as he picks up the thread from the earlier single, settling the tone for another concept record about a hard man living a hard life.
I'm going down the road feeling bad, bye and bye
Deep fried blues but I'd rather die than cry
Gas station food bound to go stale soon
There's a curse in the air and a toe-nail moon
Yay, some of these towns are still non-friendly
And this is the hammer that killed John Henry
I'm sick of being tired, sick of the circus life
Here day-dreaming of a waitress as the perfect wife
Utterly inappropriate, taken out of context
Degenerate nervousness, developing a complex
No good with money, left-overs in a bitch bag
Fryin' pan soul and a face like a dishrag
A million old movies, I figured I'd tell
Childhood memories triggered by smell
So now what, you may ask, well that's hard to say
Because that old jack of diamonds is a tough card to play
All the wrong reasons, just another skull to crack
Askin' the dust, I'm stuck in a cul-de-sac
And it may sound silly but to me the threat is very real
So that's why I sing love songs and carry steel
Women and warfare, roaches and roadkills
No easy answers, no deadlines and no frills
Catchin' your drift, receivin' the warning
Packin' my things, I leave in the morning
I drive all night, gone to see my friend
One day this highway will be my end
Now the hills are alive and the motor is dead
That man has a zero floating over his head
I follow my instincts, sometimes follow dogs
Drink muddy water,sleep inside hollow logs
So now what, you may ask, well that's hard to say
Because that old jack of diamonds is a tough card to play