The West Was One

[Intro]

[Chorus]
One day from just plumb fadin' away
How you gonna build a house with the foundation erased?
Keep prayin', no sayin' what brothers become
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One
Day away from livin' on a history page
Ain't it fittin' how they're fixin' to be winnin' a race
And the rest of us are given a direction to run
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One

[Verse 1]
The sun is settin' on the turn of a century
I know for certain it's my turn to be legend'ry
Ain't no curtain gonna be avertin' my centrepiece
Reach for the sky, you're gonna get burned eventually
So call me Icarus, hick with a burden left to seed
Ride or die, I'mma ride till there's nothin' left to grieve
My momma said to me, "Son, you could be anything"
Best believe I'll never be anything less than deadly
Scared of me? Y'all better be
I'm out here avengin' the death of the Old West
Even if it isn't dead to me
The day it dies is one I hope I don't live to see
But this hayride is fallin' by the wayside of industry
Strippin' our history 'til there's nought left of
Dynasties of leather and dirt, our ancestors
Bled to make fertile this earth, so come arrest us
I'mma keep singin' 'bout the day The West was

[Chorus]
One day from just plumb fadin' away
How you gonna build a house with the foundation erased?
Keep prayin', no sayin' what brothers become
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One
Day away from livin' on a history page
Ain't it fittin' how they're fixin' to be winnin' a race
And the rest of us are given a direction to run
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One

[Verse 2]
Me and my brothers are hustlers, rustlers
Bad customers, in other words, underdogs, backwater juggernauts
Who prefer a bit of rough and tumble
To the hustle and the bustle of
The big city, well y'all can sit pretty
As the cats get fat on another man's livin'
Then you call me the villain because I'm unwillin'
Well, I weren't born to conform to your vision
God willin', my thoughts of prosperity ain't got no comfy chair in it
You call that coffin an office? Honestly y'all can just come bury me
You're stockin' shares, I'm just despairin'
Lord, give me that prairie, please
My father's footprint, some good men
And a horizon's all I'll ever need
You call progress a wonderful thing
But you yanked the great chain out from under the gangs
So what's left for a felon but to shut up or hang?
When it's don a stuffed shirt or go bust up a bank?
Well I'm a hick, sure, irascible prick who'll
Stick it to your big future and stick with a six-shooter
'Cus I predict your vision is a couple hicks fewer
Well I'd rather live fuller, eat the grit a bit sooner
Do I fit your picture? No room for a bandit?
Branded me bad, all I am, well you banned it
Man's gotta stand, so we came and we banded
Together took a stand for the land you abandoned
Give me a horse and road and I'm set but
Give me four walls for a home - I get restless
You can steamroller the world the Lord blessed us
I'mma keep singin' 'bout the day The West was

[Chorus]
One day from just plumb fadin' away
How you gonna build a house with the foundation erased?
Keep prayin', no sayin' what brothers become
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One
Day away from livin' on a history page
Ain't it fittin' how they're fixin' to be winnin' a race
And the rest of us are given a direction to run
On the dawnin' of the day The West was One

[Bridge]
Don't be upset if your sun's set on a sunset
Stick to your guns 'cus your run just ain't done yet
And pray the day never comes when there are none left
Spin your barrels, 'cus your battle ain't won yet
You can trace this life of mine out on the horizon line
I've hit those valleys low, I've mountains yet to climb
The only test I've left to best would be the test of time
And you can bet I've no intention to be left behind
Don't be upset if your sun's set on a sunset
Spin your barrels 'cus your battle ain't won yet
Don't be upset if your sun's set on a sunset
Spin your barrels 'cus your battle ain't won yet
Don't be upset if your sun's set on a sunset
Spin your barrels 'cus your battle ain't won yet
Don't be upset if your sun's set on a sunset
Spin your barrels 'cus your battle ain't won yet

[Verse 3]
Ten gallons of regrets and they weigh on my mind
Was I livin' my best or just wastin' my time?
Did the path that I tread have to stray outta line?
You can deny me the trail, but those bootprints stay mine!
You see a bandit, a crook who was forsaken
I see a man who just took what the Lord gave him
I didn't plan for a habit of lawbreakin'
But someone's gotta get back
All that y'all have been takin'
An office space is squandered waste of all the Lord gives ya
And clerkin's workin', stackin' shelves with other men's riches
The land was all we had until you taxed us to the ditches
Tore our souls out through our pockets
So we fought you sons of britches
The world turns with infernal machines
Watch the world burn as we turn up the steam
Will my saddle still gleam? Or just burst at the seams?
When it's all that's left to carry that American dream...

[Outro]