Michael Martin Murphey - Once A Drifter

Sittin' in the back where the chairs are stacked
I'm warmin' up the stove
I'm thinkin' about my old Ford stomped to the floorboard
Chuggin' out of Pleasant Grove

Blazin' off to California
Like a dust devil dancin' on a dime
Guess I was a red-eyed backslider
Now I'm tired of the ride

But once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter
Once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter

Mama standing in the driveway
Too choked to say goodbye
I turned my collar and turned my back
Went a mile and started to cry

Johnny, Donny Brooks and me
Singing songs to pass the time
Long before the war came
Long before the star game
Long before I came to find

Once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter
Once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter

So here I am, uncertain again
Headed for no place to go
Settlin' down, leavin' town
Family man, ramblin' man
I just pretend it's part of the show

One too many childhood movies
With strangers riding off in the sun
Taught me you can't talk it out
When you feel like walkin' out
The sequel's already begun

Once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter
Once a you're drifter, you're always a drifter...