Lyrics

NORTH TO WYOMING

Up North to Wyoming is where I’m goin’
A land wide open and free
At least that’s what I’m told by some friends that I know
In a letter that they wrote to me
And they told of a land still unspoiled by man
Where the air and the water’s still clear
And that in itself is a measure of wealth
No longer found around her

Soon I’ll be leavin’ my first love
These Tennessee hills far behind
To look for a place with some wide open space
It gets harder and harder to find
It gets harder and harder to find

And I know its been said in some things that I’ve read
You can stand and look out for miles
Without seein’ a sign a road or fence line
That’s a sight I ain’t seen in a while
Now I wouldn’t trade my growin’ up days
For any place I’ve ever been
But it‘s changin’ so fast a far cry from the past
And the world that I grew up in

Chorus

When I’m old and gray and the memories start to fade
About the times that I’ve had and the things I’ve done
Maybe some young man will come along and help me to be strong
And help me to recall when I was young
And help me to recall the things I’ve done

When I spend my time alone time keeps dragging on
These old fingers ain’t as fast as they used to be
Maybe some young man will happen by and bring a sparkle to my eye
And say old man will you teach that song to me
Yeah old man will you teach that song to me

Chorus

These days I think about growing old
And it ain’t bad or so I’m told
But then you don’t know just who to believe
Yeah some folks say it’s hell but I guess it’s just as well
I may not even be around to see
I may not even be around to see

Chorus

I used to race the devil in beat up hot rod cars
I left a few wrecks along the shoulder
I didn’t think about it much back then
But I thank my lucky stars I didn’t break my neck
now that I’m older

And I came down from that mountain I couldn’t wait to get away
I thought the world was waiting down below
It wasn’t what I thought it’d be and I hear something callin’ me
Back up on that mountain‘s where I go

We’d look down on the town below if you could call it that
It sure looked bigger when I was a kid
Daddy used to tell us not to go where trouble’s at
He turned his back and that’s just what we did

Chorus

Love is a gamble a game of high stakes
You go in not knowing if you have what it takes
Winner or loser it comes out the same
As long as you’re lovin’ while you’re playin’ the game
As long as you’re lovin’ while you’re playin’ the game

I was devoted to your happiness
I didn’t have what you needed I guess
I don’t blame you for nothin’ you’ve done
It’s better to chase love than to settle for none

Chorus

I say it’s the last time this is the end
I’ll never be able to trust love again
I know all the while what I’m sayin’ ain’t true
I got over the others I’ll get over you

Chorus

You shouldn’t hold the past against me but you do
And I can’t deny the things you say they’re true
But a man can change of that I’m living proof
Give me one more chance and I’ll prove it to you

And I swear that the last time was the last
I can change most everything but not the past
So just tell me if you think there’ll come a day
When old memories won’t be standing in the way

I know it’s hard to trust someone who’s done you wrong
And caused you pain enough to last your whole life long
But I’ve learned the price you pay for telling lies
It’s cost me the trust I once saw in your eyes

Chorus

Turn your ear to the wind and just listen
To the sound the breeze is blowing through
Far off somewhere in the distance
There’s something calling out to you

I’ve stood breathless on a mountain top just looking
At the sights that turned my gaze into a stare
Felt a kind of power rushing through me
Like none I’d ever known could compare

Some men never take the time to listen
Some listen but they never really hear
They’re distracted by life rushing all around them
And their hearts are filled with jealousy and fear

Some find comfort in a crowd for there’s no danger
No chance that anyone will get too near
But the good-time friends soon turn to total strangers
When the lights fade and the smiles all disappear

Chorus

In the year of 1919 in the state of Texas grand
A cowboy named Frank Norfleet left his cattle ranch
And he headed down to Dallas on business for a spell
When he arrived he checked into the fine St. George Hotel

There he met a livestock dealer Hamlin was his name
Who introduced him to his friends in the stock market game
They discussed a venture to make each a wealthy man
They enlisted Norfleet to join them in their plan

Forty grand was Norfleet’s share that he agreed to pay
With the promise of its full return within 30 days
But the days that followed brought the truth and Norfleet face to face
For all five men and the money disappeared without a trace

And so the stage was set and the pieces fell in line
For what’s been called the greatest single manhunt of all time

Displeased with the Dallas police and Pinkerton’s private men
Norfleet left his former life and set out for revenge
As the passion that consumed him turned into burning hate
He pursued his swindler’s trails across the Union states

In a year’s time he’d caught up with two in a California jail
Already serving time for other swindles that had failed
Next he captured Hamlin in the city of Fort Worth
With three down and two to go he set out for the fourth

Well he cornered him in Jacksonville and he put him on the train
Headed back to Fortworth he was on the trail again
Now more obsessed than ever with what he had begun
He caught the last in Utah too sick and tired to run

Chorus

So the five-year hunt had ended with all five jailed or dead
And Norfleet was a changed man from the life that he had led
For the next twenty years he hunted men for hire
And at last returned to his Texas ranch where Norfleet then retired

Night falls like a curtain between night and day
And sends two young lovers stealin’ away
Runnin’ for cover and a place theirs alone
To discover each other and feelings unknown

Now they’ve come full circle just like the moon
And daylight it threatens to come on too soon
And uncover two lovers alone in the night
Just holding each other and cursing the light

And then something happened life took a turn
Everything changes that’s a hard one to learn
Put distance between them but not in their hearts
Life’s circumstances couldn’t keep them apart

Chorus

Now we find two old lovers but not too old
To love or remember those nights long ago
When they held each other the way they still do
And daylight still threatens to come on too soon

Chorus

Home to you is a place to settle down
With your family and friends
Home to me is a suitcase full of dreams
On a road that never ends
I know it’s hard to live the way I do
I’ve never been willing to give or bend
If it’s come to changing or living without you
Then I think I’m ready to give in

I just hope I haven’t waited too long
Now that I’ve made up my mind
To settle down and try to make your
dreams come true
Instead of always chasing mine

I always thought if I tried to settle down
The wind would call and I’d have to go
But so far the only thing I’ve heard
Has been your whisper soft and low
I never knew just what you saw in me
I guess I never really understood
The flaws in me weren’t what you tried to see
You were only looking for the good

Chorus