My grandmother
owned a night club on the
Arkansas-Oklahoma line
Mama put me
on a Greyhound
And I went to stay with her
in the summertime
I'd box up those
empty long-necks
and stack 'em in the back
and make a ham
Then at night
She'd let me sneak out
of the kitchen
and sit in with the band
Yes I have sacked
some quarterbacks
and broke my share
of bones along the way
I knew it wouldn't
last forever
Semi-pro
always means semi-pay
I started climbin'
drillin' rigs
I'm oil field trash
and proud as I can be yeah
Then I took my songs
and guitar
and sang 'em to a man
from Tennessee
I've played
every beer joint tavern
from New York City
out to Pasadena
Every corn dog fair
and rodeo
And sold out every
basketball arena
Like to get down
with my boys
in Afghanistan
and Baghdad City too
I am a red
white and blue blood
graduate of Honky Tonk U
A star can't burn forever
and the brightest ones
will someday
lose their shine
But the glass won't ever be
half-empty in my
optimistic mind
And I'll still have
a song to sing
and a band to turn it up
and play it loud
As long as there's
a bar room
with a corner stage
and a honky-tonk crowd
I've played
every beer joint tavern
from New York City
out to Pasadena
Every corn dog fair
and rodeo
And sold out every
basketball arena
Like to get down
with my boys
in Afghanistan
and Baghdad City too
Son I'm a red
white and blue blood
graduate of Honky Tonk U
That's right a red
white and blue blood
graduate of Honky Tonk U