Night Rider's Lament Lyrics - Other Voices, Other Rooms - Nanci Griffith

(Michael Burton) 

While I was out a-ridin' 

The graveyard shift midnight till dawn 

The moon was as bright as a reading light 

For a letter from an old friend back home 

Chorus 

He asked me 

Why do you ride for your money? 

Why do you rope for short pay? 

You ain't gettin' nowhere 

And you're losin' your share 

You must've gone crazy out there 

He said last night I ran into Jenny 

They married and have a good life 

Oh, you sure missed the track when you never came back 

She made the perfect professional's wife 

Chorus 

Bridge 

They've never seen the northern lights 

Never seen a hawk on the wing 

Never seen the spring hit the Great Divide 

Oh, they never heard old Camp Cookie sing 

I read up the last of my letter 

And tore off the stamp for Black Jim 

Little Dougie rode up to relieve me 

He just looked at my letter and grinned 

Chorus 

Bridge