Tom Ames' Prayer Lyrics - Steve Earle

Everyone in Nacadoches knew Tom Ame's would come to some bad end 

Well the sheriff had caught him stealin' chickens and such 

By the time that he was ten 

And one day his daddy took a ten dollar bill 

And he tucked it in his hand 

He said I can tell you're headed for trouble son 

And your momma wouldn't understand 

So he took that money and his brothers old bay 

And he left without a word of thanks 

Fell in with a crowd in some border town 

And took to robbing banks 

Well outside the law your luck will run out fast 

And a few years came and went 

'Till he's trapped in an alley in Abilene 

With all but four shells spent 

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And he realized praying was the only thing 

That he hadn't ever tried 

Well he wasn't sure he knew quite how 

But he looked up to the sky 

Said you don't owe me nothing and as far as I know 

Lord don't owe nothing to you 

And I ain't asking for a miracle Lord 

Just a little bit of luck will do 

And you know I ain't never prayed before 

But it always seemed to me 

If praying is the same as begging Lord 

I don't take no charity 

Yeah but right now Lord with my back to the wall 

Can't help but recall 

How they nearly hung me for stealing a horse 

In Fort Smith Arkansas 

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Judge Parker said guilty and the gavel came down 

Just like a cannon shot 

And I went away quietly 

And I began to file and plot 

Well they sent the preacher down to my cell 

He said the Lord is your only hope 

He's the only friend that you gonna have 

When you hit the end of Parker's rope 

Well I guess he could of kept on preaching till Christmas 

But he turned his back on me 

I put a home made blade to that golden throat 

And asked the deputy for the key 

Well it ain't the first close call I ever had 

As I'm sure you already know 

I had some help from you Lord and the devil himself 

It's been strictly touch and go 

Yeah but who in the hell am I talking to 

There ain't no one here but me 

And then he cocked both his pistols and he spit in the dirt 

And he walked out in the street