Robert Earl Keen
Paint the Town Beige
[Verse 1]
I gave up the fast lane for a blacktop county road
Just burned out on all that talk about the motherlode
I traded for a songbird, a bigger piece of sky
When I miss the good old days, I can't imagine why

[Chorus 1]
Still I get restless and drive into town
I cruise once down Main Street and turn back around
It's crazy, but God knows I don't act my age
Like an old desperado who paints the town beige

[Verse 2]
Down along the river, past the swimming hole
You can find your peace of mind with just a fishing pole
And you can walk the river for miles and miles on end
And never stop believin' in that dream around the bend

[Chorus 2]
But still I get restless and drive into town
My radio playing, my window rolled down
It's crazy, but God knows I don't act my age
Like an old desperado who paints the town beige

[Verse 3]
Deep down in the winter, time slows to a crawl
There's really nothing much to do until the first spring thaw
It's then I get to thinkin' I must have gone insane
Memories roll through my mind like a long slow railroad train
[Chorus 3]
Still I get restless and drive into town
Watch the world through a windshield as it all comes unwound
It's crazy, but God knows I don't act my age
Like those old desperados who paint the town beige

[Outro]
I gave up the fast lane