Patty Griffin
Nail In The Coffin
James Dean, it was hard to believe
They say he died pretty, I think they were deceived
I've seen a picture of that car
Nothing that pretty in there
Look at the mirror, you'll see a new lie
Yeah, you gonna look at the time, you're past thirty-nine
The Rolling Stones' kids have grown up and all moved out

He just wanted to die young in a big, big way
Stay good looking and have something to say, babe
It ain't easy seizing the day from the seat of a hearse
Now he got a nail in the coffin and another one would pop right up

He met a nice woman, she was real pretty
So they moved in together somewhere out of the city
Oh had a little child before you could say, "In A Gadda Da Vida"
All he ever wanted was the wind in his hair
Now he's shingling roofs, patching holes in the stairs
Isn't like he wanted money or to be a world leader

Just wanted to die young in a big big way
Stay good looking and have something to say, baby
It ain't easy seizing the day from the seat of a hearse
Now he got a nail in the coffin and another one would pop right up

You take the high road
And I'll take the low road
And I'll be there before you
You don't need a maid to clean that ivory tower
You don't need a contract for singing in your shower
The devil don't want your soul, neither does the lord
You might look at your life and just see a mess, honey
You might look at your life and need to reassess, baby
You might look at your life, see what you can afford

He just wanted to die young in a big, big way
Stay good looking and have something to say
Oh, it ain't easy seizing the day from the seat of a hearse
He'd get a nail in the coffin and another one would pop right up

He'd get a nail in the coffin yeah
Another one would pop right up