i'm coming from a long line of pain
my family suffered greatly for my gain
and i think a lot about
how my daddy died
so i would not live without

and his heart lives in my song
and the melody comes
and just as quickly the melody is gone
i'm back alone, far from home

[now my mamma's all alone
i try to see her and call her on the phone]
after all that she's been through
all the doctors say: "there ain't nothing we can do"

but her heart lives in my song
and the melody comes
and just as quickly the melody is gone
i'm back alone, far from home

there's a bird outside my window
who takes the song where he goes
and he leaves it there
like a dead man's rocking chair

and tonight i'm feeling lost
oh i'm headin' on down the highway out to boston
i get the sense i might lose it
i thank god tonight for the light i've got in music

'cause my heart lives in this song
but the melody comes
and just as quickly, the melody is gone
i'm back alone, far from home