Lyrics and Chords

There was a bottle of whiskey sitting upon the table
In a small bar outside of Austin Texas
And a young songwriter was busy scribbling
The events of last night's adventures
When a lanky stranger came upon his table and said
"The barkeep said that's his only bottle, do you mind if I pull up my glass?"

The young songwriter was more than happy
To share his poison he hated drinking alone
The lanky stranger poured them both a glass and said the rest was on him

And roads will curve and roads will bend
To the point that you're never quite sure where they'll end
And people's paths can cross at any given time
Every choice has a repercussion no matter how small it may be

The lanky stranger had been on the road
Since Ike and Mamie had taken the oath
He started in Frisco with a goal of Maine
But Texas was as far as he came

The young songwriter sat there listening
As the lanky stranger spun his tales
He kept on alluding to a place called hell
That was overrun with gin and geisha girls

And roads will curve and roads will bend
To the point that you're never quite sure where they'll end
And people's paths can cross at any given time
Every choice has a repercussion no matter how small it may be

The evening was growing dark and the bottle running low
When the young songwriter asked the stranger where he'd go,
The answer was simple the answer was quick
Back to Maine one day to see the white virgin snow
"The only snow I've seen this decade was tainted with bull red spots"
Now the lanky stranger left one thought of wisdom for the young songwriter

"No matter where your road may lead, no matter who's song you may sing,
Don't ever let them tell you that heaven and hell don't exist
I've seen em both and I've been real close and there reality has blinded me"

As the lanky stranger walked off to the North
The young songwriter poured another with the thoughts
Of the strangers words still dancing in his head, these are the words that he said

Roads will curve, roads will bend
To the point that you're never quite sure where they'll end
And people's paths can cross at any given time,
It can end in happiness or tears
And this is the ballad of Towns Van Zandt and Hawkeye Pierce