Two Dollar Novels

verse 1 Well I turned right on First, left on White Oak Back to my old neighborhood I saw old Doc Randolph He was mowing his yard He's kept it up ‘’bout the best he could. And Evelyn his wife of thirty-two years She smiled as I drove by And she waved from her front porch swing. And she went back to readin’ her two dollar novel And playin’ with her wedding ring. verse 2 A few houses needed paintin’, a few gates were unhinged But generally the place looked the same. The driveways were full of bikes and Buick sedans Things any good American would claim. And all them other lovers that married for cover They were out for the sacred nightly stroll. They were wishing they were characters in a two dollar novel Wishing for their weight in gold. Interlude (2x) verse 3 Now Mary Elizabeth, she's my high school sweetheart She married my best high school friend He manages the hardware store, she became a nurse And I became a memory to them. And all my other buddies they just got lost in outer space And they ran off to serve their country well. They're all fighting in a war of two dollar novels Where only the toughest live to tell. verse 4 So I turned right on White Oak and left on First Out of that old neighborhood I left Doctor and Mrs. Randolph sipping ice tea on the front porch Wondering if I'd ever come to any good. And on a thousand shady streets in a thousand other towns Now people, Lord, they're doing just the same. They're all living their lives like two dollar novels And wondering why the world is so insane. They're all living their lives like two dollar novels And wondering why there's nothing left to gain.