I was born and raised in my father's house

Can catching rain in the kitchen

He said a good song never comes to those who chase

It comes to those who listen

And I'd listen to him

Waking up in the middle of the night

I know he thought we were sleeping

And with an old melody and a guitar in hand

Somewhere between dreaming and weeping

He'd sing a walk on the wildside lasts a lifetime for me


I grew up quick in my father's house

Mama she gave him no daughters

Just a look in the eye of a woman in need

To be free of a love grown harder

So she hit the road in a Galaxy Ford

The one that my daddy had bought her

And she crossed the tracks and never looked back

She was hummin' a song he had tought her

She sang a walk on the wildside lasts a lifetime with me


There was this big black trunk in my father's house

Where he kept all the ledgers he'd write in

And I broke into it before I moved out

To see if I could find out more about him

There were letters written, never sent to my mom

It's a wonder it never killed him

And there were lines, and songs, and poetry

Damn near as good as Hank Williams

Sing a walk on the wildside lasts a lifetime with me