The in-laws are the games have begun The cell phone keeps ringing dont it hon The whole things arranged to aggravate Dad And its amateur day on the old slab The kids are down like a half load of pipe All safe in their car seats they fuss and they Well you cant hardly blame em it must be a bitchCounting the crosses off down in the This got flowers, this ones got a wreath This ones got a painted down underneath Was the road all iced up, were they too fast Heres in a circle left from the last holiday
Theres a three-trailer rig a throwin up spray Not to run on this kind of a day But god damn the smokies and the wheelers too Stay my bumpers or the same goes for you be none for him He wants it the most As he hauls it on out to the Oregon No no gravy no Zinfandel wine You just stay right and well get along fine Hes missing the football, the fun Hed with the grandkids but hes off on a run And some on the radio singing his song But it dont make a Hes in for a holiday
Now granny shes ready to eat Shes conniptions they wont take their seats But got em all gathered now under one roof With her loaded Shes gonna get But do you have to that I just dont see why Please pass the potatoesAw eat and die Did you hear Ellen, shes leaving, you know How bout Packers, think itll snow? And the its over theyll scatter like quail Off the freeway in the teeth of a gale and shattered And numb to the core They themselves lucky They got through one more
The patrolman He stands in the He lets it run down to soften the stain Of the on his pant leg From that wreck And he forget it In for the next holiday
Chicago at 9:52 In clean desert camo all baggy and Sits an Iowa alone by the gate The place sure different, in 1968
When he traveled mom, first time on a plane To visit some kin, hes their names But he remembers the soldiers, still in their teensIn their spit polished and their pressed army greens the creases so sharp, and their faces so smooth But eyes looked so heavy, he wondered how they could move Now hes got that look, like his insides are black Hes in his mid forties and he has to go backAnd he cant even smoke while he waits for his The uniforms different, but the remains To do they tell you, dont make a fuss Whys not an issue, so dont too much You just do what you to, shut up and drive If you come apart later, at least youre alive You can get you help, you can deal with it then And life will be better, til it happens
Cause something inside us that wont let us beIn stalks through our days til its too dark to see And its near as deadly as Texans on ice Lord dont they all Yall a nice holiday