Written: Melendres Street, Las Cruces NM 1977
Knees Calhoon was an agreeable contrarian and when the country world was “…getting back to the country…” with “…Willie and Waylon and the boys…” he felt he had to stand up for the inner city. So he dusted off his James Brown chords and wrote what he thought was a sophisticated defense of city living. City living in Dallas yet!
This dusty life I’m livin
S’got its own special rhythm
But the city keeps callin my name out loud
Sayin leave it all behind
I got the land I thought I wanted
But I still feel like I’m haunted
By the uptown women in the downtown bars
Dancin cross my mind, cross my mind.
I’m gonna count my blessings, pack my bags
Stash some grass and haul my ass to Dallas
I’ll be a city-slicker, sailor
And a salesman all in one
Well I wanna be where
There’s always music playin
Where the neon lights me up
Like a midnight son
Midnight son.
So let the suburbs keep on growin,
Let the farmers keep on crowin
Let everybody in their own way
Ride the devil down
I got my mind all made up;
I’m tired of feelin laid up
After I hit every bar in Dallas
Look out Cowtown, Cowtown.