Monahans
At the Dairy Queen one summer in a far West Texas town,
the girl was all of sixteen, but she was woman pound for pound.
Slippin’ dollars in the jukebox, playing ZZ Top and Merle,
sippin’ lemon Dr. Peppers with my sweet West Texas girl.
We’d step out into the desert sun and curse where we came from
then we’d ride to the Rio Grande and try our hands at love.
The more I think about it, the less I understand.
Grab a hold of something good, it’ll slip right through your hands.
Will you catch me if I fall? Or will you sit and watch me crawl
through fire and the burning sand all the way to Monahans?
Them rich boys from the Westside drive their brand new shiny cars,
I can’t blame them sons-of-bitches, they was raised to make life hard
on us sons of honest working-men, the one’s that grease the wheels.
She hitched a ride to the cheatin’ side on a brokered sweetheart deal.
I saw her cruisin’ down at the crossroads, she was laughing as she waved.
I went down to the Rio Grande with a six-pack and my twelve gauge.
The more I think about it, the less I understand.
Grab a hold of something good and it’ll slip right through your hands.
Will you catch me if I fall? Or will you sit and watch me crawl
through fire and the burning sand all the way to Monahans?
It’s the same old scene at the Dairy Queen in a far West Texas town.
There’s a girl all of eighteen, but you could tell she’d been around.
She was huggin’ on her boyfriend while she was giving me the eye,
then she slid past my table, said, “Honey, I can make you smile.”
Her boyfriend pulled a knife on me, said, “Don’t go messin’ with my girl.”
I said, “You tend to your own business, son, I’m listening to Merle.”
The less I think about it, the more I understand.
Grab a hold of something good, it’ll slip right through your hands
Who will catch me if I fall? Who will sit and watch me crawl
through fire and the burning sand all the way to Monahans?
Throw your heart into a black sedan and drive it all the way to Monahans.
Onto Midland… and Big Spring… Abilene… Weatherford…
all the way to Fort Worth.
© Kevin Higgins