To Beat the Devil - Kris Kristofferson

It was winter time in Nashville

Down on music city row

And I was looking for a place to

Get myself out of the cold to warm

The frozen feeling that was eating at my soul

And keep the chilly

Wind off my guitar my thirsty wanted whiskey

My hungry needed

Beans but it'd been a month of pay days

Since I'd heard that eagle

Scream so with a stomach full of empty and

Pocket full of dreams

I left my pride and stepped inside a bar

Actually I guess you'd

Call it a tavern cigarette smoke to

The ceiling and sawdust on the

Floor

Friendly shadows

I saw that there was just one old man sitting

At the bar and in the mirror

I could see him checking me with my

Guitar he turned and said

Come up here boy and show us what you

Are

I said I'm dry

And he bought me a beer

He nodded at my

Guitar and said

It's a tough life ain't it

I just looked at him

And he said you ain't making any money are you

I said you've

Been reading my mail he just smiled and said

Let me see that

Guitar I got something you ought to hear

Then he laid

It on me

If you waste your time a talking to the people

Who don't listen

To the things that you are saying

Who do you think's going to hear

And if you should die explaining

How the things that they complain about

Are things they could be changing

Who d'you think's goin' to care

There were other lonely singers

In a world turned deaf and blind who

Were crucified for what they tried to show

And their voices have been scattered

By the swirling winds of time

'Cause the truth remains that no one wants to know

Well the old man was a stranger

But I'd heard his song before

Back when failure had me locked out

On the wrong side of the door when

No thing stood behind me but my shadow

On the floor and lonesome was more

Than a state of mind you see

The devil haunts a hungry man if you

Don't want to join him you've got to beat him

I ain't sayin' I beat the

Devil but I drank his beer for nothing

And then I stole his song

And you still can hear me singing to the people

Who don't listen

To the things that I am saying

Praying someone's going to hear

And I guess I'll die explaining

How the things that they complain about

Are things they could be changing

Hoping someone's goin' to care

I was born a lonesome singer and I'm bound to die the same

But I've got to feed the hunger in my soul

And if I never have a nickel I won't ever die of shame

'Cause I don't believe that no one wants to know

'Cause I be long before