[Verse 1]
I had it with me everywhere I've been
Red clay under my nails, deep crimson on my skin
You could strip me of everything I own
And just leave me with the memories of my Alabama home

[Chorus]
I guess the highway didn't kill me after all
But I thought I was a goner in that trailer fire in Arkansas
But I just let her burn and walked away
And crawled back to the crimson and the clay

[Verse 2]
I got a little bolt action for my 9th birthday
And I can flip a silver dollar from a hundred yards away
A 1911 under my floor mat
Then one day it just occurred to me, I got no use for that

[Chorus]
Guess the city didn't kill me after all
The thing that nearly took me out was loneliness and alcohol
And I just put it down and walked away
And crawled back to the crimson and the clay

[Verse 3]
See the moon in the morning, I anticipate the night
Licked the spoon in the kitchen, we prayed to Martha White
Little noose in a locker, brown eyes crying in the hall
Rebel flags on the highway, wooden crosses on the wall
[Chorus]
Guess the small town didn't suit me after all
There's still so many lonely kids surrounded by the rest of y'all
And I can't seem to keep myself away
So I head back to the crimson and the clay