I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear
You were playin' on the horses; you were playin' on the guitar strings;
You were playin' like a devil wearin' wings
Wearin' wings, you looked so grand wearin' wings

Do you tape them to your shoulders just to sing?

Can you fly? I heard you can. Can you fly?
Like an eagle doin' your huntin' from the sky


I followed with the sideshows to another town
And I found you in a trailer on the camping grounds
You were betting on some lover; you were shaking up the dice;
And I thought I saw you cheatin' once or twice
Once or twice, I heard your bid once or twice

Were you wond'rin' was the gamble worth the price?
Pack it in, I heard you did, pack it in
Was it hard to fold a hand you knew could win?

So lately you've been hidin', it was somewhere in the news;
And I'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and my blues;
And a voice calls out the numbers and it sometimes mentions mine;
And I feel like I've been workin' overtime
Over time, I've lost my fire, over time
Always playin' one more hand for one more dime
Slowin' down, I'm gettin' tired, slowin' down;
And I envy you the valley that you've found
Cause I'm midway down the midway
Slowin' down
Down, down, down