Robert Earl Keen – Shades of Gray

We made Oklahoma a little after 3

Randy, his brother Bob and my old GMC

We had some moonshine whisky

And some of Bob’s homegrown

We were so messed up we didn’t know

If we were drunk or stoned

Randy was a sad-sack, tall kinda frail

Bob was a raving maniac, crazy in the head

They been kicked out of high school several years ago

For pushin over port-a-cans at the 4-H rodeo

Since then they’ve done their little dance

Right outside the law

Popped twice in Oklahoma, once in Arkansas

And I don’t know what possessed me

To want to tag along

Cause I was raised a Christian

And I knew right from wrong

CHORUS:

Right or wrong, black or white

Cross the line your gonna pay

In the dawn before the light

Live and die by the shades of gray

We stole two Charolais heifers from

Randy’s sweetheart’s paw

Sold them at the livestock sale

Outside of Wichita

We got $900 and never did suspect

The world of hurt we’d be in once

We cashed that check

Next day we heard the story

On the local radio

Made our plans that very night

To go to Mexico

I swear we would have made it

If it wasn’t for that shine

I got sick about the time we crossed

That Kansas line

CHORUS

I was layin in the bar ditch

Prayin I would die

When a light come on above us

And a voice come from the sky

A half a dozen unmarked cars

Came screeching to a halt

They grabbed bob, he started screamin

It was all my fault

There were men and dogs

And helicopter buzzin all around

They had the brothers on the

Pickup hood and me down on the ground

Bob flew all to pieces but randy he

Held tight when a black man in a

Suit and tie stepped out into the light

He told his men to turn us loose

They put down their guns

He said these are just some

Sorry kids, they ain’t the ones

CHORUS

They left us by the roadside

Down hearted and alone

Randy got behind the wheel

Said boys I’m going home

We turned around to face our fate

HUNGOVER but alive on that

Mornin in late April, Oklahoma, 1995

CHORUS