Song Lyrics

Her father was a failure, her mother was a comfort to a doctor
And lawyer and Indian chief, the shirt ran out of buttons
He lost all his marbles at a baseball game and they went on relief
The bank took away their diplomas, they locked them up inside
Of the chest and she moved away to Oklahoma

And got a tattoo on the side of her breast, God damn
My socks are still hard from lying on the sofa on the night
She was over in my backyard, yeah, we was shooting the breeze out
Amongst the trees when a shot rang low and left her standing
Down by the side of the road, down by the side of the road

Father have mercy, get her a nurse please, she's almost alone
I saw her hand reaching out for the telephone, we rather see her
Locked up inside a home than see her standing
Down by the side of the road, down by the side of the road

Headlights flashing on her skirt in the wind, yonder comes a truck
It drove by two men, shotgun man leaned out and said
"Do you want to take a ride?" Out in the pale moonlight light
Light light lie lie lie lie

Too long in the hot sun, she could've be miss Wisconsin
A long time ago, spent to much time inside of the early show
We'd bought her a ticket but she didn't want to go she was standing
Down by the side of the road, down by the side of the road

Headlights flashing, caught a skirt in the wind, yonder comes a truck
It drove by two men, shotgun man leaned out and said
"Do you want to take a ride?" Out in through the pale moonlight

Her father was a failure, her mother was a comfort to a doctor
And lawyer and Indian chief, the shirt ran out of buttons
He lost all his marbles at a baseball game and they went on relief
The bank took away their diplomas, they locked them up inside
Of the chest and she moved away to Oklahoma

And got a tattoo on the side of her breast, God damn
My socks are still hard from lying on the sofa on the night
She was over in my backyard, yeah, we was shooting the breeze out
Amongst the trees, when a shot rang low and left her standing
Down by the side of the road, down by the side of the road

Down by the side of the road, down by the side of the road

John E. Prine, John E Prine

The duration of Down by the Side of the Road is 5:03 minutes and seconds.