The Ballad of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern

Well, old Miss Virgie tended bar at a shack out in the hills
Never made her no money, boy, but it paid up all of her bills
She must've been 80 years-old,
But, her heart was warm, and her beer was cold
And, she'd give away more than she ever sold,
Smiling all the time

I used to sing off in the corner every Friday night
To a loud crowd of cowboys, bikers and bar room fights
They'd be drinking beer and carrying on, not a one of them was listening to one of my songs
But old Miss Virgie was singin' along,
She said she knew 'em all by heart

And then one night, after closing, she poured me up a beer
She said Come on over and sit down you little shit,
I got something you oughta hear.
She said Life ain't easy getting through, everybody's gonna make things tough on you;
But, I can tell you right now, if you dig what you do, they will never get you down

She said life's too short to worry
She said life is too long to wait
Well, it's too short not to love everybody
Life is too long to hate
I meet a lot of men haggle and finagle all the time
Trying to save a nickel, maybe make a dime
Not me, Boy, no sireee, I ain't-a got the time

Well, I ain't seen ol' Virgie I guess it's probably been eighteen years
I've been bumming around this country, singing my songs for tips and beers
Now the nights are long and the traveling's tough
Hotels are weird, and the pay sucks
But, I can't dig what I do enough; it never ever gets me down

I say life is too short to worry
Life is too long to wait
Well, it's too short not to love everybody
Life's too long to hate
I meet a lot of men haggle and finagle all the time
Trying to save a nickel, maybe make a dime
Not me, Boy, no sireee, I ain't-a got the time