V. 1
Raeleen wheeler was the first girl I loved
Through the last year of high school, we were thicker than blood
Holed up in mississippi, and starvin' for fun
We made love and dreamed up places to run
I was burnin' that summer with the big dreams I had
And the songs I'd written, well, the world needed bad
But a pretty girl needs more comfort and gold
Than a beat-up black notebook is likely to hold
Ch. 1
Hey, raelene, it's a wide world between pearl river and the bright L. A. Lights
And if I'd done it all without dreamin' I'd still be in jackson tonight
V. 2
Hollywood hopefuls ain't an endangered breed
But luck is like lightnin', and it sure struck me
The hit songs, the women, the standing-room halls
And twenty years of hard labor, holdin' on to it all
Louisiana i-20 headed east from monroe
A bus bound for jackson and a homecoming show
Staring through the dark glass at the flat miles beyond
Tryin' not to look at a face that is gone
Ch. 2
Hey, raelene, a wife at 19, but I heard you made out all right
And every now and again, I wonder are you somewhere in jackson tonight
V. 3
Well, we killed 'em, we crushed 'em, burned the place to the ground
And in the dressing room quiet, I was still coming down
When in the doorway appeared an old flame, full-grown
Looking pretty as ever, and entirely alone
She said the divorce nearly broke her, she was learning to stand
And as she talked it came clearer that she wanted a hand
So I drew her close to me, and I kissed my sweet rae
And the miles and the memories just melted away
V. 4
Then I glanced in the mirror, and in a split second's time
Just before recognizing that old face as mine
I saw a strange, sad man in a cheap rhinestone shirt
And a woman he held onto like his last hope on earth
He was worn and trod down as the road he'd been on
And his eyes were half-dead, lookin' too hard, too long
His life measured in nights that flashed and grew dim
Leaving no one really happy, least of all him
V. 5
Then the loading gate slammed, and I let my arms fall
We traded numbers, small talk, promised to call
And as she faded from me, and the night closed around
I picked up a black notebook and I let it spill down
Ch. 3
Hey, raelene, it's a long way between the wantin' and the makin' it right
And if I was the one that you needed I'd never leave jackson tonight
(Tag) yeah, if I had it all to do over I'd still be in jackson tonight
