verse 1
C Dm F G
Well I turned right on First, left on White Oak
F C
Back to my old neighborhood
C Dm
I saw old Doc Randolph
F G
He was mowing his yard
F C
He's kept it up ‘’bout the best he could.
Am
And Evelyn his wife of thirty-two years
G
She smiled as I drove by
F C
And she waved from her front porch swing.
C Dm F G
And she went back to readin’ her two dollar novel
F C
And playin’ with her wedding ring.
verse 2
C Dm F G
A few houses needed paintin’, a few gates were unhinged
F C
But generally the place looked the same.
C Dm F G
The driveways were full of bikes and Buick sedans
F C
Things any good American would claim.
Am G
And all them other lovers that married for cover
F C
They were out for the sacred nightly stroll.
C Dm F G
They were wishing they were characters in a two dollar novel
F C
Wishing for their weight in gold.
Interlude
C Bb F (2x)
verse 3
C Dm F G
Now Mary Elizabeth, she's my high school sweetheart
F C
She married my best high school friend
C Dm F G
He manages the hardware store, she became a nurse
F C
And I became a memory to them.
Am G
And all my other buddies they just got lost in outer space
F C
And they ran off to serve their country well.
C Dm F G
They're all fighting in a war of two dollar novels
F C
Where only the toughest live to tell.
verse 4
C Dm F G
So I turned right on White Oak and left on First
F C
Out of that old neighborhood
C Dm F G
I left Doctor and Mrs. Randolph sipping ice tea on the front porch
F C
Wondering if I'd ever come to any good.
Am G
And on a thousand shady streets in a thousand other towns
F C
Now people, Lord, they're doing just the same.
C Dm F G
They're all living their lives like two dollar novels
F C
And wondering why the world is so insane.
C Dm F G
They're all living their lives like two dollar novels
F C
And wondering why there's nothing left to gain.