Chief Of The Sinners

This ain’t my case, but it holds my song
The one I’m writing to right the wrong
I left my guitar in a pawnshop downtown
Traded six strings for a bottle and a breakdown
Said I’d be back in a week or two
But the truth is, I never knew
Now I’m playing borrowed wood and steel
Trying to remember how to feel
The neck’s too wide, the tone’s too thin
But I still hear her voice within
So I’m singing this tune to buy it back
The one I lost when I lost track
Of who I was and what I meant
Of every dollar, every cent
This borrowed case, this borrowed sound
Is holding me until I’m found
I ain’t rich, I ain’t got fame
But I’ve got this new song... that will make you...remember my name...get me back in the... game
She said, “You write like you’re bleeding slow”
I said, “That’s the only way I know”
She kissed my hand, then closed the door
And I wrote her name into the score
Now I play for tips and second looks
For coffee cups and worn-out books
But every chord I bend and break
Is one more step I get to take
So I’m singing this tune to buy it back
The one I lost when I lost track
Of who I was and what I meant
Of every dollar, every cent
This borrowed case, this borrowed sound
Is holding me until I’m found
I ain’t rich, I ain’t got fame
But I’ve got this new song... that will make you...remember my name...get me back in the... game
I remember the day I let it go
The clerk said, “Man, you sure you know?”
I said, “It’s just wood, it’s just wire”
But I felt the burn of funeral fire
Now I dream in minor keys
Of open mics and memories
And every song I write tonight
Is one more chance to make it right
So I’m singing this tune to buy it back
The one I lost when I lost track
Of who I was and what I meant
Of every dollar, every cent
This borrowed case, this borrowed sound
Is holding me until I’m found
I ain’t rich, I ain’t got fame
But I’ve got this new song... that will make you...remember my name...get me back in the... game
This ain’t my case, but it holds my song
And maybe that’s where I belong
I ain’t rich, I ain’t got fame
But I’ve got this new song... that will make you...remember again

Borrowed Case (Buy It Back Ballad)

https://buymeacoffee.com/rayzorbach

May 7, 2025


The dust it hangs like a mourning shroud
Where once the harvest sang so proud
I wrestle the earth but it don’t fight fair
The ghosts of my father linger there

I’m planting old dreams in barren ground
But the roots won’t spread where hope ain’t found
The banker calls and the taxman knocks
I’m tethered to time with heavy locks

The sun is cruel and the cattle thin
The seasons wage wars I’ll never win
I hear my old man say
"Son hold on tight"
But the weight of the world is a harder fight

The rain won’t come though I’ve sold my soul
The soil takes all
Leaves a gaping hole
I tell my kids
“One day it’ll grow”
But they see the doubt I’ve tried not to show

I’m planting old dreams in barren ground
But the roots won’t spread where hope ain’t found
The banker calls and the taxman knocks
I’m tethered to time with heavy locks

The plow feels like a dead man’s chain
And every crop is a prayer in vain
I don’t want to leave them an empty place
But the well of my spirit’s a dried out trace


Move Over

Red Shahan