Summer in My Rearview - Country Pop

What We Were Still Burns

8 Seconds To Life (Dream Called Rodeo) – Version 2
Written and Produced by Lance Thomas Davidson
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Lyrics: 
Boots and blood and dust and mud
The roar that shakes a Sunday town
Rednecks hollerin’ from the stands
Whiskey breath and pride so loud
Cowboy hats with stampede strings
Holdin’ tight through every swing
Silver buckle dreams so bright
Chasin’ glory under lights

He’s hooked for life on Rodeo
Heart racin’ fast, but money slow
Every time he hears that gate
He trades his body for a show
Boots and blood and dust and mud
And pride he’s too damn broke to let go
Cowboy’s chained to one mistake
That dream they call Rodeo

First ride, first win
Eight seconds turned to sin
Crowd screaming like a wildfire
Burning deep beneath his skin
Silver buckle on his belt
Mama cried with joy and fear
He tasted fame that one damn night
And kept comin’ back each year

Cuz once you ride the lightning
You ain’t gettin’ off that storm’s saddle
Every jolt of fear ignites you
Every buck becomes your battle

He’ll risk it all for Rodeo
Where every second feels like gold
Broken hips, shattered ankles
Broken backs turn young to old
But the crowd keeps pushin’ louder
Hope and fear both hit the flow
He’ll risk his life to taste the prize
That dream they call Rodeo

Second buckle, second year
Little fame, a lot more fear
Broken ribs and bruised-up pride
But he ain’t stoppin’ here
He’s chasin’ what he started
Even when the doctor said
“One more mess-up on your spine
And son, you might not leave that bed”

But legends ain’t made cautious
They fight the fear that makes ’em nauseous
They ride on borrowed bones
Every crack reminds ’em where they’re goin’

He’s hooked for life on Rodeo
Heart racin’ fast, but money slow
Every time he hears that gate
He trades his future for the show
Boots and blood and dust and mud
And scars that only cowboys know
Cowboy’s trapped inside the chase
Of that dream they call Rodeo

Ten more seasons — hell on earth
Farm notes due, no crops to show
Kids need shoes, wife needs comfort
Dreams cost more than ridin’ bulls can pay
She says, “I can’t watch you die
While that beast drags you below.”
Takes the babies, shuts the door
Leaves a note — “Enough, I go.”

Someday when the cheers stop ringin’
And he’s limpin’ off alone
When the bank man takes the family land
He’ll lose more than skin and bone
But regrets don’t fit a cowboy
Only legends, dust, and time
He will smile through all the wreckage
’Cause he knows he rode the line

Still hooked for life on Rodeo
He keeps on ridin’ though he knows
Every cheer is one step closer
To the grave he can’t outgrow
Boots and blood and dust and mud
And debts that choke like winter cold
Cowboy gambled heart and home
For that dream they call Rodeo

He sits alone in empty stands
No crowd to shout his name
But he smiles remembering
That one night he rode to fame
If you asked him, “Was it worth it?”
He’d nod slow, eyes like fire:
Better broken tryin’ to mount and saddle it
Than livin’ life with nothin’ higher

Eight seconds stole his whole damn life
And he’d still climb back again
’Cause cowboys die with boots laced tight
Chasin’ the dream called Rodeo

All Used Up

Utah Phillips

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