by Nanci Griffith

My daddy sent me on to Baton Rouge in 1969

He said our love was like a forest fire and he'd end it with a mind

So you rode with us to Temple, Texas where I did catch the train

And I remember waving back at you from a silted window pane

Chorus:

And I said fare thee well true love of mine

And I said fare thee well sweet lips of wine

And you said fare thee well my texas rose

And then you blew a kiss of innocence as the trains began to roll

So long ago

You'd gone off to fight the war when I returned from school

And I traded in my innocence when the springtime came in bloom

And I married for my family; one night I dreamed of you

And you were running from me in the rain down on Congress Avenue

Now I saw you once in a crowded bar and it was Christmas time

I was frightened by the thunder of our hearts in '69

Because I live my life in whispers now and I choose to live alone

So I slipped back to the avenue and flipped my collar to the cold