Old North State

Amber lights and a one way ticket I'd drink cold beer on a Friday night Sipping cheap wine in the front porch light Buy a football ticket and a backseat ride Polaroids in the palm of my hand And a Springstein song from the radio man Drive a mile, sit a while as the sun dies down And I’ll miss nowhere when I settle down In a house, ‘cause I’ll live in the South Where the coffee is warm and there’s a fire by an old beach house In my faded jeans, I was 17, and she wore that smile like a teenage dream Smell of gas and freedom A trail through the pines Where the Dogwoods bloom, as we drive past Raleigh The church bells echo in the mountain haze Oh the roots run deep in the Old North State Barefoot walking in the July heat And we’d carve our names in the side of an oak tree Waffle House we can see in the dark Wear a Sunday shirt in a green church yard Drive around to a backstreet diner A slow song plays as I lay beside her I pray for the day I can redefine All the sleepless nights with her hand in mine In a house, ‘cause I’ll live in the South Where the coffee is warm and there’s a fire by an old beach house In my faded jeans, I was 17, and she wore that smile like a teenage dream Smell of gas and freedom A trail through the pines Where the Dogwoods bloom, as we drive past Raleigh The church bells echo in the mountain haze Oh the roots run deep in the Old North State And I’ll think of them but I’ll stay right here ‘Cause I won’t miss home like I’d miss you, dear And I’ll call my mom, tell her I’m just fine While I look at you in that old porch light In our house, where we’ll live in the south The coffee is warm and there’s a fire by that old beach house In my faded jeans, now I’m 23, she still wears that smile like a teenage queen Smell of gas and freedom A trail through the pines The Dogwoods bloom, as we drive past Raleigh The church bells echo in the mountain haze And the roots run deep in the Old North State