Copperhead Road
Steve Earle
Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Headed up the holler with everything he had
Before my time but I've been told
He never come back from Copperhead Road
Now daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
“Johnson County Sheriff” painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin’ sound
Heard mama crying knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road
Instrumental
I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They drafted the white trash first around here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I just plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learnt a thing or two from Charlie don't you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Instrumental
Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road
Ha! Copperhead Road