Josh Ritter - Best for the Best lyrics

Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times
She made me a shirt out of fives and dimes
Now she’s gone
But when I wear it she crosses my mind
And if the best is for the best
Then the best is unkind

I realized that Illinois was more
Than I could stand
They say working’s best 'cause poverty
Is hell on a man now I ride a lazy river
Through the Mississippi fan
And if the best is for the best
Then the best can be damned

I spent a few years on the Queen of Spain
She was a leaky little boat
That went up in flames when the boiler blew
Some people started naming names
But, if the best is for the best
I guess the best is to blame

I spent a few more as the Cairo Crown
A heavyweight wrestler in the Midwest towns
But, I was lonesome for a girl
Who could pin me down
They say the best is for the best
But that’s not what I’ve found

Now I listen to my sweetheart and
I listen to my thirst
I don’t spend time listening
To other people’s words
Sometimes they’re right
Most times the reverse
They say the best is for the best
When the best’s for the worse

Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times
Once I knew a girl in the hard, hard times