Lori McKenna - The Balladeer lyrics

The balladeer wait's in the wings
Tugging on her dress, tuning her strings
All her whiskey faded cigarette blown dreams
She brings herself to her own knees
With every line so delicate

She sings every song that she knows
The way that she hears 'em,  sad and slow
They're never gonna play her on the radio
So she hangs in the darkest
Bars with downtrodden bleeding hearts

A guitar man there who knew all the chords
Said he needed her to help him find the words
The balladeer never loved anybody more
It was magic but she worried what if
She ran out of the pain

She carried round with her, so proud
She wore it like a queen wears a crown
She didn't know who she'd be
If she put it down
So he brought her to the river
Where she could wash the trouble

From her heart and let it shine like gold
Felt like angels pouring mercy on her soul
And the weight of the world, she let it go
And she sang for the first time with her
Head held high and so much pride

It opened up new notes in her throat
There was joy in every new song she wrote
They got a bus and traveled coast to coast
Drinking with their friends and strangers and
Business people called to say

That she was finally headed for the stars
Or at least the top of the charts
They changed her clothes and
Bought fancy cars
Till the guitar man caught the eye of
A pretty background singer with the blues

Oh, oh, oh oh, oh, oh, oh

The guitar man cried 'cause he done her wrong
The background singer took the
Next flight home
And the balladeer wrote herself a song
About brokenhearted dreamers who
Are searching
For something they'll never find

Mmm, mmm, mmm