ROAD GOES ON FOREVER, THE
(Robert Earl Keen Jr.)


Robert Earl Keen Jr. - 1989
The Highwaymen - 1995



Sherry was a waitress at the only joint in town
She had a reputation as a girl who'd been around
Down Main Street after midnight with a brand new pack of cigs
A fresh one hangin' from her lips and a beer between her legs
She'd ride down to the river and meet with all her friends
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Sonny was a loner, boder than the rest
He was going in the Navy but he couldn't pass the test
So he hung around town and he sold a little pot
The law caught wind of Sonny and one day he got caught
But he is back in business when they set him free again
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

Sonny's playin' eight-ball at the joint where Sherry works
When some drunken outta-towner put his hand up Sherry's skirt
Sonny took his pool cue laid the drunk out on the floor
Stuffed a dollar in her tip jar and walked on out the door
She's runnin' right behind him, reachin' for his hand
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They jumped into his pickup, Sonny jammed her down in gear
Sonny looked at Sherry, said, "Let's get on outta here"
The stars were high above them, the moon was in the East
The sun was settin' on them when they reached Miami Beach
They got a motel by the water and a quart of Bombay gin
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They soon ran out of money, but Sonny knew a man
Who knew some Cuban refugees who dealt in contraband
Sonny met the Cubans in a house just off the route
With a briefcase full of money and a pistol in his boot
The cards were on the table when the law came bustin' in
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

The Cubans grabbed the goodies and Sonny grabbed a jack
He broke a bathroom window and climbed on out the back
Sherry drove the pickup through the alley on the side
Where a lawman tackled Sonny and was reading him his rights
She stepped into the alley with a single shot 410
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

They left the lawman dyin' and they made their getaway
They got back to the motel just before the break of day
Sonny gave her all the money and he blew her a little kiss
If they ask you how this happened, say I forced you into this
She watched him as his taillights disappeared around the bend
The road goes on forever and the party never ends

There's Main Street after midnight just like it was before
Twenty-one months later at the local grocery store
Sherry buys a paper and a cold six-pack of beer
The headlines read that Sonny is goin' to the chair
She pulls back onto Main Street in her new Mercedes Benz
The road goes on forever and the party never ends



(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - March 2017)