"I'm Climbing Out©"
Lyrics by M. S. McKenzie | Performed by Songs Across America, Protected by Copyright
~ Associated State Links ~
State of AR Home Page | State of AR Gallery Page
"Fayetteville Shadows"
[Intro]
The neon hums on a two-lane night
A porch swing creaks under a sodium light
Freight trains rattle past the Arkansas River below
And I learn real young what this world won’t show
[Verse 1]
I’m a trailer-park kid livin’ off Route two-sixty-five
Where the bills stack up like trash on the street corner
Mama’s tired eyes betray a shift that never seems to end
And the “maybe next week” line becomes the latest trend
At school they laugh at my Goodwill-store jeans
They call me “the nobody boy with broken dreams”
But I just stare past the school’s football-field lights
Dreamin’ of Memphis through someone else’s eyes
[Verse 2]
There’s a package store where the hope runs thin
And fancy glass decanters beg you to sin
Some friends got high, they said it clears your head
I said that stuff’s not for me…it’ll kill you dead
I’ve seen too many evictions on bright yellow signs
Tired of landlords preaching like they’re doing you kind
While preachers say “pray,” but cupboards stay “bare”
Rich folks pass and stare: wishing we were never there
[Chorus]
I won’t be swallowed by this town’s sorrow
I won’t be hurt by this pain ‘til tomorrow
I’m climbing out, even if it takes forever
I’m tired of the looks; I’m not any lesser
From Fayetteville shadows to any Arkansas city
I’m chasing my dreams, not anyone’s pity
Let them keep doubting: let them talk, let them guess
I’m floating on a river of dreams…
…and refuse to sink into this mess
[Verse 3]
On a Sunday drive through the Ouachita pines
I felt something shift in the back of my mind…
Like the trees said, “Kid, you know you can choose
You can saw through the chains; even smother the fuse”
So, I got a better job, saved up what I could…
Took a few night classes ‘cause I knew that I should
Wrote plans on my phone and held tight to my name
Swore I’d never let hate be the match to my flame
[Bridge]
And I know how the system keeps score…
Who gets the ladder, who sleeps on the floor
Who gets forgiven, who gets branded “bad,”
Who gets a future, who gets what they’ve had
But I’m not a statistic you get to ignore
I’m a beating heart at a locked front door
So, hear me now, this is me drawing breath
I won’t let despair or drugs be my death
[Verse 4]
Someday I’ll stand proud by the Buffalo River,
Watch the sunrise cut through the mist and the heather
Drive into the mountains, windows all the way down
Feel the Ozark breeze through my hair ‘til sundown
Then I’ll look back once: just once: at the past
Not with shame, not with anger, just letting it pass
‘Cause I made it out, and I’m coming back through
With my arms open wide… for the kids who get bruised
[Chorus]
I won’t be swallowed by this town’s sorrow
I won’t be hurt by this pain ‘til tomorrow
I’m climbing out, even if it takes forever
I’m tired of the looks; I’m not any lesser
From Fayetteville shadows to any Arkansas city
I’m chasing my dreams, not anyone’s pity
Let them keep doubting: let them talk, let them guess
I’m floating on a river of dreams…
…and refuse to sink into this mess
[Final Chorus: with bigger lift and harmonies]
I won’t be swallowed by this town’s sorrow
I won’t be hurt by this pain ‘til tomorrow
I’m climbing out, even if it takes forever
I’m tired of the looks; I’m not any lesser
From Fayetteville shadows to any Arkansas city
I’m chasing my dreams, not anyone’s pity
Let them keep doubting: let them talk, let them guess
I’m floating on a river of dreams…
…and refuse to sink into this mess
[Instrumental Outro with ad-libs till fade out]
Song Description
