[Verse 1]
Your coat on the chair, your boots by the door
A cracked little bottle on the kitchen floor
The stove went cold while the county slept
I watched the last red ember take what we left
[Pre-Chorus]
You said, “Don’t look back,” with your hand on the latch
I heard that old screen door swing and catch
[Chorus]
Whisky and ashes, taste of the end
A hard road behind me, no road to mend
I ride with the wreckage, I wear what I’ve done
Whisky and ashes till the morning comes
[Verse 2]
There’s a matchbook from Amarillo in my pocket seam
And your Sunday photograph folded with the dream
The gas gauge trembles past the county line
I keep your last goodbye where the sun can’t find
[Pre-Chorus]
No preacher can bless what the miles can’t erase
No judge can sentence a man to your face
[Chorus]
Whisky and ashes, taste of the end
A hard road behind me, no road to mend
I ride with the wreckage, I wear what I’ve done
Whisky and ashes till the morning comes
[Bridge]
If the rain comes down, let it blacken my hands
If the wheels give out, I’ll sleep where I stand
I won’t curse your name, I won’t beg you to stay
I’ll carry that fire till it burns away
[Final Chorus]
Whisky and ashes, taste of the end
A hard road behind me, no road to mend
I ride with the wreckage, I wear what I’ve done
Whisky and ashes till the morning comes
Whisky and ashes—still riding alone
With the dust in my throat and the miles for a home
[Outro]
Your coat on the chair, your boots by the door
Just whisky and ashes, nothing more