I've gotta leave this country
I think I'm goin' crazy
Things are gettin' fuzzy
The outlook's gettin' hazy
I tried to cross the borders
I tried to jump the fences
I never made it farther than the smelly parts of Kansas
Sometimes I feel like a cow led to the slaughter
The longer I let myself linger here in this backwater

My lover went to Denver
She said she got a strong notion
And the last time I saw her
She was flyin' 'cross the ocean
She sent a short sting of letters
Stating her position
I didn't have the nerve I didn't have the vision
She got tired of the rabble, tired of the fodder
Tired of pickin' off the leeches livin' in this backwater

My great-great-great-great granddad
Was a mean slave holder
And all the founding fathers
Are still sittin' on my shoulder
But what does it matter
Does it really figure
One of my grandpas had a horse he named nigger
That horse was healthy up until he bought her
But then she took a big long drink out of this backwater

You swim upsteam

You float downstream

The sherrif's on the outskirts
Roughin' up the outsiders
No one ever blew the whistle
On that old dogfighter
Then he put 'em in a jailhouse
Way below the standard
And when they finally sued him he said that he'd been slandered
We let that dog suffer when we should have shot her
You won't find a merciful gun here in this backwater

Everbody's lookin'
Searchin' for an answer
Some are gettin' gravy
Some are gettin' cancer
You might go to Heaven
You might go to Hell
You might go to Wal-Mart or maybe Taco Bell
Tear out the wires and throw away the solder
You won't find no hotline to God here in this backwater

I'll put up the wire
If you feed the chickens
And I'll chop their heads off
If you do the feather pickin'
I'll talk to your daddy
He's waitin' in the kitchen
I'll get his blessing and we can stop this itchin'
I'll give you a son if you give me a daughter
We'll settle down and raise 'em right here in this backwater