Meanwhile In Shanghai Ringtones

20 minutes south of a Nashville town There's a boy ridin' on a bike Grass-stained tee, and his scraped-up knees From an older brother backyard fight Only thing he loves is his mama And playing catch with his dad Can't wrap his mind around ever needing Anything more than that But meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl in a princess dress Running through the kitchen And dancing on her bed Two stories God is painting One day, He will combine 'em That boy from Tennessee, has never crossed her mind yet But ten hours away, she's growing up beside him Meanwhilе in Carolina Boy grows up, writing songs about love Kind he only knows at 16 Whether in between classes or baseball practice He's thinking 'bout girls it seems And there's a wonderin' about forever A prayer he always prays And in a beach town by the water Is this one that sounds the same 'Cause meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl with her best friends Talking about Prince Charming Planning forever in their heads Two stories God is painting One day, He will combine 'em That boy from Tennessee, is every dream in her mind, but She's just waiting on the day he comes to find her Meanwhile in Carolina Yeah, meanwhile in Carolina Meanwhile in Tennessee Every turn, he learns something About what it'd take to keep her when he finds her Then God lets him in on the secret He's been hiding That meanwhile in Carolina There's a girl with eyes of green That's everything and more Than my mind could ever dream Two stories God was painting That day that He combined 'em That boy from Tennessee can't believe how they lined up That girl he was looking for that whole time was Meanwhile in Carolina (meanwhile in Carolina) Meanwhile in Carolina

So the government built up Now you see me on the hilltop Got a handle on my visions I never worshiped no one Gotta get my sawn off Or to cruise with the molotov Can you see me get fired up? Can you see me gettin' riled up? Tryna make that connection Tryna make that connection With their eyes on the underground I make my way to the surface 'Cause you gotta keep rockin' with them Keep on partyin' with them You gotta get through this I gotta break through this You better run for your life Run from the fire in the sky Like the smoke from that cigar Am I wastin' precious time? Is the writin' on the wall? Is the writin' on the wall? The money's all been made The people all been slayed Well, tell me I belong Well, tell me I belong You better run for your life Run from the fire in the sky Tryna make that connection Uh, gotta make that connection

Standing on a corner in downtown L.A. Waiting for the man to come along She comes up to me and says, "Too bad, too sad You know that he's been dead and gone." L.A. lady, kinda shady She picked him up and took him home. I woke up groggy, my sight was smoggy And I knew that it had been blown. Early in the morning sitting in a hotel Moscow's looking fine through the wine Spaced out, I crashed out When the KGB came on the line. It's a cold one, bein' sent down It's gotta be fifty below. Mama, here's a postcard to let you know I'm in a saltmine and looking for coal. Shanghai'd in Shanghai Stood on in Tuscon Ripped off and kicked right out the bed. Flyin' across the desert from Texas to Tuscon But we're headed for a southern star The captain says it's fine in Havana This dude behind me needs a cigar. He's a big one, he's got a big gun I guess we better go along. Mister, we've got a gig in Arizona Second billing to the Rolling Stones. Shanghai'd in Shanghai Stood on in Tuscon Ripped off and kicked right out the bed. Shanghai'd in Shanghai Laid low in 'Frisco Done in and left behind for dead.

Disempowered The scattering flock Dances in a fever At the Castle Rock Dust devils cypress Ripening fruit Ascending quick Into the author's bathroom Fon, Jo and Tootsie Are out on a wire Meth-toothed junkies Are full of desire Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you I've got a lot of work to do I guess I'll leave it up to you Uninvited We'll stay if we want Searching through your closets For your grandfathers gun We will swim in your kidney, Kidney shaped pool Scratching at the bottom For another clue, yeah Fon, Jo and Tootsie Are out on a wire Meth-toothed junkies Are full of desire Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do Meanwhile Rick James takes her nude And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you And there's nothing I can do And there's nothing I can say to you I've got a lot of work to do I guess I'll leave it up to you