left san marcos for the coast
days and nights passing out the window in a blur
and every song reminding me of her

stole tess from frankie the week I lost my dad
everything was good for a while then it went bad

got tess pregnant in frankie's bed
he caught us in there
told me I was good as dead

see frankie taught me how to walk and talk
taught me how to pick up the pieces when you break law

we'd known each other since we were kids
rolled around in the dirt
no cares
pure bliss

frankie knew cinnamon girls with sunburned hair
he talked to them in rhymes
and they gave him those million mile stares

but tess was the only one that could cut me to ribbons
she left me with blood stains
she painted pictures of my pain

and when we lost our baby i fled to cali
didn't stop crying till i got to uncle benny's alley
84 weeks of backstreet brawls
broken jaws
benny told me i was one of the best fighters he ever saw

i saved enough money to drive back in that new car
cadillac and chrome
showed it to my mom
she just cried and asked where i'd been for so long

she showed me the letters tess wrote
said she missed me and asked why i left her alone

so i found tess on dover street on the fifth of may
her black hair was blonde
i told her i missed her every day

she said frankie was in galveston working with one eye ray
other than that the town was the same

i kissed her cheek
told her i'd never leave again
she looked at the ground started to cry and took my hand

she told me that she called my mom every day i was gone
and she was worried life was just too long

we sat in her car and listened to bob dylan as it rained
she said if dylan were alive today he'd write a song called The Times They Never Change

wish you could've seen my eyes when i found out you didn't say goodbye

called your mom she said you were gone
i felt like i was back in that foster home

spent days sitting on company hill writing letters to you
looking out over our town
thinking i might see you

then frankie came around
and said you weren't comin back
he'd sit outside my house some nights
singing johnny cash

i wish you knew i just wanted you
had nightmares that you left this town and left me too
woke up and you were still gone
only bad dreams come true

but you had to do what you had to do
i love you too much to not forgive you
but some nights it was easier to just forget you

but you aren't the only one who lost someone
my mom died when i was young
no one ever braided my hair
told me how much they cared

maybe we can be better somehow
build a life raft
sail off to some ghost town

but you can't leave me alone again
you can't let go of my hand
you have to help me build this island

maybe you need me more than i need you
see these times they never change but we do
and even when it all ends i'll still love you