Lyrics

Dobro Dash

Sad-eyed Suzie was a thrift-store bride,
Her dress was twice-worn white, but she had nothing to hide
She wore a smile that day, her daddy by her side
Walking down the aisle to that bad boy Clyde
He was a hobo with a dobro, his ticket was his thumb
A drifter and a grifter, he never said where he was from
He’d slip into a town, find a jam with an empty seat
He’d slide on in, a little sugar on the back beat

Suzie’s daddy Hank played a Nashville Steel
He liked Clyde’s style, he liked that dobro feel
By the end of the jam Clyde had a bed and a meal
And that was his plan, and that was his deal
Folks are so friendly in those country-road towns
They’d put a young man up, but he was letting them down
He’d case their place, for a piece of jewellery, some cash
Then he’d be gone by dawn, doing the dobro dash.

But that Saturday night, there was a firehall dance
Hank’s band was short a man, he thought it was worth a chance
Hank said, I like to play the lead guitar, you could take the slide
Stick around, I’ll make it worth your while
Well okay, said Clyde
The band sounded tight, one gig led to another
Suzie and Clyde started seeing each other
Just like her mama, she loved to watch her man play
But Clyde still played that steel with an “e” and an “a”

This time he only took what he could fit in his pocket, a fistful of dollars and an old gold locket
He thumbed a truck down at midnight, she’ll forget me he was hopin’
A few hours down the road he pried that old locket open
He saw those same sad eyes, deep emerald green,
the second-prettiest girl he’d ever seen
All those highways, byways, and railroad tracks,
First time in his life Clyde said, I gotta go back.

Clyde made lots of promises, none he planned on keeping
But now as he snuck in before dawn, he was glad they were still sleeping
That morning he said, Hank, I gotta tell you what I’ve been thinking
It might be time for me to settle down
Hank said, Man, have you been drinking?
You stole the only thing I had left of my wife
I would’ve tracked you down for the rest of my life
Clyde hung his head, Since I was kid, I’ve cheated and lied
But I swear I’d be a changed man if I could make Suzie my bride

The men made their peace, they could forget what took place
Suzie never let on she saw Clyde leave that night with his dobro in its case
So now our story is back at the start
And Suzie still had sad eyes but only half a broken heart

© Michael Hughes and Sharon Nauss-Hughes, 2021