The Ballad of Jeannie Ray

Her temper’s shorter than her skirt - she doesn’t care
And her hearts more marked up than the tattooed skin she wears
She’ll fly by night and won’t stay long
Cause somewhere down the road
They’re playing a different song.

Well I knew a girl like that once
Her name was Jeannie Ray
Met her at a bar downtown and I never was the same
She kicked it like an old school Maggie May
Eyes on fire and Rod Stewart on the player
Singing songs about how he loved her
When he only knew her name

Smoke gets in her eyes
But all she does is laugh
And damn the girl says “fuck” enough
To give me a heart attack
She said she used to have a bunny or a cat
Told me she’s a pescatarian
I said “What the hell is that?”

And if pbr and taillights are all that you have
Don’t hold it against her
She doesn’t try to be bad
And if you miss the glimmer in her eye
You’d do well to remind yourself she’s somewhere
Trying not to cry
Cause when that girl’s heart goes, she goes.
She’ll remember you forever, but
She can’t stand getting close.

We all saw her walk in her first day in town
I remember that night
Cause she bought me a round
And I could see the circles
Made by some sleepless nights
And all those shots of whiskey
Didn’t stand a chance to fight

Well she had a soft spot for Chuck Berry’s “Blues”
Had an old school fixie and she knew all the news
She took pictures of bugs and called it art
And lord knows we loved it when she’d kill on the guitar
But oh that woman had her scars
I’d hear her screaming in the bathroom
And crying in the dark

If pbr and taillights are all that you have
Don’t hold it against her
She doesn’t try to be bad
And if you miss the glimmer in her eye
You’d do well to remind yourself she’s somewhere
Trying not to cry
Cause when that girl’s heart goes, she goes.
She’ll remember you forever, but
She can’t stand getting close.

The boys all loved her
With their side swept hair
And their big rimmed glasses
And their desperate airs
Jeannie, well, she always played nice
Asked them about their projects
Loaned them a light
Even though it got real cold at night
That girl lit a fire that kept them burning bright

And Jeannie was a good friend of mine
Sometimes she’d let me know about her life between the lines
Told me about Boston
And how’d she left her mother there
And moved out to Austin
Cause the winter made her scared
Then she thought she might outrun her past
If she settled down in my town
And tried to start from scratch

She said there was a boy once, way back
Told me she couldn’t help him
But that he’d always made her laugh
And I remember how she left
And how the lights went out downtown
When she’d finished out her breath
And the world came tumbling down

She said I hate to disappoint you friend
But I can’t stick around
I’ve got things to attend to and
The weather’s coming down
This town’s too quiet anyway
And that’s how we all got
Our heart broke by Jeannie Ray

Found her body the next morning
With a note laying by the bed
Said “I love you Tim in Austin,
I’ll see you in the end.”
She still had the circles under her eyes
And all the loudness in that quiet room
Made me break down and cry

If pbr and taillights are all that you have
Don’t hold it against her
Cause that girl ain't coming back
And if you miss the glimmer in her eye
You’d do well to remind yourself she’s somewhere
Trying not to cry
Cause when that girl’s heart goes, she goes.
She’ll remember you forever, but
She can’t stand getting close.

Folks listen carefully
For I tell no lies
About Jeannie Ray from Boston
Who we didn't want to die
Be careful who you love
Be careful what you hide
Lest your learn life's hardest lesson
That you can't escape alive

Her temper’s shorter than her skirt - she doesn’t care
But her smile’s more contagious than any flu scare
She’ll fly by night and won’t stay long
Somewhere down the road,
They’re playing her song.