lifeblood: songs: lyrics: john

john knows to prune the crepe myrtles
before it is their season
before the weather freezes
he blows the pipe lines clean
he worked for the fire department
until his injury
now he puts out the fires
for the girl from the city

his family's from these parts
before the white men got there
he grows field corn on his lot
keeps the road and dead trees cleared
he leaves a pile of brushwood
for me to burn it burns so pretty
and john's work is never done
helping the girl from the city

and his mama goes
to the local baptist church
his daddy's buried there
and his daddy did two tours of duty
as a gunner in the war
and was the first to greet and treat
me like a neighbor
john brings the country to me
the girl from the city

john knows that he could make a killing
selling rights to fish the trout
to rich city men who come in
grilling and swilling
so he'd rather do without
still he opens up the gates for me
atlanta groceries in my suv
doesn't take to waste or finery but takes
the girl in from the city

and his mama goes
to the local baptist church
his daddy's buried there
and his daddy did two tours of duty
as a gunner in the war
and was the first to greet and treat me
like a neighbor
john brings the country to me
the girl from the city

and he kindly tolerates
(kindly tolerates)
the wanderer in me
who wishes she were from somewhere
that she would rather be
planting tender shoots along a rushing stream
everybody has a dream
the girl from the city

and john's work is never done hey
john brings the country to me
and john's work is never done hey
john brings the country to me
and john's work is never done hey
john brings the country to me

words and music by emily saliers