The Ballad Of The Illinois Opry

(album: Building The Bridge - 1996)

Found myself heading down toward Springfield
The last sign said it was twelve miles west
It's getting hard to see through the salt on my windshield
But it looks like I'm gonna make it before the sun sets
The morning I arrived was Lincoln's birthday
So I walked through his house and saw his tomb
I decided that a tour through the Civil War Memorial Museum would be a drag
I was tired of seeing monuments about other men's doom

Now I don't want you people to think that all there is around Springfield Illinois
Are landmarks telling `bout the good old Lincoln years
Cus just north of town I saw a sign that said the Illinois Opry is open tonight
And the sweet sound of country music filled my ears

And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It may be a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday

I could easily write a whole song about the licks that guitar man was picking
I could go on for hours `bout the old boy on pedal steel
But I'm not singing `bout people who were just playing music
I'm singing about how fine their music made me feel

There's a lot of people who have taken years of lessons
Trying to learn how to make their music fit the trend
But the simple folks at the Opry have got something special
And I think that we all could use a lesson or two from them

And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now
The people in the country certainly know how to play
It maybe a while before I'm ready
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday