Robert Coleman Trussell: Music

• MP3 short clip, hi-fi play (broadband)
• MP3 short clip, lo-fi play (modem)

I saw your mugshot in the paper in grainy black & white
You tried to rob a drugstore on a windy Friday night
But the druggist was not yellow, he kept a gun beneath the shelf &
He shot you without blinkin' as your tried to help yourself

You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA
You can't go back to where you've been
That's what the people say
Some sell high & some sell low
You gave it all away
You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA

I met you in a phone room on Admiral Boulevard
We were selling junk to suckers & taking smoke breaks in the yard
You always seemed a little nervous, you always laughed too loud
One of your eyes was lazy & your head was always bowed

You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA
You can't go back & try again
That's what the cops all say
Some go hard & some go soft
You went the hardest way
You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA

I should have sent red roses in salute to the price of fame
You went for broke with a lousy hand it was your final game
Now there ain't much sense in askin' just where you went wrong
I did not send red roses but I sat down & wrote this song

You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA
You can't go back & start again
That's what the old men say
Some of us are running
But we never get away
You're a long way from Topeka
The heart of the USA