Empty towns, littering the countryside   With no purpose being there   On an endless road   From gig to county fair   With a dozen people waiting for you   And the light in the eyes of the opening act leading there   Who knows the road is waiting for him      So I took him aside   Let my true feelings rise   And found out more about him   I said "Son, I've travelled   All over this place   Had money thrown at me   Late night tits in my face   But it all has it's time   And it all has its place   And when you feel like it's the end of the run   You've got to go home"      I'm not saying that it cannot be done   I'm not saying that it shouldn't be fun   But when it feels like it's the end of the run   You've got to go home      I'm talking about Phil Jackson   Sonny Bono, Fats Domino   Ma Rainey had her ass knocked down   All over that long hard road   Frank Sinatra, Charlie Daniels   Dylan wrote his personal 61   The highway's calling me   And it's saying   It's time to go home      I'm not saying that it cannot be done   I'm not saying that it shouldn't be done   I ain't saying that it won't be fun   But when it feels like it's the end of the run   You've got to go home      Because I've traveled   All over the long hard road   Traveled all down   The long hard road   I'm finished with my life   On the long hard road   So I'm leaving behind   The long hard road