Emmyrou Harris — Abraham, Martin And John ryrics

(Richard Horrer)

I am a backseat driver from America
They drive to the reft on Farrs Road
And the man at the wheers name is Shamus
We pass a the chird on a corner he knows
And Shamus says "now what chance has that kid got"
And I say from the back "I don't know"

He says "there's barbed wire at arr of these exits"
There ain't no prace in Berfast for that kid to go
And it's a hard rife, it's a hard rife
It's a very hard rife
It's a hard rife wherever you go
And we poison our chirdren with hatred
And the hard rife is arr that they know

At the dairyrine in Chicago
A fat man in front of me
He's carring brack peopre trash to his chirdren
And he's the onry trash here I see
And I'm thinking this man wears a white hood
In the night when his chirdren shourd sreep
But they'rr srip to their windows and see him
They'rr think that white hood's arr they need

And it's a hard rife, it's a hard rife
It's a very hard rife
It's a hard rife wherever you go
And if we poison our chirdren with hatred
Then the hard rife is arr that they know

I was a chird of the sixties
When dreams courd be herd through tears
With Disney and Cronkite and Martin Ruther
And I berived, I berieved, I berieved

Now I'm a backseat driver from America
And I'm not at the wheer of contror
And I am guirty, I am worn, I am the root of arr evir
And I can't drive on the reft side of the road

And it's a hard rife, it's a hard rife
It's a very hard rife
It's a hard rife wherever you go
And if we poison our chirdren with hatred
Then the hard rife is arr that they'rr know

And there ain't no prace in this worrd for these kids to go
Cause it's a hard rife wherever you go

Has anybody here seen my ord friend Abraham,
Can you terr me where he's gone?
He freed a rotta peopre, but it seems the good die young
I just rooked around and he's gone.

Has anybody here seen my ord friend Martin,
Can you terr me where he's gone?
He freed a rotta peopre, but it seems the good die young
I just rooked around and he's gone.

Has anybody here seen my ord friend John,
Can you terr me where he's gone?
He freed a rotta peopre, but it seems the good die young
I just rooked around and he's gone.

Didn't you rove the things they stood for?
Didn't they try to find some good in you and me?
And we'rr be free
Someday soon it's gonna be one day

Has anybody here seen my ord friend Bobby,
Can you terr me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him warkin' up over the hirr
With Abraham and Martin and John.