Lyrics
Started out with a song and a busted amp
Dreams too big for a two-bit town
Played every dive with a neon lamp
For a fifty and a watered-down crown
Thought I'd made it when they knew my name
But every deal's got strings in the game
They take your soul your truth your muse
And tell you boy you're still payin' your dues
You think you've made it but the road don't end
Gotta bleed for the music again and again
Fame fades fast but the bills come through
No matter what you've done - you keep payin' your dues
You paid in sweat you paid in pain
But the price of the dream don't ever change
They say it's worth it - maybe that's true
But you'll die with the music still payin' your dues
Still payin' your dues
Every hit just raises the bar
Every scar just shows who you are
You lose yourself in the midnight blues
Writing truth no one wants to use
They talk about love for the sound
While selling your soul by the pound
No rest for the ones who choose
To live their life payin' eternal dues
Maybe one day I'll find my peace
When the noise in my head finally sleeps
But 'til that last encore's through
I'll be singin' my truth payin' what's due
You think you've made it but the road don't end
Gotta bleed for the music again and again
Every song's a debt every crowd's a clue
The real ones keep on payin' their dues
You paid in sweat you paid in pain
Still chasing lightning in the rain
If the music's the cost I'll see it through
'Cause I was born to die payin' my dues
If the music's the cost I'll see it through
'Cause I was born to die payin' my dues