Name: Puncher's Chance
Duration: P00H03M21S
Description: A song about looking back on a previous life.

Puncher's Chance

from Together Through the Dark by Slaid Cleaves

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about

A song about looking back on a previous life.

lyrics

written by Slaid Cleaves, Brian Koppelman

I lit a candle for the lost and lonely
And I stepped out into the night
When I heard a voice call out my name
From under the streetlamp light
I knew him from my bar room days
Those were rough and rowdy times
Just two old men talkin' 'bout a life long left behind

He said, I know that I ain’t ever going back to that old life
But I'll admit I sometimes think about those wild, wild nights

I could never pass up defending
The honor of a working girl
From some tanked up low life poser
Tryin' to take her for a twirl
Or schoolin' some low down rounder
For dealin' that bottom card
If you messed with me, boys
You'd go down hard

Oh the headaches and the handcuffs, I'm glad to leave behind
And these days I remember where I was last night
But sometimes, I still think that I could win one last bar fight

[instrumental]

Then I saw the old man smiling
I saw the laughter 'round his eyes
All them stories of my glory days, he said
Those are mostly lies
And when it came to throwing hands
How that whiskey made me dance
But I never had any more than a puncher's chance

He said, I know that I ain’t ever going back to that old life
But I'll admit I sometimes think about those wild, wild nights

I could never pass up defending
The honor of a working girl
From some tanked up low life poser
Tryin' to take her for a twirl
Or schoolin' some low down rounder
For dealin' that bottom card
If you messed with me, boys
You'd go down hard

Oh the headache and the handcuffs, I'm glad to leave behind
And these days I remember what I did last night
And sometimes, I still think that I could win
But with a crooked nose and a battered jaw and a shoulder that never healed right
Maybe in the end, I guess it's best, I've had my last bar fight

credits

from Together Through the Dark, released March 3, 2023
performed by Slaid Cleaves, Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Pat Manske

produced by Scrappy Jud Newcomb

recorded by Pat Manske at The Zone, Dripping Springs, Texas

mixed by Chaos Theory with Slaid Cleaves

mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering, Nashville, Tennessee

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about

Slaid Cleaves Wimberley, Texas

Modern day traveling folk singer. He’s telling your story. Writes and records songs that strike people’s hearts and become a part of their lives.

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