Standin' on side of the highway 4 exit A lady in tie-dye, a bag by her side Not really lookin' like anything special Saw tennessee tags and she waved for a ride Sat right beside me as the meter hit sixty' Splainin' her travels and her family background When she got through I could not help but thinkin' She's a long way from a west nashville grand ballroom gown Father had money and her mother had love Channelled entirely to her dear sister dove Twenty-two years in society's plan Was cancelled in the swing of her dear mother's hand Six hours later we hit cincinnati Yawnin', she woke and then asked where we were When she found out, she said I must be goin' This close to nashville was too close for her So I stopped by the roadside and I gave her five dollars She took it then kissed me and gave me a note She told me just to read it then mail it in nashville On old loose-leaf paper to her mother she wrote She said, "mama I'm fine if you happen to wonderI don't have much money but I still get aroundI haven't made church in near thirty-six sundaysSo fuck all those west nashville grand ballroom gowns" Yes she's a long way from a west nashville grand ballroom gown