That Song About the Midway

I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear
You were playing on the horses
You were playing on the guitar strings
You were playing like a devil wearing wings, wearing wings
You looked so grand wearing wings
Do you tape them to your shoulders just to sing?
Can you fly?
I heard you can, can you fly?
Like an eagle doin' your hunting from the sky

I followed with the sideshows to another town
And I found you in a trailer on the camping grounds
You were betting on some lover
You were shaking up the dice
And I thought I saw you cheating once or twice, once or twice

I heard your bid once or twice
Were you wondering was the gamble worth the price?
Pack it in
I heard you did pack it in
Was it hard to fold a hand you knew could win?

So lately you've been hiding, it was somewhere in the news
And I'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and my blues
And a voice calls out the numbers, and it sometimes mentions mine
And I feel like I've been working overtime

Over time I've lost my fire, over time
Always playin' one more hand for one more dime
Slowin' down, I'm gettin' tired
Slowin' down
And I envy you the valley that you've found
'Cause I'm midway down the midway
Slowin' down, down, down, down