This town, she is a temptress.
A siren with gold eyes, she'll cut you with her kindness,
She will lead you with her lies.
She's been called a glistening devil.
She's good at keeping score.
If you make it she's your savior, if you don't she's a whore.
The roads to and from her heart are littered with grave souls.
They gave all of their all and all they got in return is empty holes.
Sure we've all heard about Shell, and Chris, Willy and Bobby Bares.
She'd smiled on the Johnny's, the Merle's and the Music Row millionaires.
Like a beacon she goes seeking seed, her loins so fertile.
To a free man she's a prison, to a caged one she's a fire.
She's the reason there's a "Sunday Morning Coming Down".
"I Saw The Light", "A Boy Named Sue", "He Stopped Loving Her Today".
"The Pill" and "16th Avenue".
The Ryman, oh, she's a diamond in the crown of that wicked queen.
She was Roy Acuff's castle and Elvis Presley's broken dream
It's not all bad it's not all dark it's not all gloom and crass,
But to find gold in this silver mine it does take balls of brass.
For she's seen 'em come and seen 'em go,
And came herself a time or two.
No matter how satisfied her screams sound she always wants someone new.
The next him or them or her or all with stamina to last the night,
To be a star in this lady's town, you can fuck or you can fight.
You see, it all comes down to money.
Not romantic art of days gone past,
if you forget that rule, you can bet your backside she will bury it in your ass.
A tramp, a slut, a bitch, a mutt, a thousand pawn shop guitars.
A nasty little needle to a vein that feeds a singer's heart.
She lurks in friendly shadows; but she's a junky with a limp
The agents are her bookie and the labels are her pimp
I'll tell you a well-known secret of a tiny place known far and wide,
The devil walks among us folks and Nashville is his bride.
Of all the chaos he has caused, and done.
His greatest trick is to every guitar-totin' dreamer,
The devil don't exist... but me, I shook his hand.
And I know that he is real.
So devil, you can go screw yourself, and then go straight to hell.