Bruce Robison: Sixteen

I had turned sixteen growin' bored with life caught in between The things that I was doin', and what I'd never done before Those days were pretty much all the same Drinkin' beer and draggin' main, hopin' somethin' soon would change Before I went out of my gourd I thought she had been around, she's about the age that I am now Had moved away from town and come home divorced with a child She had hired me on to do the things that no one ther would care to At a ranch where rich folks paid to act like cowboys for awhile We would stay up late and show them folks their bought and paid for Authentic country western Texas honky tonk good time One night when everyone was gone she played her favorite Elton John song And looked at me a way I thought she'd surely lost her mind But I was almost grown and she was often left alone to think about whatever women do And it was nearly right but not near enough to bring to light, But where you wonder who was usin' who We would sneak around, all across that little town And did our best to hide the secret we hoped everybody knew I guess she made me a man, at least the first time when I thought I was one Not necessarily within the law, still somethin' sure seemed true I don't know the reason wasted youth or football season Something makes me think about her more now than I think I did back then Right before I had left town I had quit coming around She called to say goodbye, I could hear her cry and I didn't even care But I was almost grown and she was often left alone to think about whatever women do And it was nearly right but not near enough to bring to light, But where you wonder who was usin' who