My parents raised me tenderly I was their only son. My mind got mixed with ramblin' When I was all so young. An' I left my home the first time When I was twelve an' one. I'm a long time a-comin' Ma I'll be a long time gone. On the western side of Texas On the Texas plains I tried to find a job of work But they said I's young of age. My eyes they burned when I heard "Go home where you belong!" I'm a long time a-comin' I'll be a long time gone. I remember when I's ramblin' Around with the carnival trains. Different towns different people Somehow they're all the same I remember children's faces best I remember travelin' on. I'm a long time a-comin' I'll be a long time gone. I once loved a fair young maid An' I ain't too big to tell If she broke my heart a single time She broke it ten or twelve. I walked an' talked all by myself I did not tell no one. I'm a long time a-comin' babe I'll be a long time gone. Many times by the highway side I tried to flag a ride With bloodshot eyes an' grittin' teeth I'd watch the cars roll by. The empty air hung in my head I's thinkin' all day long. I'm a long time a-comin' An' I'll be a long time gone. You might see me on your crossroads When I'm passin' thru Remember me how you wished to As I'm a-driftin' from your view. I ain't got the time to think about it I got too much to get done. Well I'm a long time a-comin' An' I'll be a long time gone. If I can't help somebody With a word or song If I can't show somebody They are travelin' wrong. But I know I ain't no prophet An' I ain't no prophet's son. I'm just a long time a-comin' An' I'll be a long time gone. So you can have your beauty It's skin deep an' it only lies An' you can have your youth It'll rot before your eyes. Just give to me my gravestone With it clearly carved upon. "I's a long time a-comin' An' I'll be a long time gone."