The Man in the Bed

Dave Alvin
(Blue Horn Toad Music, BMI)

The man in the bed isn't me
Now I slipped out the door and I'm runnin' free
Young and wild like I'll always be
No the man in the bed isn't me.

And these tremblin' hands, they're not mine
Now my hands are strong and steady all the time
They can swing a sledge hammer or soothe a baby that's cryin'
These trembling hands, they're not mine.

Now the nurse over there doesn't know
That I ain't some helpless old so-and-so
I could have broken her heart not that long ago
Now the nurse over there doesn't know.

That the man in the bed isn't me
'Cause I slipped out the door and I'm runnin' free
Young and wild like I'll always be
The man in the bed isn't me.

I'm the man I've always been
I'm the kid who rode the rails through the Great Depression
I fought in the big war and marched for the Union
I'm the man I've always been.

So don't believe what the doctors say
They're just makin' things up so they can get paid
Yeah, and it ain't me they're talkin' about anyway
So don't believe what the doctors say.

'Cause the man in the bed isn't me
Well I slipped out the door and I'm finally free
Young and wild like I'll always be
No the man in the bed isn't me
No the man in the bed isn't me
No the man in the bed isn't me.