Sixteen
By Bruce Robison

Am                           F
I had turned sixteen growin' bored with life caught in between
    C                                     G 
The things that I was doin', and what I'd never done before
                Am
Those days were pretty much all the same
         F                              C
Drinkin' beer and draggin' main, hopin' somethin' soon would change
         G              Am      
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


Chorus:
          Am               F
But I was almost grown and she was often left alone
   C           G              C 
to think about whatever women do
           Am                   F
And it was nearly right but not near enough to bring to light
    C                G             Am  
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

Chorus