Songtext Paint + turpentine Mary Chapin Carpenter

Paint + turpentine

Think I must've been twenty-five
They let me sneak in through the side
And I sat in the dark on a pin-drop night
Like a school kid, memorizing

Heard the skies of Texas sing
Songs you made with wood and strings
You sure knew how to make them ring
Cigarette ashes flying

And it goes on and on and on and on
Until it's almost gone
The maps unfold until we're old
All the places we come from

On and on and on and on
But some things take their time
To age enough to shine
With paint turpentine

Do we choose where our story goes?
Does some spirit already know?
Those things you try to never show
Kid, they see right through you

Lightning cracks and glimmers flick
As magic as a magic trick
When truths arrive, better grab 'em quick
Write them down before they lose you

And it goes on and on and on and on
Until it's nearly gone
Life intrudes, and the things we lose
End up in a song

On and on and on and on
Some gifts will take their time
And age enough to shine
Like poems, friends, and wine

I had the strangest dream last night
Standing on the porch, and the moon so bright
Memory cut like a Randall knife
Felt like it went right through me

Sure, we go on and on and on and on
Until we're finally gone
Museum dust settles on a truss
Thirty bucks to look around

On and on and on and on
This memory took its time
To age enough to shine
Like paint and turpentine
And songs, guitars, and wine

Guy, this one is mine