Wooden porch and a rusted gate
Siting still while the travelers wait
Copper coins in a heavy jar
Watching headlights from a distant car
Spanish moss on a cypress knee
Hiding secrets that he likes to see
Wiping sweat with a linen cloth
Watching circles of a velvet moth
Pay the toll for the muddy road
Lighten up your heavy load
Silver keys for the garden gate
Do not leave the keeper to wait
Water brown as a roasted bean
Slicing through a curtain of deep green
He just smiles with a crooked tooth
Hiding every single bitter truth
Pay the toll for the muddy road
Lighten up your heavy load
Silver keys for the garden gate
Do not leave the keeper to wait
Sinking low in the humid heat
Rhythm drumming on a concrete beat
One more dime for the evening breeze
Swaying slow in the willow trees
Yellow lamps in the purple haze
Leading strangers through a winding maze
He don't move and he don't say a word
Only singing that the crickets heard
Folding chairs on a cedar floor
Guarding tight every open door
Counting pennies till the moon is high
Underneath a heavy velvet sky
Pay the toll for the muddy road
Lighten up your heavy load
Silver keys for the garden gate
Do not leave the keeper to wait
Just a dime for the ride
Keep the secrets inside
(Pay the price)
(Pay the price)
