Billy had a yearning and an ache inside
So he got himself a Harley and he learned to ride
Purred just like a baby low and sweet and true
And he aimed it at the place where the blacktop turns to blue
Penny was a waitress down in Tupelo
They said that she was trouble, I don't really know
But something in her spirit touched something in his soul
And he took her to his heart and he never let her go
She said if i had an ounce of courage I would leave this town
Life'll get you nowhere til they put you in the ground
But the lilies of the field they neither reap nor sow
I wanna buy me a Winnebago and a map of Mexico
Go rollin down the highway where life's secrets are revealed
Dancin' in the wind like the lilies of the field
Penny had a secret growin' deep inside
And she'd never known a man to love another's child
Somewhere west of Tucson she just ran out of time
So she made a quick decision and she made him walk the line
She said if you had an ounce of courage,
You would take a stand
Don't nobody argue with a pistol in your hand
Billy pleaded guilty ninety-nine to life
Penny disappeared into the desert night
Then she took his pistol out on Highway 2
And she aimed it at the place where the blacktop turns to blue
She said if you had an ounce of courage,
You would leave this town
Life'll get you nowhere til they put you in the ground