Ballad Of The Illinois Opry

Lyrics

Found myself heading down toward Springfield  
The last sign said it was twelve miles west  
It's gettin' hard to see through the salt on my windshield  
But it looks like I'm gonna make it before the sun sets  
  
The morning I arrived was Lincoln's birthday  
So I walked through his house and saw his tomb  
I decided that a tour through the Civil War Memorial Museum would be a drag  
I was tired of seeing monuments about other men's doom  
  
Now I don't want you people to think that all there is around Springfield
Illinois  
Are landmarks telling 'bout the good old Lincoln years  
Cus just north of town I saw a sign that said the Illinois Opry is open
tonight  
And the sweet sound of country music filled my ears  
  
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now  
The people in the country certainly know how to play  
It may be a while before I'm ready  
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday  
  
I could easily write a whole song about the licks that guitar man was pickin'  
I could go on for hours 'bout the old boy on pedal steel  
But I'm not singing 'bout people who were just playin' music  
I'm singing about how fine their music made me feel  
  
There's a lot of people who have taken years of lessons  
Trying to learn how to make their music fit the trend  
But the simple folks at the Opry have got somethin' special  
And I think that we all could use a lesson or two from them  
  
And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now  
The people in the country certainly know how to play  
It maybe a while before I'm ready  
But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday