Pawn Shop Guitar

Album: Released as a single (2026)
Play Video
  • Pawned my high school ring
    my freshman year in college
    Traded my education for some six-string knowledge

    Old man behind the counter said
    "Kid this'll take you far"
    If you listen to the whispers
    In this pawn shop guitar

    I came to Music City with some songs
    Burning a hole in my pocket
    They slammed the door in my face
    But I kept on a knocking

    Another cowboy on Broadway
    Sleepin' in my car
    With the whisper
    In my pawn shop guitar

    Old man said with wood and steel
    you can get the girl
    Where it's broken your song can heal the world

    To thine own self be true
    Be who you are
    Flying on the whispers
    In this pawn shop guitar

    It was the best of times and the worst of times
    Singin' on street corners for dollars, quarters and dimes
    Desperate, I pawned my guitar for fifty bucks
    Man, she was long gone when I went back to pick her up

    With wood and steel you can sing
    Willie, Waylon, and Merle
    Where it's broken your song can heal the world

    Yeah, to thine own self be true
    Be who you are
    Flying on the whispers
    In this pawn shop guitar

    And I didn't know if I would ever write again
    And one night in a bar the old man stumbled in
    Threw a hundred-dollar bill and drew a sharpie heart
    On a note he wrote, "That's where the good songs are"

    In every airport lounge, street corner, and every bar
    I put a Ben Franklin in every kid's pickle tip jar
    And I write a note with a big red sharpie heart
    "That's where the good songs are"
    In the never-say-dier, the soul of a songwriter
    And a pawn shop guitar Writer/s: Tim McGraw, Tom Douglas
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.