I was born in England
Lived here all my life
Got a three bedroom house in the suburbs
With my two kids and one good life
Went to university and got a degree
I must have learned a thing or three
But I never learned the right way to hang a tire swing
From the old oak tree
I'm not country
I've never owned a pickup truck
Don't drink too much or get in fights
Never been down on my luck
Never rode a painted pony across a meadow fresh with dew
But if I'm ever born again my friend
That's the first thing that I'll do
Got a picture of the Smokey Mountains
Taped upon my wall
Down at the local pub
I pretend a southern drawl
Put Johnny Cash on the jukebox
'Cause he makes my heart ache
Staring our the window at the taxicabs
I think God must have made a cruel mistake
I'm not country
Never plowed a field of corn
Never rode in an eighteen wheeler
Or even blew the horn
Never made love to my sweetheart
Underneath the sky so blue
But if I'm ever born again my friend
Gonna do that too
I've been to London and Paris
Beijing and Mexico too
Sipped martinis with the jet set in New York City
So why am I blue
'Cause I'd rather be alone on an old dirt road
Just kicking' stones
I've never been to West Virginia
To me that sounds like home
I'm not country
That's just songs on the radio
I ain't going down to Nashville
To the Grand Ol' Opry show
Never wore a cowboy hat or boots
Never chug-a-lugged a brew
But you better believe in my next life
That's the third, fourth, and fifth thing
I'm gonna do
I'll never own a pickup truck
Don't drink too much or get in fights
Never been down on my luck
Never rode a painted pony across a meadow fresh with dew
But if I'm ever born again my friend
That's the first thing that I'll do