Bus To Birmingham
John Michael Montgomery Lyrics

She didn't see me see her cryin'
The singer witnessed the woman crying by the window without her knowledge.

As she sat there by the window
The woman was sitting by the window while crying.

A southbound Greyhound leavin' town
The woman was taking a Greyhound bus out of town.

The hardest thing I've ever done
The artist found it difficult to let the woman go.

Was to walk away and let that woman go
The artist had to leave the woman and allow her to go on the bus to Birmingham.

'Cause she came close to turnin' me around
The woman almost convinced the singer to stay with her instead of letting her go on the bus.

Now I know she missed her mama
The singer believes the woman missed her mother, who she had left behind.

'Cause that's the kind of life she comes from
The woman comes from a life where she is close to her mother, and leaving her behind must have been hard.

Ain't no kind of life I'm ever gonna have
The artist acknowledges that he cannot provide the kind of life that the woman is used to having.

She said she'd call me from the station
The woman promised to call the artist from the bus station.

But I'll be gone before she gets there
The singer is leaving before the woman reaches the station, so he won't be able to talk to her.

And I'll see her every time I'm lookin' back
The artist will remember the woman whenever he looks back.

Heaven knows I ain't no angel
The singer admits that he is not a perfect person.

And I don't always do the right thing
The singer acknowledges that he doesn't always make the right choices.

And right now I know that she don't understand
The singer believes that the woman doesn't understand the reasons why he let her go.

But I'll sleep better knowin'
The artist will feel better knowing that the woman is headed towards a better life.

The only thing I ever loved
The woman is the only thing that the artist truly loved.

Is in that bus to Birmingham
The woman is on the bus to Birmingham, and the singer hopes that she will have a better life there.

Tonight I'll slip back in the shadows
The singer will try to hide away in the darkness.

And I'll sip a glass of whiskey
The artist will have a drink of whiskey to make himself feel better.

And I'll try to keep from whisperin' your name
The artist will resist the urge to whisper the woman's name to himself.

But there's some highways I ain't drivin'
The artist will avoid certain highways because they remind him of the woman.

And there's some towns that I ain't lived in
The singer will avoid certain towns because they hold memories of the woman.

And there's some times that I can't get out of the rain
The artist feels helpless and sad at times, and can't escape those feelings.

And lord I can't bear to break
The singer doesn't want to break another promise.

Another promise that I made her
The singer has made promises to the woman in the past.

So I made out like I wanted her to go
The singer pretended that he wanted the woman to leave, even though he didn't really want her to go.

And I'm better off believin'
The artist feels better if he thinks that the woman is better off without him.

That she's better off without me
The artist believes that the woman will have a better life without him in it.

'Cause I don't want her to see me do her wrong
The singer doesn't want to hurt the woman or treat her badly.