Not A Drop Of Rain
Robert Earl Keen Lyrics

Streets are almost empty, shops are all closed down
The town is deserted and everything is shut down.

There's not a soul left in the bar to tell my troubles to
The bar is empty and he has no one to talk to about his problems.

Think I'll walk down to the river that runs just south of town
He decides to take a walk by the river south of town.

I hate like hell when there ain't nothin' left to do
He hates having nothing to do.

But stand beneath the river bridge and listen for the train
He goes under the bridge by the river to listen for the train.

It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
It has been a hot dry summer.

Well, I broke down in December, I headed for the coast
He had a breakdown in December and went to the coast.

I thought the wind and water would elevate my mind
He believed the wind and water would clear his mind.

I surfaced in the springtime feelin' like a ghost
By spring, he felt empty and like a ghost of himself.

Missin' more than ever the things I left behind
He misses the things he left behind more than ever.

Now I'm standin' on this riverbank and still cannot explain
He's on the riverbank and still can't explain his feelings.

My bag is full of letters, unopened and unread
He has letters in his bag that he hasn't read yet.

I'm sure they'd tell the story of worry and of form
He believes the letters will reveal stories of worry and formality.

My heart is beating heavy with all we left unsaid
He feels heavy-hearted about the things left unsaid.

And I swear to you I never meant you any harm
He promises he never meant to hurt anyone.

This sacrifice and compromise could never stand the strain
The sacrifice and compromise couldn't handle the pressure.

It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
It continues to be a hot dry summer.

Tonight I'll close my eyes again, try to see your face
He plans to close his eyes and think of someone's face.

Listen for your voice to tell me it's alright to sleep
He wishes he could hear a voice telling him it's okay to sleep.

Convince myself I'll wake up in another time and place
He tells himself he'll wake up somewhere else.

Knowin' all the while that it's a promise I can't keep
But he knows it's a promise he won't be able to keep.

A string of broken promises, another link of chain
He's made too many broken promises and it's like another chain holding him down.

It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
The hot dry summer continues.

The children on the playground, the lovers in the shade
He sees children playing and lovers resting in the shade.

Remind me of a life and time that feels more like a dream
Those images remind him of a time that seems like a dream.

When the sound of love and laughter was the music that we played
When the sounds of love and laughter filled the air.

As we lay beside the waters of a never-ending stream
They used to lay next to the never-ending stream of water.

Now the stream has gone to hiding, the dream lives on in vain
The stream is gone now and the dream won't come true.

It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
The hot dry summer still persists.

The clouds are building slowly on the skyline to the east
The clouds are starting to form on the east skyline.

The wind and dust are dancing like the devil across the lake
The wind and dust are blowing fiercely across the lake.

I could try to find a bottle or try to find a priest
He could try to numb his pain with alcohol or find solace in religion.

Salvation won't be traveling either road I take
Neither option will provide him salvation.

So I turn my collar to the wind that echoes this refrain
He turns his collar to the wind that repeats the same phrase again and again.

It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain
The hot dry summer lingers on.