Lonesome
Travis Tritt Lyrics


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On a greyhound bus, Lord I'm traveling this morning
I'm going to Shreveport and down to New Orleans
Been driving these highways, been doing things my way
It's been making me lonesome on'ry and mean
Now her hair was jet black, and her name was Codene
Thought she was the cream of the Basin Street queens
She got tired of that smokey whine dream
Began to feel lonesome on'ry and mean
And we got together, and we cashed in our sweeps
Gave them to a beggar who was mumbling through the streets
There's no escaping from his snowy white dreams
Born lookin' lonesome on'ry and mean
Now I'm down in this valley, where the wheels turn so low
At dawn I pray, to the Lord of my soul
I say do Lord, do right by me




I'm tired of being lonesome on'ry and mean
'Od da la de oooooo'

Overall Meaning

Travis Tritt's song "Lonesome on'ry and mean" is a story of a man who is on a journey of self-discovery. He has been traveling on a Greyhound bus and driving through highways, living life on his terms. He meets a woman named Codene, who he thought was the cream of the Basin Street queens. However, Codene eventually became tired of living a smoky and wine-filled life and started feeling lonesome, on'ry, and mean. They give away their winnings to a beggar and find themselves caught in the snow-white dreams of this world.


The singer now finds himself in a valley where the wheels turn very slowly. He prays to the Lord of his soul, asking Him to be kind and bring him out of this cycle of lonesome, on'ry, and mean. The story implies that the man is trying to make peace with himself, his past choices, and trying to find redemption.


The song highlights the struggles of life, where sometimes things do not go as planned, and one can feel lonesome, on'ry, and mean. It talks about the long journey of life, where one goes through various experiences and meets new people. It touches on themes such as taking responsibility for one's actions, realizing the consequences of one's life choices, and seeking redemption.


Line by Line Meaning

On a greyhound bus, Lord I'm traveling this morning
I am traveling on a greyhound bus this morning.


I'm going to Shreveport and down to New Orleans
My destination is Shreveport and then New Orleans.


Been driving these highways, been doing things my way
I've been driving on these highways and living my life on my own terms.


It's been making me lonesome on'ry and mean
This lifestyle has made me feel lonely, irritable and angry.


Now her hair was jet black, and her name was Codene
I knew a woman named Codene with black hair.


Thought she was the cream of the Basin Street queens
I believed she was the best of the women on Basin Street.


She got tired of that smokey whine dream
She became fed up with the smoking and drinking lifestyle.


Began to feel lonesome on'ry and mean
Like me, she started feeling lonely, irritable and angry.


And we got together, and we cashed in our sweeps
We got together and pooled our resources.


Gave them to a beggar who was mumbling through the streets
We gave them all to a beggar who was wandering through the streets.


There's no escaping from his snowy white dreams
It's impossible to escape from the harsh reality of life.


Born lookin' lonesome on'ry and mean
Some people are naturally born feeling lonely, irritable and angry.


Now I'm down in this valley, where the wheels turn so low
I find myself in a difficult situation.


At dawn I pray, to the Lord of my soul
I pray to God at sunrise.


I say do Lord, do right by me
I ask God to bless me.


I'm tired of being lonesome on'ry and mean
I'm exhausted feeling so lonely, irritable and angry.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

@HoneysuckleRoseSmelledGreat

Best damned tribute to Waylon Jennings by anyone! Just wish his video was still available on YouTube. Gave me chills. RIP Waylon. Miss you, man!

@denofabsurdity

Travis is the ONLY one who should be singing Waylon … he’s just got that sound.

@superfluous5480

That steel guitar tho!! Classic.

@hippyhillbillie2958

Robby Turner - 2003

@judyritter7596

Travis did an excellent tribute to our man Waylon,,, yes I know it's Waylon's,, but Travis Tritt sounds as good as Jennings on here!! Gosh I miss Waylon,, keep it up Travis ❤❤❤❤

@james140576

Waylon would be damn proud!! Nice job Travis : )

@memmnock

No one can replicate Waylon BUT Travis is next best thing to trying :-)

@Lynchstah

Waylon was one of a kind but I think this is a cool tribute from his pal Travis Tritt. I like that Travis stuck with the 'roots' of the song, yet put his own flavor of outlaw country sound into it.

@MPKenney2000

Travis Tritt did a great job on this one.

@williamstaton3811

Bring back the video, it was totally bad ass

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