Ballad of the Illinois Opry

Found myself heading down toward Springfield

The last sign said it was twelve miles west

It's gettin' hard to see through the salt on my windshield

But it looks like I'm gonna make it before the sun sets

The morning I arrived was Lincoln's birthday

So I walked through his house and saw his tomb

I decided that a tour through the Civil War Memorial Museum would be a drag

I was tired of seeing monuments about other men's doom

Now I don't want you people to think that all there is around Springfield Illinois

Are landmarks telling `bout the good old Lincoln years

Cus just north of town I saw a sign that said the Illinois Opry is open tonight

And the sweet sound of country music filled my ears

And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now

The people in the country certainly know how to play

It may be a while before I'm ready

But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday

I could easily write a whole song about the licks that guitar man was pickin'

I could go on for hours `bout the old boy on pedal steel

But I'm not singing `bout people who were just playin' music

I'm singing about how fine their music made me feel

There's a lot of people who have taken years of lessons

Trying to learn how to make their music fit the trend

But the simple folks at the Opry have got somethin' special

And I think that we all could use a lesson or two from them

And I want to be a star in the Illinois Opry now

The people in the country certainly know how to play

It maybe a while before I'm ready

But I'm gonna be up on that stage someday