"A Vegas Story"
(aka "Free Drinks And A Dream")

I heard the law came down in Vegas town
They no longer fear the mob
Told my wife and kids, "It's a business trip,
Daddy's only doing his job."
So I emptied out the savings account
Sure that I could beat the odds
And though you might not rate a desert grave
This town still steals and robs

(CHORUS):
For free drinks and a dream
I gave them my wallet
I rolled the dice and upped my price
A soul for sale, they bought it
Now a million lights gleam
They're twinkling 'bove this dead broke alcoholic
And I lost everything
To free drinks and a dream

The day I sold my car
I hit the bar across from my cheap hotel room
That's when I thought hard about just gettin' out
Of this bright and lavish tomb
But this place don't sleep on its promise to keep
A light on against the gloom
She says 'Maybe you got just one more shot'
And that's the lie that's been my ruin
(Repeat chorus)

(Spoken:)
A dream of livin' your years out
With just a little ease
Where a man can afford to be ill
And that extra bill
Don't bring him to his knees

Now I'm so alone, I can't go home
How could a family understand
That your love for them can do you in
Make you a desperate man?
Though youth is gone, still the heart draws you on
To devise foolhardy plans
You set aside your guilt for kingdoms built
On shifting desert sands
(Repeat chorus)

Oh, Lord, my soul redeem
'Cause I lost everything
To free drinks and a dream.