I left Decatur, hell bent to forget Bought a ticket back to Skowhegan, Maine I wound up in Seattle so drunk and so rattled I caught the wrong train
I found some fast easy women and some hard drinkin' men Swore I would drown all the sorrow in me Oh, I once had a lot But the future is not what it used to be
Oh, the years they went by and I went steadily downhill Until I had no place left to go Made all the missions by mornin' and then I made the dives every night Until I made a wreck of my body and my soul
And then I met this lady In time she made me forget, her love set me free I once loved you a lot But the future is just not what it used to be
Well, I never thought I would live to grow old The past cut a hole deep in me And shackled and chained to a ghost that remains I was haunted by your memory
Somebody told me you were back in town I found out today God knows it hurts me to hear you're so down But what else can I say
I know your sorrow, I know your pain, I know your need And I once loved you a lot But the future is just not what it used to be Its not what it used to be