I ain't going back to Nashville
I ain't going back to that lonesome town
there's nothing for me in Nashville
but to ramble the streets around

The banjos ring in Nashville
and Monroes boys sing loud and high
on that lonesome bus to the Opry
they always pass me by

I'll play for the King in London
I'll sail across that deep blue sea
but I ain't gonna play in Nashville
where nobody cares for me

I'll travel around this country
I'll travel around through all the lands
but I ain't going back to Nashville
no I ain't gonna waste my hands