There was a man I used to pass
On my way into town
He was covered in dirt like the world had beat him down
I often wondered how he ended up like that
So one day, drivin' home, I pulled over to ask
I said, "Man, where'd it all go wrong?"
He said, "Son, do you really wanna know?"
My daddy left for another woman, moved off to L.A
My mama fought hard against that cancer, she died when I was eight
I finished school, my country shipped me off to war
When I came home, my whole world didn't love me anymore

It's hard to see all that when you're drivin' by
So I just write down, "Jesus Saves"
'Cause there ain't no way I can fit that on a sign
I can't fit that on a sign

I took him to a diner, I bought him a cup of coffee
He asked me if he could bum a couple dollars off me
He told me his story, I told mine
He said, "Thanks 'cause most folks around here would never take the time"
He said, "I lost my job down at the mill when that factory closed
Army stopped sendin' me them checks, the bank took everything I own"
Hitchhiked my way up to Chicago, the nights were too damn cold
I hopped a train, headed West 'cause I had nowhere else to go

It's hard to see all that drivin' by
So I just write down, "Jesus Saves"
'Cause there ain't no way I can fit that on a sign
There ain't no way to fit that on a sign

I probably would've wrote down a little more
If I could've find a bigger piece of cardboard
My brother Walter was my hero
But he was bad to drink
One night, he laid his Harley down
Near that Ohio Riverbank
Me and my ex wife tried for kids when we were datin'
Hell, we even had baby names picked out
But little Walter didn't make it

It's hard to see all that drivin' by
So I just write down, "Jesus Saves"
'Cause there ain't no way I can fit that on a sign
I can't fit all that on a sign