Walter was my grandpa’s dog and I thought he was my own;
He used to chase the herd of Barbado we kept outside my grandpa’s home.
I’d join him and we’d holler at the ghost moon ‘til it shone,
Just rollin’ in the dirt and runnin’ wild in San Antone
Back then I couldn’t drive away, I’d run or dream I’d fly away
I always seemed to find the road back home
I thought Walter, he was leading me, those days beneath the live oak trees
But he was only chasing rabbits and I did it on my own.

Singin’ Li-la-li, lie-la-lie, sometimes it takes you by surprise,
The time it takes to write a simple son.
Just sifting through the sands of time, like souvenirs you left behind,
You can’t always decide what you remember.

I can picture my first night in jail, bad coffee and a crowded cell.
First time I rolled a reefer up or kissed a pretty mouth.
But sittin’ here with all my thoughts of all I’ve won and all I’ve lost,
I can’t recall the day we put ol’ Walter in the ground.

Singin’ Li-la-li, lie-la-lie, sometimes it takes you by surprise
The time it takes to write a simple song.
Just sifting through the sands of time, like souvenirs you left behind
You can’t always decide what you remember.

Now my mind races like a river, through the creek beds and the lime.
I’m seeking out those memories I guess I left too far behind.
I swear I saw that ol’ gray dog just a’ sniffin’ at the ground
Around the birch tree in my grandpa’s yard right where we laid him down.

Singin’ Li-la-li, lie-la-lie, sometimes it takes you by surprise
The time it takes to write a simple song.
Just sifting through the sands of time, like souvenirs you left behind
You can’t always decide what you remember.