
song: Off and Running
artist: James McMurtry
album: Where’d You Hide the Body
released: 1995-06-01length: 3:50
Answer me when I call to you
What became of the life I knew
Tell me why I can't be free
Tell me what you expect of me
I'm so down about it
I can't sleep at night
I sit watching the bugs as they bounce off the light
Answer me when I'm calling out
Tell me what's all the noise about
Explain to me the rules of love
Tell me just what I'm guilty of
I somehow I must've missed it
I never knew I was blind
Repeat it real slow so I get it this time
(chorus)
I'm off and running to take what's mine
I'm off and running again
I 'm off and running
To take what's mine
I'm off and running
And I won't get caught this time
With my soul on empty and my face to the wind
I'm off and running
I'm off and running again
Answer me when I call your name
What'd you do with my ball and chain?
I'm out here in the open air
And I can't find it anywhere
And I'm so lost without it
It was such a part of me
I guess I'll get along
How hard can it be?
What became of the life I knew
Tell me why I can't be free
Tell me what you expect of me
I'm so down about it
I can't sleep at night
I sit watching the bugs as they bounce off the light
Answer me when I'm calling out
Tell me what's all the noise about
Explain to me the rules of love
Tell me just what I'm guilty of
I somehow I must've missed it
I never knew I was blind
Repeat it real slow so I get it this time
(chorus)
I'm off and running to take what's mine
I'm off and running again
I 'm off and running
To take what's mine
I'm off and running
And I won't get caught this time
With my soul on empty and my face to the wind
I'm off and running
I'm off and running again
Answer me when I call your name
What'd you do with my ball and chain?
I'm out here in the open air
And I can't find it anywhere
And I'm so lost without it
It was such a part of me
I guess I'll get along
How hard can it be?
James McMurtry

James McMurtry (born March 18, 1962, in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American rock and folk rock/americana singer, songwriter, guitarist, bandleader, and occasional actor (Daisy Miller, Lonesome Dove, and narrator of Ghost Town: 24 Hours in Terlingua). He performs with veteran bandmates Daren Hess, Cornbread and Tim Holt.
His father, novelist Larry McMurtry, gave him his first guitar at age seven. His mother, an English professor, taught him how to play it: "My mother taught me three chords and the rest I just stole as I went along. I learned everything by ear or by watching people."