Back to Tupelo

Mark Knopfler

Around the time of 'clambake'
Movie number twenty-five
You and the lying Dutchman
Are still in overdrive
You're as strong as when you started
Mississippi in your soul
You can still be Marlon Brando
And the king of rock and roll

It isn't just the records
No, you must have Hollywood
The songs alone are not enough
That much is understood
You'll soon be back in Memphis
Maybe then you'll know what to do
The storylines they're giving you
Are just not ringing true

Oh, it's a ways to go
Back to Tupelo
Oh, it's a ways to go
Back to Tupelo


When you're young and beautiful
Your dreams are all ideals
Later on it's not the same
Lord, everything is real
Sixteen hundred miles of highway
Roll back to the truth
And a song to give your mother
In your first recording booth

Around the time of 'clambake'
That old dream's still rolling on
Sometimes there'll be the feeling
Things are going wrong
The morning star is fading
Lord, the Mississippi's cold
You can still be Marlon Brando
And the king of rock and roll

But, it's a ways to go
Back to Tupelo
Oh, it's a ways to go
Back to Tupelo