Song Description

There's a price to chasing the spotlight -- and it's not always in dollars. It's in birthdays missed, love left behind, silence after the encore. "Blacktop and Bones" is the story of the road when the romance wears off -- when the applause fades and all that's left is a suitcase, a steering wheel, and a song that no longer fits like it used to. It's about giving everything to the music... and wondering if it gave anything back. I've lived this life. Some days I still do. And though th

Lyrics

Blacktop and bones
Yves Stilmant © 2025
Verse 1A
I left at dawn, the engine roared
A half-tank dream, a sky ignored
Another town, another stage
Another love I never stayed
Verse 1B
The nights get long, the beds stay cold
The mirror shows a man gone old
My name in lights don't mean a thing
When no one's there come early spring
Pre-Chorus
This road gives all, then takes away
Leaves you empty, night and day
Chorus
Blacktop and bones, that's all I know
A soul worn thin from every show
I gave it all to find my place
Now all I see is empty space
Dreams burn bright, but fade like smoke
I chased 'em hard and now I'm broke
No roots, no rest, just dust and stones
I'm made of blacktop and bones


Verse 2A
A voice inside keeps countin' miles
The crowd's long gone, but I fake smiles
Another bar, another lie
Another call I don't reply
Verse 2B
I've missed more birthdays than I've played
And broke more hearts than songs I made
A thousand signs I never read
Now I write verses to the dead
Pre-Chorus
The price is high for what I've done
But I keep drivin' toward the sun
Chorus
Blacktop and bones, that's all I know
A soul worn thin from every show
I gave it all to find my place
Now all I see is empty space
Dreams burn bright, but fade like smoke
I chased 'em hard and now I'm broke
No roots, no rest, just dust and stones
I'm made of blacktop and bones
Bridge
I used to think the road was love
But it's a ghost I can't let go of
Final Chorus
Blacktop and bones, that's what I am
A fading voice in a travelin' band
I built a life on lonesome songs
And lost myself for way too long
Dreams burn fast, and legends lie
But I keep rollin', don't know why
No home, no peace, just worn-out tones
Still drivin' blacktop and bones
Outro
Still drivin'
Blacktop and bones