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Dry County Lyrics

Across the border they turn
Water into wine
Some say it's the devil's blood
They're squeezing from the vine
Some say it's a saviour
In these hard and desperate times
For me it helps me to forget
That we're just born to die

I came here like so many did
To find the better life
To find my piece of easy street
To finally be alive
And I know nothing good comes easy
And all good things take some time
I made my bed I'll lie in it
To die in it's the crime

You can't help but prosper
Where the streets are paved with gold
They say the oil wells ran deeper here
than anybody's known
I packed up on my wife and kid
And left them back at home

Now there's nothing in this paydirt
The ghosts are all I know
Now the oil's gone
The money's gone
And the jobs are gone
Still we're hangin' on

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive

In the blessed name of Jesus
I heard a preacher say
That we are God's children
And He'd be back someday
And I hoped that he knew
Something as he drank his cup of wine
I didn't have too good of a feeling
As I head out to the night

I cursed the sky to open
I begged the clouds for rain
I prayed to God for water
For this burning in my veins
It was like my soul's on fire
And I had to watch the flames
All my dreams went up in ashes
And my future blew away

Now the oil's gone
And the money's gone
And the jobs are gone
Still we're hangin' on

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive

Men spend their whole lives
Waiting praying for their big reward
But it seems sometimes
The payoff leaves you feeling
Like a dirty whore
If I could choose the way I'll die
Make it by the gun or knife
'Cause the other way there's too much pain
Night after night after night

Down in dry county
They're swimming in the sand
Praying for some holy water
To wash the sins from off our hand
Here in dry county
The promise has run dry
Where nobody cries
And no one's getting out of here alive
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19 Meanings

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Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

"Across the border they turn water into wine..."

I'm a sucker for a great opening lyric, and, in my opinion that is one of the best ever written. It kind of sets the scene for the whole song and lets you know what it's about. I get chills whenever this song starts. Just amazing.

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

A great song and the heavy guitar solo in the middle is awesome.

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

Richie is a GOD! I'm just saying. How awesome is that solo?! The lyrics are great too. It's cool with bands that can write serious stuff like this along with "rock-on-cause-life's-amazing-songs".

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

This is possibly the greatest Bon Jovi song ever! The lyrics are really personal to Jon and you see the message that he is trying to get across. The guitar solo is also KICK ASS!!! Well what can you expect, after all (like "Samborafp" said) "Richie is a GOD!"!!!!

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

This song is really an epic! But I don't agree that it has to do with suicide. It's against Bon Jovi philosophy. The crime here is: not living your life. They are against surviving(see Fear, It's my life, Every Day, All I Want is Everything...). The lyrics are pretty literal, as most times, but in the same time poetic. Another reason to love Bon Jovi!!!

It's, generally, not about suicide. Obviously. However, the idea, because of the situation the character found himself in, does cross his mind...

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

richie sambora is a fucking guitar god. enough said.

this solo section is sick. one of the best guitar solos ever.

i rank him 3rd best rock guitarist? by far my favorite guitarist. great song.

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

i love this song! it's got such a powerful meaning! and the guitar solo, great!

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

I'm sure this ISN'T what they had in mind when writing this, but it reminds me of a town called pithole PA. In the 1800's there was a profuse amount of oil found under the ground where this town once stood. The town Litterally had hundreds of hotels (most probably brothels) stores saloons and all the norm for a goldrush town. It lasted less than 600 days. Thousands of people raced to raise hundreds of derricks and bled the ground dry of the black gold. All that remains to this day is some building foundations and they have built a small museum so to to speak about the former town.

Like I said, I really doubt this is what they had in mind when writing this song, but in literal terms its almost uncanny

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

The solo in this song rocks. The lyrics are deep probably their deepest. Living in a dry area of the world I can relate to this song. Sometimes you just pray for rain.

Cover art for Dry County lyrics by Bon Jovi

This song is one of my fav's by Bon Jovi. It really makes me think that he's talking about suicide,or leaving this place for a better one. I've felt like that and listened to this song alot,so that's my opinion