Once I knew a girl in the hard hard times
She made me a shirt out of fives and dimes
Now she's gone but when I wear it she crosses my mind
And if the best is for the best then the best is unkind

I realized that Illinois was more than I could stand
They say working's best cause poverty is hell on a man
Now I ride a lazy river through the Mississippi fan
And if the best is for the best then the best can be damned

I spent a few years on the Queen of Spain
She was a leaky little boat that went up in flames
When the boiler blew some people started naming names
But if the best is for the best I guess the best is to blame

I spent a few more as the Cairo Crown
A heavyweight wrestler in the Midwest towns
But I was lonesome for a girl who could pin me down
They say the best is for the best but that's not what I've found

Now I listen to my sweetheart and I listen to my thirst
I don't spend time listening to other people's words
Sometimes they're right most times the reverse
They say the best is for the best when the best?s for the worse

Once I knew a girl in the hard hard times
She made me a shirt out of fives and dimes
Now she's gone but when I wear it she crosses my mind
And if the best is for the best then the best is unkind


Lyrics submitted by EffulgentEnnui, edited by tpeverett1

Best for the Best Lyrics as written by Josh Ritter

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Best for the Best song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    on the live cd/dvd 'in the dark' josh introduces this song "this song is dedicated to mark twain, who said loyalty to your country always, loyalty to your government when it deserves it". which makes me think there's a political subtext here that i'm missing. anyone noticed the huge number of mark twain allusions in josh's songs?

    wookie007on October 01, 2007   Link

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