These four walls of Farnworth
Are closin' in on me
My final meal's over
They're gonna set me free
I can feel the fire's a burnin'
As the devil guards my door
I hit my knees in search of Jesus
On a cold jailhouse floor

Lord, now I'm singin'
\"Get me out of here\"
I see the preacher's eyes
As my daughter cries
When they strap me in this chair
Lord, I hope she forgives me
For livin' my life this way
Tonight I ride the lightning
To my final judgment day

Every life owes a death
That's what the Bible says
I owe mine to this state
For shootin' that boy to death
A liquor store attendant
He was reachin' for his gun
Now his Momma sits there smilin'
As the boss yells \"Roll on one

Now I'm singin'
\"Get me out of here\"
I see the preacher's eyes
As my daughter cries
And they strap me in this chair
I hope she forgives me
For leavin' her this way
Tonight I ride the lightning
To my final restin' place

A hungry blue eyed baby cryin'
Made me rob that store
An' as that boy lay there dyin'
I dropped my pistol on the floor
Yeah, I'd take it all back but there's nothin' I can do
They've covered my face
An' the order's gone through
As the boss yells \"Roll on, two\"

Now I'm flyin'
Up an' out of here
I close my eyes an' slowly rise
Let my body leave this chair
Lord I hope you forgive me
For livin' my life this way
Yeah, tonight I ride the lightning
To my final restin' place

These four walls of Farnworth
Are closin' in on me


Lyrics submitted by eatbrainstew, edited by harderman61

Lightning Lyrics as written by Eric Church

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Lightning song meanings
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5 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about a man who is about to be exucuted for the murder of a man in a liquor store he was robbing to buy food for his baby. the man is obviously sorry for what he did and he asks Jesus for forgiveness in his last moments. he has come to peace with his fate... but its still sad =[

    goldengramm15on October 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Wow... Have this cd on my iPod, and had it on shuffle last not at work while driving around. I am speechless after hearing this song. It is simply beautiful.

    It is obvious that it is about him coming to terms with his fate after killing the young boy while trying to rob the store for food to feed his daughter.

    mvp828on January 21, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Awesome song!!! The sound of electricity at the very beginning sets the stage.

    sm000on April 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Eric wrote this after watching the movie "The Green Mile". It sounds like he was putting himself in John Coffey's shoes, as John was emotional when he came to death row. However, John psychically senses that Wild Bill Wharton was responsible for the crime he was convicted of.

    seeingon November 30, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    A song can mean anything you want it to. But this one is deep. Very deep! Eric is such a creative artist. Every song he has wrote has a meaning behind it. Love all of them, but this one is a thinker.

    Jconon April 28, 2016   Link

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