Daddy worked the same job for twenty-some odd years

Overtime and weekends never bothered him a bit

Well, momma cooked and cleaned and sometimes on the side

She'd sell mary kay around holidays to make an extra dime

Keepin' the lights on

Mmm...

Me and my kid brother, man, we thought we had it made

Shoes were on our feet, food was on our plates

We never understood why when daddy said the prayer

Before he'd say amen, he'd thank the man upstairs

For keepin' the lights on.

Yeah, hard times they come and they go

There's smooth rides, there's highs and there's lows

There's blue skies and sunshine

The winds change, and storm clouds

But somehow there always is enough.

Mmm...

Oh...

Honky-tonks and highways can be hell on a soul

The neon life and late nights sure make a young man old

But me and this old guitar have got a promise that we've made

Heaven knows that it ain't easy keepin' them ends tied, but hey

We're keepin' the lights on.

Oh, we're keepin' the lights on

We're keepin' the lights on, oh...

Mmm...