I left Decatur, hell bent to forget
Bought a ticket back to Skowhegan, Maine
And I would up in Seattle so drunk and so rattled
I caught the wrong train

I found some fast easy women and some hard drinkin' men
Swore I would drown all the sorrow in me
Oh, I once had a lot
But the future is not what it used to be

Oh, the years they went by and I went steadily downhill
Until I had no place left to go
Made all the missions by mornin' and then I made the dives every night
Until I made a wreck of my body and my soul

And then I met this lady
In time she made me forget, her love set me free
I once loved you a lot
But the future is just not what it used to be

Well, I never thought I would live to grow old
The past cut a hole deep in me
And shackled and chained to a ghost that remains
I was haunted by your memory

Somebody told me you were back in town
I found out today
God knows it hurts me to hear you're so down
But what else can I say

I know your sorrow, I know your pain, I know your need
And I once loved you a lot
But the future is just not what it used to be
Its not what it used to be