The Bottomless Lake - John Prine

Here’s the story of a man and his family\nAnd a big trip that they took\nWell, I heard all about in a restaurant\nAnd I read it in a history book\nThey rented a car at the erie canal\nBut the car didn’t have no brake\nSaid ma to pa «my God this car»\n«is gonna fall into the bottomless lake»\nWell, mama turned to daddy with a pale face\nSaid «i've done something horribly wrong»\n«well, the waters still runnin' in the bathtub»\nAnd I think I left the kitchen light on"\nThen I heard a crash the car when splash\nAnd the compass rolled around and around\nOh, for heaven’s sake! We fell in a lake\nAnd I think we’re all gonna drown\nWe are falling down\nDown to the bottom of a hole in the ground\nSmoke 'em if you got 'em\nI’m so scared I can hardly breathe\nI may never see my sweatheart again\nPlay once after first verse\nThere was plenty of food in the backseat\nAnd the windows were rolled up tight\nSo we all nibbled on a chicken leg\nTold stories 'way thru' the night\nWell, pa told one that he told before\nAnd the baby got a bellyache\nSaid ma to pa «my God this car»\n«falling down a bottomless lake»\nRepeat chorus:\nPoppa played the music on the radio\nMama rocked the baby to sleep\nHe said he would’ve taken the other road\nBut he didn’t think the lake was that deep\nWell, if the ferry been there at the end of the pier\nWe’d be half way to uncle jake’s\nInstead of looking at fish out the window I wish\nWe’d hit the bottom of the bottomless lake\n'stead of looking at fish out the window I wish\nWe’d hit the bottom of the bottomless lake\nSo if you’re ever goin' on a big trip\nYa better be careful out there\nStart everything on you good foot\nAnd wear clean underwear\nTake along a Bible in the backseat\nRead of david and solomon\nFor if you make a mistake in the bottomless lake\nYou may never see your sweetheart again\nIf you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake\nYou may never see your sweetheart again\nIf you should make a mistake in the bottomless lake\nYou may never see your sweetheart again