Three Wooden Crosses

A farmer and a teacher
A hooker and a preacher
Ridin' on a midnight bus
Bound for Mexico
One was headed for vacation
One for higher education
And two of them were searchin' for lost souls
That driver never ever saw the stop sign
Eighteen wheelers can't stop on a dime

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them heaven only knows
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

That farmer left a harvest
A home and eighty acres
The faith and love for growin' things
In his young son's heart
And that teacher left her wisdom
In the minds of lots of children
Did her best to give 'em all a better start
That preacher whispered can't you see the promise land
As he laid his blood stained bible in that hooker's hand

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them heaven only knows
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

That's the story that our preacher told last Sunday
As he held that blood stained bible up for all of us to see
He said bless the farmer, and the teacher and that preacher
Who gave this bible to my mama who read it to me

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway
Why there's not four of them now I guess we know
It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you
It's what you leave behind you when you go

There are three wooden crosses on the right side of the highway