I found it in a pawn shop in a ragged cardboard case With the guns and dusty watches it looked so out of place With a Trailways baggage sticker yellow frayed and torn Destination Nashville September '64
And you could tell by the fingerboard her painted nails were long She only needed three chords to play those good ole country songs And her name's etched in the finish like a fading battle scar And this 1950 Gibson was Emma Jean's guitar
I wonder if she played it in a small town talent show With her hair teased to perfection in a dress her mamma sewed And for a little inspiration she pasted on a star Here up on the head stock of Emma Jean's guitar
I wouldn't even know her if I saw her face to face But there's a little bit of Emma Jean in every song I play She passed along these hopes and dreams cradled in my arms And I am just a guardian of Emma Jean's guitar
