Life ain't nothing but a blending up of all the ups and downs Dammit Elvis, don't you know You made your Mama so proud Before you ever made that record, before there ever was a Sun Before you ever lost that Cadillac that Carl Perkins won Mr. Phillips found old Johnny Cash and he was high High before he ever took those pills and he's still too proud to die Mr. Phillips never said anything behind nobody's back Like "Dammit Elvis, don't he know, he ain't no Johnny Cash" If Mr. Phillips was the only man that Jerry Lee still would call sir Then I guess Mr. Phillips did all of Y'all about as good as you deserve He did just what he said he was gonna do and the money came in sacks New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac I got friends in Nashville, or at least they're folks I know
Nashville is where you go to see if what they said is so Carl drove his brand new Cadillac to Nashville and he went downtown This time they promised him a Grammy He turned his Cadillac around Mr. Phillips never blew enough hot air to need a little gold plated paperweight He promised him a Cadillac and put the wind in Carl's face He did just what he said he was gonna do and the money came in sacks New contracts and Carl Perkins' Cadillac Dammit Elvis, I swear son I think it's time you came around Making money you can't spend ain't what being dead's about You gave me all but one good reason not to do all the things you did Now Cadillacs are fibergla**, if you were me you'd call it quits