He said "I know this ain't the time or place   Bur Lord I need to talk"   In a business suit in a corner booth   In a crowded little restaurant   We all tried not to listen   We all tried not to look   But a whole room full of customers   And the waitress and the cook   All stopped what we were doin'   When he bowed his head   In that silence we heard every word he said      "I been tryin' to do things my way   Down here on life's highway   Slippin' slidin' sideways    'Tween no way and nowhere    If I could only gain a foothold   Up there on your high road   Lord if you hear me help me    I'll do anything you tell me to    All I've got to offer you is this    Backslider's prayer      Well the waitress made the first move   When she filled his coffee cup   She said "You ain't alone here mister   You're speakin' for the rest of us"   I heard some scattered "amens"   And a couple of "I've been there's"   Then things got back to normal   The dishes and the silverwate   Were clangin' in the kitchen   Like an angel's band   As I took my place in line   To shake his hand ('cause)      "I been tryin' to do things my way   Down here on life's highway   Slippin' slidin' sideways    'Tween no way and nowhere    If I could only gain a foothold   Up there on your high road   Lord if you hear me help me    I'll do anything you tell me to    All I've got to offer you is this    Backslider's prayer      If I could only gain a foothold   Up there on your high road   Lord if you hear me help me    I'll do anything you tell me to    All I've got to offer you is this    Backslider's prayer