Between the Country

They got the farmhouse burning, watched it burn to the ground Smoke filled the horizon just two miles from town There was no need to worry, there was no one who'd care It was a dog den where good men were rare With the wheels on the highway through the cold autumn rain Out came the pistols and a book full of names Thumbing each one who'd sing out the words Facing hard time is an old junkie curse On down between the country Where deer lay along the road On down between the country Where a long life is a blessed one, I'm told When they caught up with Henry, he was out in his yard Splitting that beechwood before the winter hit hard Laid a bullet in his back, watched him drop like a rock And come to rest 'cross that old chopping block Anne Carol ran the uppers from the laundry downtown Played online poker when there was no one around And except for a few strays in the dead parking lot Not a soul heard the thud or the shot On down between the country Where deer lay along the road On down between the country Where a long life is a blessed one, I'm told