Quiet Town (Abridged)

A couple of kids got hit by a Union Pacific train

Carrying sheet metal and household appliances through the pouring rain

They were planning on getting married after graduation

Had a little baby girl

Trouble came and shut it down

Things like that ain't supposed to happen

In this quiet town

Families are tight

Good people

They still don't deadbolt their doors at night

In this quiet town

When we first heard opioid stories

They were always in whispering tones

Now banners of sorrow mark the front steps of childhood homes

Parents wept through daddy's girl eulogies and merit badge milestones

With their daughters and sons

Laying there lifeless in their suits and gowns

Somebody's been keepin' secrets

In this quiet town

They know how to live

Good people who lean on Jesus

They're quick to forgive

In this quiet town

Now whenever I'm near the town

I'll find some reason to give

And I will walk with the dead and the living

Where I used to live

And every time I see my parents in the prime of their lives

Offering their son

The kind of love he could never put down

Well, part of me is still that stainless kid

Lucky in this quiet town

Salt of the land

Hard-working people

If you're in trouble

They'll lend you a hand

Here in this quiet town

The first crop of hay is up

School let out, and the sun beats down

Smoke billows from a Sunday train

That cries away from a quiet town