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