Black River Fence

[Verse 1]
Cold coffee in a cracked tin cup
Wind sneaks through the canvas seam
Boot tracks fading in the black mud ruts
Last good day feels like a dream
[Chorus]
This black river fence keeps cutting my hands
Rust in the wire, blood in the sand
I gave you my word, you gave me your back
Now it’s miles of nothing and a sky gone black
Hurting like a bullet that never comes out
On this frontier of doubt
[Verse 2]
Dead calf by the cottonwood stump
Coyotes singing where the church bell rang
Your note folded in my tobacco pouch
Just three lines and my own name sang
[Chorus]
This black river fence keeps cutting my hands
Rust in the wire, blood in the sand
I gave you my word, you gave me your back
Now it’s miles of nothing and a sky gone black
Hurting like a bullet that never comes out
On this frontier of doubt
[Bridge]
Ask the dirt why it won’t grow
Ask the Lord why he went home
Only answer is the empty gate
And a sky that never breaks
[Chorus]
This black river fence keeps cutting my hands
Rust in the wire, blood in the sand
I gave you my heart, you gave me your track
Boot prints fading where you won’t walk back
Hurting like a bullet that never comes out
On this frontier of doubt

country, Sparse dark country ballad; male vocals worn and cracked. Low-tuned acoustic and baritone guitar, distant tremolo electric, brushed snare, and a dragging kick. Verses stay hushed and intimate; chorus swells with harmonies and a ghostly pedal-steel line. Subtle organ pad in the bridge to lift the emotion before dropping back to a dry, close-mic vocal at the end.