Dust in the Rearview

[Verse 1]
Cold coffee in a paper cup
Name of a town on a crooked sign
Boot prints fading in the truck stop mud
I keep watchin’ that dotted line
Blue lights burnin’ in the back of my mind
Like they’re right there in the mirror glass
Every mile I put between your county line
Feels like God just dealin’ out my last
[Chorus]
I got dust in the rearview
Blood on my hands
A warrant ridin’ shotgun
And a half-tanked plan
If they ask you where I’m goin’
Say you never even knew my name
I’m just a shadow on the blacktop, baby
Tryna outrun my own flame
[Verse 2]
Twelve bucks crumpled in my flannel shirt
Your picture folded in my back left jean
Gas gauge leanin’ like it’s hurt
Needle prayin’ for a little more green
Radio’s broke, so it’s me and the road
Engine hummin’ like a tired old hymn
Every fence post, every dead-end code
Says I ain’t gettin’ back what I did to him
[Chorus]
I got dust in the rearview
Blood on my hands
A warrant ridin’ shotgun
And a half-tanked plan
If they ask you where I’m goin’
Say you never even knew my name
I’m just a shadow on the blacktop, baby
Tryna outrun my own flame
[Bridge]
Judge said “son, you’re runnin’ on borrowed time”
I just smiled, tipped my hat, and crossed that line
Now the night’s my only alibi
And every sunrise feels like
One step closer to the wire (yeah)
[Chorus]
I got dust in the rearview
Blood on my hands
A warrant ridin’ shotgun
And a half-tanked plan
If they ask you where I’m goin’
Say you never even knew my name
I’m just a shadow on the blacktop, baby
Tryna outrun my own flame

country, Slow outlaw country ballad with male vocals; sparse, low-register baritone over dry, close-mic’d acoustic guitar and distant upright bass “heartbeat.” Brushed snare whispers in on verses, edging a little closer in the chorus. Occasional pedal steel swells for ache and width, but the mix stays raw and intimate, like a late-night roadside confession., outlaw country, low, slow