The house sits high on a limestone bluff
Where the ground is jagged and the love is rough
Granddaddy sat like a king on a throne
Ruling a kingdom of skin and bone
He taught me silence in the dead of night
While Mama was chasing a neon light
She knew the sound of the creaking floor
‘Cause he walked down the hall to her same door
But she traded her soul for a powder and a pill
Left me alone with the wolves on the hill
She looked at the ceiling and she looked at the wall
And never once caught me whenever I’d fall
My brothers watched and they learned the trade
Sharpening the edges of the mess he made
Cousins came over and took their turn
While I felt the shame and the stomach burn
I screamed for mercy and they laughed in my face
Called me a liar all over the place
Oh, the water is deep in the Ozark dark
But it can't wash away the ugly mark
Blood is thicker than water, they say
But gasoline washes the blood away
Burn it all down to the limestone shelf
I’m finally taking care of myself
Grandma was the only one who ever was kind
Then the sickness took over her body and mind
We buried her deep in the cold hard ground
And that’s when the silence became a sound
The last little thread of my sanity snapped
I looked at the house and I knew I was trapped
I crushed up the pills in the evening stew
Did exactly what the devil told me to do
I waited till the snoring was a rumble and a roar
Wedged a chair underneath the handle of the door
They were sleeping the sleep of the wicked and high
Didn't know they were waiting for their turn to die
The kerosene soaked into the antique wood
I struck the match just as fast as I could
I scrambled down the rock where the moss is slick
Down to the water where the air is thick
Untied the pontoon from the cedar plank dock
Listening to the tick of the burning clock
Oh, the water is deep in the Ozark dark
But it can't wash away the ugly mark
Blood is thicker than water, they say
But gasoline washes the blood away
Burn it all down to the limestone shelf
I’m finally taking care of myself
I drifted out slow on the glassy lake
Watching the home of the sinners bake
The roof caved in with a heavy sound
And the sparks flew up and the ash came down
No more grandpa. No more kin.
Just the water, the fire, and the state I’m in
Musical Description
This track is a slow-burning, dark Ozark blues ballad that feels heavy with humidity and dread. It relies on a stripped-back, acoustic arrangement featuring a resonator guitar playing a repetitive, hypnotic riff over a deep, thumping upright bass line that mimics a slow heartbeat. The percussion is minimal—mostly the sound of a boot stomping on wood—giving the song a primitive, ancient feel. The female vocals are deep, husky, and weary, delivered with a mournful grit that slowly hardens into cold resolve as the story progresses. A lonely, distorted harmonica cries in the background during the chorus, adding a haunting, ghostly layer to the otherwise raw and woody production.
