[Verse 1] Dust on my boots Gold in my saddlebag Blood on a wanted sign Nailed to a leaning shack I took what I could Never stayed too long Name carved in tavern doors Like the words of a crooked song [Verse 2] Night by the river Cards on a rotted crate Heard a girl screaming soft Out by the rusted gate Man with a razor smile Hand on her shaking wrist I drew, didn’t even think Smoke, then an empty hiss [Chorus] And the reaper stepped out of the shadow Hat brim low, coat black as coal Said, “You been stealing from the living And the dead still call your soul But you dragged one life from that graveyard In a world that don’t give much back So I’ll give you a second chance in the dust, son You can turn or you can stay on that track” [Verse 3] He laid a cold finger Right on my hammer hand Showed me a burning town Showed me a quiet land One road with iron bars One road with an open gate Said, “Boy, you choose tonight Or I choose your fate” [Chorus] And the reaper stepped out of the shadow Hat brim low, coat black as coal Said, “You been stealing from the living And the dead still call your soul But you dragged one life from that graveyard In a world that don’t give much back So I’ll give you a second chance in the dust, son You can turn or you can stay on that track” [Bridge] I dropped that stolen treasure Watched it sink in the mud (oh yeah) Heard every name I’d buried Rise up like a flood He nodded once, then vanished Like smoke in a gust of wind Left me with shaking fingers And a heart I’d never lend [Chorus] Now the reaper waits somewhere in the shadow Hat brim low, counting what I owe Said, “You paid a little with your courage You can pay the rest slow” So I ride these roads like a penance Leave what I took, give what I can back On this second chance in the dust I was given Tryin’ to keep my soul on the track [Outro] Dust on my boots Empty old saddlebag One girl safe in the dark And a death card I ain’t played yet, dragged behind my ragged flag

country, Smoky outlaw country ballad with male vocals, low swing tempo. Fingerpicked acoustic and baritone guitar over a deep, lazy kick and brushed snare, with lonesome pedal steel weaving between lines. Verses stay hushed and close-mic’d; chorus opens with darker harmonies and a ghostly organ pad. Final chorus swells, then ends on a dry vocal and trailing reverb.

Second Chance in the Dust