[Verse 1] Lantern low Dust in my teeth Pick in my hand River beneath my feet Been chasing a vein Since the first thaw of spring Shovel hits air Then a sudden dark swing Rock gave way Ground just slipped One loud crack Then I lost my grip Saw sky spin slow Cold in my chest Thought Well kid You gave it your best [Chorus] Then a ghost in the gravel pulled me up by the collar Smelled like whiskey Pine And old campfire smoke Said "Easy Boy This land don't want another Fool it can bury under busted hopes" Cold hands Rough voice Worn-out laughter "Got my share of greed long before your time Ghost in the gravel Dragging me from disaster Teaching me how to leave with my life Not just the find" [Verse 2] Boots never touched But the dust still swirled Hat brim low Eyes like another world Said "I chased yellow Till it swallowed my name Died on this slope For a handful of flame" "Leave half the claim For the hills and the rain Pay what you owe To the ones who remain Tell every young fool With a brand-new pan Gold ain't worth much If it’s all that you have" [Chorus] 'Cause a ghost in the gravel pulled me up by the collar Smelled like whiskey Pine And old campfire smoke Said "Easy Boy This land don't want another Fool it can bury under busted hopes" Cold hands Rough voice Worn-out laughter "Got my share of greed long before your time Ghost in the gravel Dragging me from disaster Teaching me how to leave with my life Not just the find" [Bridge] [Harmonica and fiddle swell under half-time groove] Now I mark my holes When the frost comes down Pack up early When the clouds turn brown I talk to the wind When the creek runs high "Old man You watching?" As the years walk by [Chorus] Still that ghost in the gravel pulls me back from the edges Every time the fever starts to burn my mind Hear him laugh in the cliffs See his shade in the ledges "Boy Don't let the glitter make you blind" Cold hands Rough voice Distant laughter Echo through the pines when the daylight dies Ghost in the gravel My rough-necked savior Saved me from the gold And the hole where I’d have lied

Dusty folk ballad with warm acoustic guitars, upright bass, and brushed snare. Male vocals, intimate and storytelling in the verses; chorus opens with gang-style harmonies and a simple stomping rhythm. Harmonica lines weave between phrases, and a fiddle swells in the bridge for a haunting, heroic lift.

Ghost in the Gravel