Highway 79

[Verse 1]
Dawn comes slow over Archer City
Coffee in a paper cup, name on my chest
Unit lights off, just the hum of the motor
Prayin’ today don’t put me to the test
Eighteen-wheelers roll past the cotton
Dust jumps up like it knows my name
Highway 79, mile marker memories
Every skid mark tellin’ me a story of flame
[Chorus]
I’m Daniel Crayton on Highway 79
From Archer City on down to Wichita line
I’ve seen chrome twisted, I’ve heard steel cry
Held hands on the shoulder while families ask why
This little stretch of blacktop, it’s my thin sign
I’m standin’ in the gap on Highway 79
[Verse 2]
Pulled a rig over ‘bout ten past Tuesday
Driver’s eyes red, hands startin’ to shake
Said, “Ma’am, I ain’t slept since Oklahoma”
I saw my brother there with every breath he’d take
Blue lights dance on the side of the roadway
Wind whips grit in the corner of my eyes
He thanks me quiet when I write that warning
Says, “Guess you might’a just saved my life”
[Chorus]
I’m Daniel Crayton on Highway 79
From Archer City on down to Wichita line
I’ve seen chrome twisted, I’ve heard steel cry
Held hands on the shoulder while families ask why
This little stretch of blacktop, it’s my thin sign
I’m standin’ in the gap on Highway 79
[Bridge]
Some nights it’s just stars and a lonely dispatch
Some nights it’s sirens and blood on my boots
I lay my hat down in a small frame house
Hope my kid never walks in these same boots (oh Lord)
[Chorus]
I’m Daniel Crayton on Highway 79
From Archer City on down to Wichita line
I’ve seen chrome twisted, I’ve heard steel cry
Said prayers in the ditch while mothers ask why
This little stretch of blacktop, it’s my thin sign
I’m standin’ in the gap on Highway 79

country, Dusty Texas country-blues ballad, female vocals. Warm telecaster with gentle overdrive, brushed snare and rim clicks in the verses, upright bass walking lightly. Chorus opens with organ pads and three-part harmonies for a wide, open-road feel. Subtle slide guitar answers vocal phrases, final chorus pushed with tambourine and a touch more grit in the vocal., blues