County number 9

“County number 9”

(Single guitar. Minor key. Almost spoken.)

[Verse 1]
It was half past midnight
No lines on the road
Just two dim headlights
And a heavy load
Radio whisperin’ static
About a storm rollin’ in
I was thinkin’ ’bout nothin’
When the night caved in

(long pause — soft bass enters)

[Verse 2]
Felt it more than I saw it
That thud in the steel
Steerin’ wheel jumped hard
Like it knew what was real
I stopped for a second
Engine idled low
Rearview full of darkness
And nowhere to go

[Chorus – low, restrained]
Oh, that open blacktop
Don’t forget your name
It keeps every secret
It keeps every shame
You can drive forever
But you won’t outrun
What you left in the ditch
On County number 9

(instrumental — one lonely electric note)

[Verse 3]
Next mornin’ there were flowers
Tied to a wooden cross
Pink ribbon in the wind
Sayin’ Heaven’s gain is our loss
Sheriff said it was a young girl
Walkin’ home alone
Said they’re lookin’ for a pickup
With rust along the chrome

(brush snare enters softly)

[Verse 4]
I washed that bumper clean
In the light of dawn
Scrubbed till my hands went raw
But the stain held on
Every mile marker
Looks like her face
Every set of headlights
Feels like grace

[Final Chorus – stripped even lower]
Oh, that open blacktop
It hums beneath my tires
Like a choir of broken angels
Singin’ through the wires
You can bury truth in gravel
You can swear you didn’t see
But the road keeps callin’
And it don’t forgive men like me

(final line — almost whisper)

I still hear that sound
On County number 9.

Outlaw country baritone, male