Small Town

[Intro – soft fingerpicked guitar] Hmm-hmm, dust on the dashboard, hmm-hmm, coffee gone cold... Verse 1 Friday night lights still burn out on the edge of town But the bleachers are half-empty, kids scrolling faces down Old men at the diner talk about the factory that closed Same stories every morning, same bitter in their joes The pharmacy’s got plywood where the windows used to be And the preacher’s preaching smaller crowds on Sunday at eleven-three Pre-Chorus We wave at folks we barely know Driving slow down roads we’ve outgrown Chorus This is life in a small-town skin Where the dreams get thin and the porches lean Everybody says they’re leaving soon But nobody does, nobody moves We’re just holding on to what we knew In this faded red, white, and blue Verse 2 Mama works double shifts at the Dollar General store Daddy’s on disability, can’t swing a hammer anymore My little sister’s scrolling colleges she’ll never afford Posting perfect pictures while her heart’s getting bored The river still runs muddy past the rusted railroad bridge Where we carved our names in ’19, thinking love would never fade Pre-Chorus Time moves slow, then hits you fast Like a pickup truck with a blown-out past Chorus This is life in a small-town skin Where the dreams get thin and the porches lean Everybody says they’re leaving soon But nobody does, nobody moves We’re just holding on to what we knew In this faded red, white, and blue Bridge [Instrumental – banjo and fiddle trading lonely lines] Sometimes I swear I hear the ghosts of better days Laughing in the grain silos, dancing in the summer haze They whisper “stay” and “run” in the very same breath This town’s a slow sweet love song leaning into death Verse 3 There’s a new mural downtown, says “We Are Still Here” Painted by the art kids before they disappeared The bar lets me play on Thursdays for tips and free beer I sing about leaving, but I’m still right here Final Chorus (double, building) Yeah, this is life in a small-town skin Where the dreams get thin but the b***d runs thick Some of us break, some of us bend Some come back broken to start again We’re holding on to what we knew Loving the cracks we’re falling through In this stubborn, aching, beautiful Small-town truth Outro [Soft humming over fading guitar] Hmm-hmm, dust on the dashboard... Hmm-hmm, coffee gone cold... Still here.