Buttonwood Rodeo (Live Version)

Out here, nothing blocks the view. Not the road, not the fields, What people think, they show. Stories travel farther than you'll ever know County lines cut straight through black No place left to hide Wind carries what’s said at night Further than you drive Neon buzzing on a sign Half the letters gone Still enough to light a face People talk upon Nobody asks where you’ve been They already guessed Truth gets flattened out like land Turned into their jest. Hand goes up before the fall Like it’s already known Truth don’t weigh against the man, Just their version thrown Hold on, don’t let it throw you Crowd’s already calling it Dust don’t rise, it hangs in place Like it’s part of it Round and round, the motion turns Same ground, overrun Bell don’t ring, You ain’t done. Buttonwood down past the bend That house leans into time Fields stretch wide behind it Like they’re part of the design Windows hold a deeper shade Than the night can make Something settled in that wood That the years won’t take but should. People pass and slow it down Like they dont understand Never crossed that threshold, Still they make their stand. Light can fall a certain way Turn a shape to blame Once a story finds its form It won’t change its name Hold on, don’t let it throw you Crowd’s already calling it Dust don’t rise, it hangs in place Like it’s part of it Round and round, the motion turns Same ground, overrun Bell don’t ring, You ain’t done. The Black Swamp keeps what settles in Don’t wash out with rain Things don’t fade, they stretch out thin Till they look the same Hard to tell what’s yours After all that space. When it circled back, what remained? Hold on, don’t let it throw you Even when the grip is gone Dust settles on the silence Like it knew all along Round and round, the motion turns Nothing comes undone Bell don’t ring It’s begun. Eight seconds for a buttonwood ride Or a lifetime.