[Intro] (Instrumental - Acoustic guitar, deep bass, distant wind) [Verse 1] Dust devils dance on an empty grave Whispers carried on a wind that misbehaves Sunrise paints the rust on the old tin shed Another lonely morning, with the words unsaid He rode in on a mare, black as winter's night Shadows stretching long, blotting out the light A name etched in his mind, a debt he had to claim Whiskey on his breath, and a heart aflame. [Chorus] Oh, the river runs dark, the secrets run deep Promises broken that the hard ground will keep This old highway ain't for the faint of heart, son When the devil calls his due, and the dark work is done. With a raven's black feather and a coyote's cry Another soul will wander 'neath a bloodshot sky. [Verse 2] Met him down by the tracks, where the trains don't stop Eyes like cold steel, waiting for the drop Spoke of old times, of a friendship gone to rust Of a woman's broken heart, turned to bitter dust The air grew thick and heavy, like a coming storm No comfort in the silence, no place to stay warm A glint of something silver, beneath a faded hat One last look around, and that was that. [Chorus] Oh, the river runs dark, the secrets run deep Promises broken that the hard ground will keep This old highway ain't for the faint of heart, son When the devil calls his due, and the dark work is done. With a raven's black feather and a coyote's cry Another soul will wander 'neath a bloodshot sky. [Bridge] The moon hangs low, a ghostly, knowing eye Watching through the pines as the shadows fly No turning back now, the choice was made long ago Reaping what was sown, in this bitter, lonely show. Just the wind through the tall grass, a final, somber tune Underneath the cold gaze of a harvest moon. [Chorus] Oh, the river runs dark, the secrets run deep Promises broken that the hard ground will keep This old highway ain't for the faint of heart, son When the devil calls his due, and the dark work is done. With a raven's black feather and a coyote's cry Another soul will wander 'neath a bloodshot sky. [Outro] Yeah, a bloodshot sky... Dust to dust, und
