[Intro — acoustic guitar, fingerpicked, 8 bars, no vocals] [Verse 1 — baritone lead, plain spoken, conversational] Four kids clocked out on a Friday night In Speedway, Indiana town They never made it home again And nobody wrote the answer down A journalist and a lawyer met Both chasing what the cold case kept They built a sheet of every name Of every soul the darkness swept [Pre-Chorus — cello enters, tension builds] Some people look the other way Some people close the door But Anya and Kevin said out loud We can't do that anymore [Chorus — full band, baritone and alto harmony] This is the Murder Sheet Where the truth don't come for free Where cold cases live in the heartland dark And somebody's got to read This is the Murder Sheet Where the files don't lie and sleep Where two people drive the darkness back With everything they seek [Verse 2 — sparse brushed snare, verse drops to guitar and bass] A donut shop at closing time The Burger Chef on a winter night A Zodiac who left no name And families still searching for the light The yogurt shop in Austin, Texas The I-70 killer on the run There's always somebody left behind Still waiting on a verdict or a gun [Pre-Chorus] Some people turn the channel off Some people burn the files But Anya reads the evidence clean And Kevin walks the miles [Chorus — full arrangement] This is the Murder Sheet Where the truth don't come for free Where cold cases live in the heartland dark And somebody's got to read This is the Murder Sheet Where the files don't lie and sleep Where two people drive the darkness back With everything they seek [Bridge — half-time feel, single guitar and voice] We ain't the judge and we ain't the jury We're just two people holding a light In the shadow of a cold case folder On a long midwestern night We built a spreadsheet from the questions That nobody else would ask Now every name deserves an answer That's the only task [Guitar solo — 8 bars, D minor, melodic not shredding] [Chorus — final, full band, key lift to E minor] This is the Murder Sheet Where the truth don't come for free Where cold cases live in the heartland dark And somebody's got to read This is the Murder Sheet Where the files don't lie and sleep Where two people hold the darkness back So the dead can finally sleep [Outro — guitar fades, brushed snare last, 6 bars]
