[Intro — low female spoken; baritone guitar, faint room noise] Last seen leaving about quarter to ten. Nobody stopped her. That oughta tell you something. [Verse 1 — low female lead; conversational, sparse acoustic and brushed drums] I checked the booth where we used to sit, Found a bent-up straw and a matchbook in it. Asked old Roy if she’d been around. [Female lead — dry, unhurried] He quit wiping glasses and looked straight down. Said, “She was here when you first walked in. Might’ve left when you started on him.” [Pre-Chorus — female lead; warm bass settles into a lazy swing] I remember the jukebox, remember his grin, Something about women knowing when to give in. [Female lead — quiet edge; pedal steel answers] Then a chair scraped back and the whole room froze. What happened next? Depends who knows. [Chorus — female lead; wide, cinematic, swinging pocket] Somewhere between “be nice” and “hell no,” She slipped out the back where the bad girls go. Left me standing with a tab to pay, [Female lead — stronger; baritone guitar underneath] And a whole lot more than I meant to say. Now everybody wants her back, Says I’ve been trouble since she packed. [Female lead — amused, held final phrase] I oughta miss her more than I do. But I slept real good when the night was through. [Verse 2 — female lead; instruments pull back] Checked my coat and the passenger seat, Called up a friend who lives down the street. She said, “You two were wearing thin.” [Female lead — conversational; brief harmonica answer] “I’m just surprised she stayed till then.” Mama raised us to get along. We’d bite our tongues when the room got wrong. [Female lead — slight grit] She’d squeeze my knee underneath the table. I’d smile as sweet as I was able. [Pre-Chorus — female lead; Wurlitzer enters softly] But that night he said, “You’re prettier quiet.” I set down my drink. Said, “You oughta try it.” [Female lead — almost spoken; one beat of silence] Roy dropped a glass. Somebody cheered. That’s about the time she disappeared. [Chorus — female lead; full band, crying pedal steel] Somewhere between “be nice” and “hell no,” She slipped out the back where the bad girls go. Left me standing with a tab to pay, [Female lead — stronger, easy swing] And a whole lot more than I meant to say. Now everybody wants her back, Says I’ve been trouble since she packed. [Female lead — amused, held final phrase] I oughta miss her more than I do. But I slept real good when the night was through. [Instrumental — eight bars; baritone guitar trades with pedal steel, lazy brushed shuffle] [Bridge — low female lead; bass and Wurlitzer only] They say she kept me out of trouble. I reckon that’s mostly true. But she let a lot slide past her, [Female lead — intimate, restrained] Things she never should’ve let through. I haven’t put her picture up. Roy still asks if she’s been found. [Female lead — dry spoken; instruments stop] I lost my filter in that bar. Funny how fast word gets around. [Final Chorus — female lead; full band returns, loose and swaggering] Somewhere between “be nice” and “hell no,” My filter quit and hit the road. Left me standing with a tab to pay, [Female lead — smiling grit] And the first honest thing I’d said all day. Now everybody wants her back. I guess they liked me holding back. [Female lead — broad, warm finish] I oughta miss her more than I do. But I slept real good when the night was through. [Outro — low female spoken; guitar rings out] Roy said, “What if she comes back?” I said, “Tell her I moved.” [One dry baritone guitar lick; room ambience fades]
