Blood on the Ridge

[Soft Intro] [Verse] I stood up out of the laurel With my empty hands held wide Said, "I'm Dale, son of Vernon Buckner And you're cookin' on my pride" The old one didn't startle Like he'd heard my feet for miles Said, "Been waitin' on a Buckner Since I was that boy's size" [Chorus] There's blood on the ridge Ain't sayin' whose There's blood on the ridge Old blood and new Some was spilled and some was owed And some just finally came due There's blood on the ridge [Verse] He said, "Your grandpappy's daddy Bought that copper with our land Won the deed in a crooked hand of cards While my grandmam swung and hanged You call it six generations We call it what was ours You climbed up here for a kettle, boy We been climbin' down for a hundred years" [Chorus] There's blood on the ridge Ain't sayin' whose There's blood on the ridge Old blood and new Some was spilled and some was owed And some just finally came due There's blood on the ridge [Fiddle Break] [Building Intensity] [Bridge] [Stripped Back] And the wind stood still to listen And the fire spit and cracked And the thin boy reached behind him And after that, I don't look back I don't look back I don't look back [Verse] Ask the crows what happened up there Ask the laurel, ask the stone Ask the creek what it run red with Ask why I come down alone I got the copper on my shoulders I got a shakin' in my hands I got one shoe in my coat pocket That I found up where the old one had his camp [Chorus] [Harmonies] There's blood on the ridge Ain't sayin' whose There's blood on the ridge That's between me and You Some was spilled and some was owed And Lord, I'll pay whatever's due There's blood on the ridge [Outro] [Decrescendo] Ain't sayin' whose Ain't sayin' whose