[guitar intro] Rockabilly nights, Mary Jane shifts into gear again, that old two-lane Chevy reeks of grease and burnt rubber, like a coffee can. Her ’68 C10 cuts the blacktop in primer, bondo, and grin, rust on the rocker, dents in the bed, but it barks on the first crank-spin. [solo] County line sign canted over, TV buzzing at the store, a yellow cat stretched by the pumps, not bothered anymore. Mailbox on a fencepost, bent from a late-night run, rumble strips humming under us like a cracked-out drum. Cigarette ash in the tray, sun baked into the dash, road salt in her cuffs, a folded map gone soft and trash. A flatbed rolling east with a tarp tied down tight, we slip past like the road was built for us tonight. “Hold on.” I say from the bench seat, shoulder to her shoulder. Mary Jane hammers that Chevy through the washboard roller. One hand high on the wheel, one boot dug in low, work gloves on the dash, nowhere else to go. She flicks the mirror, drops the tailgate, we’re gone, past the porch, past the hound dog, before they know we’re on. I watch fence posts blur and the gravel jump, heading back by the feed store, loud and blunt. [long solo] Mary Jane at the wheel, she takes them corners mean and makes the shocks squeal. Dash lights dim, AM static in the air, I throw a rough harmony, she don’t even care. [man choir] Mary Jane at the wheel! [solo] Johnny’s gas stop, 1:47 AM, paper cup coffee gone bitter, lid bent up and wrecked. Screen door sticks, Mary Jane taps the dash twice, exact change, quick grab, keys cold as ice. I catch her in the glass by the lottery stand, smudged in the window like she planned it by hand. [solo] Mary Jane at the wheel, engine ticking hot, sitting in its groove. Cold cola in the holder, dust on our boots, grease on the cuff, split knuckles, radio loose. Every backroad mile still knows our names, I lean back, let that hot wind shake the frame. [man choir] Mary Jane at the wheel! [solo] Mary Jane at the wheel, she takes the bends like she drew them in the dirt. Dash lights low, radio chewing on the band. [long piano solo] [man choir] Mary Jane at the wheel! [solo] Mary Jane at the wheel, she takes the bends like she drew them in the dirt. Dash lights low, radio chewing on the band. [long guitar solo] [outro]
