Southern Nights

Screen door sighs like it knows my name Swing creaks slow like a preacher in flame Glass on the rail, catching lightning bugs Or maybe just stars in a mason jar buzz You say don’t look down when the river runs black But I been reading that current like a map on your back Moon’s hanging low like a question you pose Every answer I give just loosens your clothes

There’s a line in the sand but the tide don’t care Every step we take just pulls us there

Southern nights, don’t tell the truth outright They whisper it soft, then they pull it tight Tie you up in a velvet sky Make a sinner sound like a lullaby Southern nights, where the dark burns bright Every wrong feels a little more right If loving you’s a gamble I’ll roll them dice And let it ride all night, all night On these southern nights Wind through the pines like a choir off-key But it sings every line you won’t say to me That dress got a mind of its own tonight Keeps falling apart in the soft porch light

We ain’t lost, just don’t wanna be found Ain’t no sin if it don’t make a sound

Southern nights, don’t tell the truth outright They whisper it soft, then they pull it tight Tie you up in a velvet sky Make a sinner sound like a lullaby Southern nights, where the dark burns bright Every wrong feels a little more right If loving you’s a gamble I’ll roll them dice And let it ride all night, all night On these southern nights

Cicadas ticking like a time bomb’s breath Every second’s a dare, every kiss is a bet You say forever like it’s just a word But it hits like a shot when it’s barely heard We’re writing scripture in the dust and sweat Every line we cross, we ain’t crossed yet If morning comes, we’ll deny what we knew But the night keeps receipts me and you

Southern nights, let the heavens ignite Let the silence scream what we won’t write Raise your hands to the heat, to the fire, to the fight We were made for this kind of light Southern nights, where the dark takes flight Where the broken feel a little more right If this is wrong, I don’t wanna be right Let it ride, let it ride, let it ride All night All night On these southern nights