Crimson and Clay Lyrics – Jason Isbell
I had it with me everywhere I’ve been
Red clay under my nails, deep crimson on my skin
You could strip me of everything I own
And just leave me with the memories of my Alabama home
I guess the highway didn’t *** me after all
Well, I thought I was a goner in that trailer fire in Arkansas
But I just let it burn and walked away
Crawled back to the crimson and the clay
I got a little bolt action on my ninth birthday
And I can flip a silver dollar from a hundred yards away
1911, under my floor, man
And one day it just occurred to me I got no use for that
Guess the city didn’t *** me after all
This thing that nearly took me out was loneliness and alcohol And I just put it down and walked away
Crawled back to the crimson and the clay
See the moon in the morning, I anticipate the night
Lick the spoon in the kitchen, we pray to mark the white
Little noose in a locker, brown eyes crying in a hall
Rebel flags on the highway, wooden crosses on wall
Guess the small town didn’t suit me after all
There’s still so many lonely kids surrounded by the rest of y’all
And I can’t seem to keep myself away
So I head back to the crimson and the clay
