One for the Cutters - The Hold Steady

When there weren’t any parties she’d park by the quarry

Walk into the woods until she came to a clearing

Where townies would gather and drink until blackout

Smoke cigs 'till they’re sick, pack bowls and then pass out

Windows wide open to let the hard rock in

Theirs was a rage that didn’t need much convincing

The girls gave her glares but the boys were quite pleasant

To be perfectly honest, they didn’t seem much different

When there weren’t any parties

Sometimes she’d party with townies

Out on the parkways after the parties

It was always arousing when they’d rev up their engines

It’s hard to describe so she kept it a secret

The girls that she lived with, they knew nothing about it

The night with the fight and the butterfly knife

Was the first night she spent with that one guy she liked

She gave him a ride to some kid’s house in Cleveland

He stayed there for two weeks, the cops finally found him

He didn’t seem that different except for that blood on his jacket

He didn’t seem that different except for maybe his haircut

He didn’t seem much different

They didn’t seem that different up until this one little incident

They didn’t seem much different

Now the cops want to question everyone present

They parade every townie in town through the station

But no one says nothing and they can’t find the weapon

The girl takes the stand and she swears she was with him

Her father’s lawyers do most of the talking

She’s sick of the questions, sick of the concept

Of justice and fairness, who the hell cares

Who gets caught in the middle?

She smokes and she ponders this riddle

When one townie falls in the forest, can anyone hear it?

When one townie falls

When one townie falls in the forest, does anyone notice?

One drop of blood on immaculate Keds

Mom, do you know where your girl is?

Sophomore accomplice in a turtleneck sweater

Dad, do you know where your kids are?

Sniffing at crystal in cute little cars

Getting nailed against dumpsters behind townie bars

It’s a cute little town with streets and cafes

Her friends all seemed nice, she was getting good grades

But when she came home for Christmas

She just seemed distant and different