Chemical Fever

Lyrics

[INTRO] This is a song about the north Kansas southern Nebraska crystal methamphetamine industry (Verse 1) Flat plains stretching where the horizon bends From the Republican River to the farm-to-market ends Corn stalks rustle in the high plains breeze But there’s a different kind of harvest hidden in the trees Between the state line markers and the rusted fence wire They’re turning up the heat, feeding the fire In the shadow of the silos where the trains roll slow There’s a silent, jagged pulse that the outsiders don’t know. (Chorus) Oh, the wind blows cold across the dusty grit In the borderland haze where the pieces fit From the Nuckolls County roads to the Kansas plains There’s a chemical fever running through the veins It’s the North-South trade, it’s the shadow in the wheat Where the meth-glass glitters on the rural street. (Verse 2) Little towns tucked away, maps long forgot Where the supply meets the demand in the hollowed-out spot Basements hum with the sound of the ghost machine A dangerous chemistry, hidden and mean The sheriff’s light passes on the gravel lane But the cycle turns over again and again It’s a lonesome life for the ones who deal Caught in the grip of the spinning wheel. (Bridge) The interstate cuts like a scar through the land Carrying weight in a nervous hand Whatever the motive, whatever the toll It leaves a heavy mark on the heart and the soul It’s a rough way to live, it’s a hard way to die Under the wide, wide, unforgiving sky. (Chorus) Oh, the wind blows cold across the dusty grit In the borderland haze where the pieces fit From the Nuckolls County roads to the Kansas plains There’s a chemical fever running through the veins It’s the North-South trade, it’s the shadow in the wheat Where the meth-glass glitters on the rural street. (Outro) Yeah, the wind keeps blowing on the plains tonight Fading out the embers, fading out the light Just another story where the borders blur In the quiet of the fields, where the secrets occur. Just the sound of the wind... Across the line.