Red Clay Keeps Its Score

Lyrics

[Verse 1] At the county line, the courthouse clock ran slow A black sedan rolled past the peach stand in the cold Mr. Bell had a ledger tucked beneath his coat And a deputy kept watch while the paper boats afloat [Chorus] Down in Georgia, where the red clay keeps its score Every handshake hides a key beneath the door They trade a name, they trade a vote, they trade the truth for rain And the courthouse bell keeps ringing just the same [Verse 2] By the diner, someone slid a sealed envelope The sheriff smiled at the waitress, ordered coffee, spoke A radio man said the numbers came in clean While a torn-up ballot drifted through the drainage screen [Chorus] Down in Georgia, where the red clay keeps its score Every handshake hides a key beneath the door They trade a name, they trade a vote, they trade the truth for rain And the courthouse bell keeps ringing just the same [Bridge] At the church picnic, the mayor blessed the pie A judge wiped sugar from his cuff and wouldn’t meet my eye Come dawn, the ink was dry, the witnesses were gone But somebody left a muddy bootprint on the lawn [Final Chorus] Down in Georgia, where the red clay keeps its score Every handshake hides a key beneath the door They trade a name, they trade a vote, they trade the truth for rain And the courthouse bell keeps ringing just the same [Outro] The clock struck twelve, then turned its face away Red clay covered what the papers couldn’t say