Sheriff Merill from Detour by Detour
Tracklist
| 8. | Sheriff Merill | 2:30 |
Lyrics
In his mom’s white Windstar
we ride through the snow
I’m in the middle seat
a couple arguing behind me
about the temperature
the driver is reckless, sliding
driving on the wrong side
and smashing out a headlight
We arrive at the train depot
built in another time
I’m set to explore
but it’s dark and poorly lit
All roads lead down
down
down
I follow the noises downstairs
and discover four rural girls
making banners for the fundraiser
when they ask us to leave
I ask them how long
the station is normally open
and they say
until nine or ten
the main girl
in a tank top and panties
tells me about Sheriff Merill
“We never tell Chinese proverbs
for fear of naming
the wrong spirit
The Sheriff lives with his assistant
who takes his bandages off at night.
At night he becomes a cripple.”
Upstairs, by candlelight
the sheriff is trying to get his assistant
to rebandage him
so he can investigate the disturbance.
His assistant shakes his head
so the sheriff hobbles down the stairs
in bloody long underwear
carrying a revolver
Then she says
“One day we found himwith a bottle in one hand
and a bottle under his arm.
He must have died
of a broken heart.”
